dotnet-aspire-patterns

Name: dotnet-aspire-patterns
Author: wshaddix

65stars10forks

How to install dotnet-aspire-patterns?

wshaddix/dotnet-skills/dotnet-aspire-patterns

$npx -y skills add wshaddix/dotnet-skills --skill dotnet-aspire-patterns

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Using .NET Aspire. AppHost orchestration, service discovery, components, dashboard, health checks.

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# dotnet-aspire-patterns
2
3	.NET Aspire orchestration patterns for building cloud-ready distributed applications. Covers AppHost configuration, service discovery, the component model for integrating backing services (databases, caches, message brokers), the Aspire dashboard for local observability, distributed health checks, and when to choose Aspire vs manual container orchestration.
4
5	Out of scope: Raw Dockerfile authoring and multi-stage builds -- see [skill:dotnet-containers]. Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, and Docker Compose -- see [skill:dotnet-container-deployment]. OpenTelemetry SDK configuration and custom metrics -- see [skill:dotnet-observability]. DI service lifetime mechanics -- see [skill:dotnet-csharp-dependency-injection]. Background service hosting -- see [skill:dotnet-background-services].
6
7	Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-containers] for container image optimization and base image selection, [skill:dotnet-container-deployment] for production Kubernetes/Compose deployment, [skill:dotnet-observability] for OpenTelemetry details beyond Aspire defaults, [skill:dotnet-csharp-dependency-injection] for DI fundamentals, [skill:dotnet-background-services] for hosted service lifecycle patterns.
8
9	---
10
11	## Aspire Overview
12
13	.NET Aspire is an opinionated stack for building observable, production-ready distributed applications. It provides:
14
15	- Orchestration -- define your distributed topology in C# (the AppHost)
16	- Components -- pre-configured NuGet packages for common backing services
17	- Service Defaults -- shared configuration for OpenTelemetry, health checks, resilience
18	- Dashboard -- local development UI for traces, logs, metrics, and resource status
19
20	Aspire is not a deployment target. It orchestrates the local development and testing experience. For production, it generates manifests consumed by deployment tools (Azure Developer CLI, Kubernetes, etc.).
21
22	### When to Use Aspire
23
24	\| Scenario \| Recommendation \|
25	\|----------\|---------------\|
26	\| Multiple .NET services + backing infrastructure \| Aspire AppHost -- simplifies local dev and service wiring \|
27	\| Single API with a database \| Optional -- Aspire adds overhead for simple topologies \|
28	\| Non-.NET services only (Node, Python) \| Aspire can reference container images, but the tooling benefit is reduced \|
29	\| Need Kubernetes/Compose for local dev already \| Evaluate migration cost; Aspire replaces docker-compose for dev scenarios \|
30	\| Team needs consistent observability defaults \| Aspire ServiceDefaults standardize OTel across all projects \|
31
32	---
33
34	## AppHost Configuration
35
36	The AppHost is a .NET project (`Aspire.Hosting.AppHost` SDK) that defines the distributed application topology. It references other projects and backing services, wiring them together with service discovery.
37
38	### AppHost Project Setup
39
40	```xml
41	<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
42
43	<!-- Aspire SDK version is independent of .NET TFM; 9.x works on net8.0+ -->
44	<Sdk Name="Aspire.AppHost.Sdk" Version="9.1.*" />
45
46	<PropertyGroup>
47	<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
48	<TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
49	<IsAspireHost>true</IsAspireHost>
50	</PropertyGroup>
51
52	<ItemGroup>
53	<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.AppHost" Version="9.1.*" />
54	<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.PostgreSQL" Version="9.1.*" />
55	<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.Redis" Version="9.1.*" />
56	<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.RabbitMQ" Version="9.1.*" />
57	</ItemGroup>
58
59	<ItemGroup>
60	<ProjectReference Include="..\MyApi\MyApi.csproj" />
61	<ProjectReference Include="..\MyWorker\MyWorker.csproj" />
62	</ItemGroup>
63
64	</Project>
65	```
66
67	### Defining the Topology
68
69	```csharp
70	var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
71
72	// Backing services -- Aspire manages containers automatically
73	var postgres = builder.AddPostgres("pg")
74	.WithPgAdmin() // Adds pgAdmin UI container
75	.AddDatabase("ordersdb");
76
77	var redis = builder.AddRedis("cache")
78	.WithRedisCommander(); // Adds Redis Commander UI
79
80	var rabbitmq = builder.AddRabbitMQ("messaging")
81	.WithManagementPlugin(); // Adds RabbitMQ management UI
82
83	// Application projects -- wired with service discovery
84	var api = builder.AddProject<Projects.MyApi>("api")
85	.WithReference(postgres)
86	.WithReference(redis)
87	.WithReference(rabbitmq)
88	.WithExternalHttpEndpoints(); // Marks endpoints as public in deployment manifests
89
90	builder.AddProject<Projects.MyWorker>("worker")
91	.WithReference(postgres)
92	.WithReference(rabbitmq)
93	.WaitFor(api); // Start worker after API is healthy
94
95	builder.Build().Run();
96	```
97
98	### Resource Lifecycle
99
100	`WaitFor` controls startup ordering. Resources wait until dependencies report healthy before starting:
101
102	```csharp
103	// Worker waits for both the database and API to be ready
104	builder.AddProject<Proj

wshaddixPublisher · 77 listings

Preview

wshaddix/dotnet-skills

# dotnet-aspire-patterns

.NET Aspire orchestration patterns for building cloud-ready distributed applications. Covers AppHost configuration, service discovery, the component model for i

**Out of scope:** Raw Dockerfile authoring and multi-stage builds -- see [skill:dotnet-containers]. Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, and Docker Compose -- see

Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-containers] for container image optimization and base image selection, [skill:dotnet-container-deployment] for production Kubern

Repowshaddix/dotnet-skills

License—

TypeSkills

CategoryCoding

UpdatedFeb 2026

Repo stars65

First seenJul 22, 2026

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type

dotnet-aspire-patterns

65stars10forks

View on GitHub

How to install dotnet-aspire-patterns?

wshaddix/dotnet-skills/dotnet-aspire-patterns

$npx -y skills add wshaddix/dotnet-skills --skill dotnet-aspire-patterns

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Using .NET Aspire. AppHost orchestration, service discovery, components, dashboard, health checks.

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# dotnet-aspire-patterns
2
3	.NET Aspire orchestration patterns for building cloud-ready distributed applications. Covers AppHost configuration, service discovery, the component model for integrating backing services (databases, caches, message brokers), the Aspire dashboard for local observability, distributed health checks, and when to choose Aspire vs manual container orchestration.
4
5	Out of scope: Raw Dockerfile authoring and multi-stage builds -- see [skill:dotnet-containers]. Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, and Docker Compose -- see [skill:dotnet-container-deployment]. OpenTelemetry SDK configuration and custom metrics -- see [skill:dotnet-observability]. DI service lifetime mechanics -- see [skill:dotnet-csharp-dependency-injection]. Background service hosting -- see [skill:dotnet-background-services].
6
7	Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-containers] for container image optimization and base image selection, [skill:dotnet-container-deployment] for production Kubernetes/Compose deployment, [skill:dotnet-observability] for OpenTelemetry details beyond Aspire defaults, [skill:dotnet-csharp-dependency-injection] for DI fundamentals, [skill:dotnet-background-services] for hosted service lifecycle patterns.
8
9	---
10
11	## Aspire Overview
12
13	.NET Aspire is an opinionated stack for building observable, production-ready distributed applications. It provides:
14
15	- Orchestration -- define your distributed topology in C# (the AppHost)
16	- Components -- pre-configured NuGet packages for common backing services
17	- Service Defaults -- shared configuration for OpenTelemetry, health checks, resilience
18	- Dashboard -- local development UI for traces, logs, metrics, and resource status
19
20	Aspire is not a deployment target. It orchestrates the local development and testing experience. For production, it generates manifests consumed by deployment tools (Azure Developer CLI, Kubernetes, etc.).
21
22	### When to Use Aspire
23
24	\| Scenario \| Recommendation \|
25	\|----------\|---------------\|
26	\| Multiple .NET services + backing infrastructure \| Aspire AppHost -- simplifies local dev and service wiring \|
27	\| Single API with a database \| Optional -- Aspire adds overhead for simple topologies \|
28	\| Non-.NET services only (Node, Python) \| Aspire can reference container images, but the tooling benefit is reduced \|
29	\| Need Kubernetes/Compose for local dev already \| Evaluate migration cost; Aspire replaces docker-compose for dev scenarios \|
30	\| Team needs consistent observability defaults \| Aspire ServiceDefaults standardize OTel across all projects \|
31
32	---
33
34	## AppHost Configuration
35
36	The AppHost is a .NET project (`Aspire.Hosting.AppHost` SDK) that defines the distributed application topology. It references other projects and backing services, wiring them together with service discovery.
37
38	### AppHost Project Setup
39
40	```xml
41	<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
42
43	<!-- Aspire SDK version is independent of .NET TFM; 9.x works on net8.0+ -->
44	<Sdk Name="Aspire.AppHost.Sdk" Version="9.1.*" />
45
46	<PropertyGroup>
47	<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
48	<TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
49	<IsAspireHost>true</IsAspireHost>
50	</PropertyGroup>
51
52	<ItemGroup>
53	<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.AppHost" Version="9.1.*" />
54	<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.PostgreSQL" Version="9.1.*" />
55	<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.Redis" Version="9.1.*" />
56	<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.RabbitMQ" Version="9.1.*" />
57	</ItemGroup>
58
59	<ItemGroup>
60	<ProjectReference Include="..\MyApi\MyApi.csproj" />
61	<ProjectReference Include="..\MyWorker\MyWorker.csproj" />
62	</ItemGroup>
63
64	</Project>
65	```
66
67	### Defining the Topology
68
69	```csharp
70	var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
71
72	// Backing services -- Aspire manages containers automatically
73	var postgres = builder.AddPostgres("pg")
74	.WithPgAdmin() // Adds pgAdmin UI container
75	.AddDatabase("ordersdb");
76
77	var redis = builder.AddRedis("cache")
78	.WithRedisCommander(); // Adds Redis Commander UI
79
80	var rabbitmq = builder.AddRabbitMQ("messaging")
81	.WithManagementPlugin(); // Adds RabbitMQ management UI
82
83	// Application projects -- wired with service discovery
84	var api = builder.AddProject<Projects.MyApi>("api")
85	.WithReference(postgres)
86	.WithReference(redis)
87	.WithReference(rabbitmq)
88	.WithExternalHttpEndpoints(); // Marks endpoints as public in deployment manifests
89
90	builder.AddProject<Projects.MyWorker>("worker")
91	.WithReference(postgres)
92	.WithReference(rabbitmq)
93	.WaitFor(api); // Start worker after API is healthy
94
95	builder.Build().Run();
96	```
97
98	### Resource Lifecycle
99
100	`WaitFor` controls startup ordering. Resources wait until dependencies report healthy before starting:
101
102	```csharp
103	// Worker waits for both the database and API to be ready
104	builder.AddProject<Proj

wshaddixPublisher · 77 listings

Preview

wshaddix/dotnet-skills

# dotnet-aspire-patterns

.NET Aspire orchestration patterns for building cloud-ready distributed applications. Covers AppHost configuration, service discovery, the component model for i

**Out of scope:** Raw Dockerfile authoring and multi-stage builds -- see [skill:dotnet-containers]. Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, and Docker Compose -- see

Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-containers] for container image optimization and base image selection, [skill:dotnet-container-deployment] for production Kubern

Repowshaddix/dotnet-skills

License—

TypeSkills

CategoryCoding

UpdatedFeb 2026

Repo stars65

First seenJul 22, 2026

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type