Mastering .NET CLI – My Favourite Commands and Tricks After Years in the Field

1. dotnet new – Start Anything, Anywhere

If you only remember one command, make it this one.

dotnet new webapi -n MyAwesomeApi

This spins up a new Web API project in seconds. Need a console app?

dotnet new console -n MyTool

My trick: use dotnet new list to see all available templates. Over time, Microsoft and the community have added loads of useful templates — minimal APIs, gRPC services, Blazor apps, worker services, and more.

From my experience, dotnet new is a great way to quickly prototype without clicking through multiple "New Project" wizards.

2. dotnet restore – Keep Your Dependencies in Check

While most modern .NET SDKs restore automatically, I still use this when switching between branches or when the build starts acting "possessed."

dotnet restore

From my experience, running this manually can save time during CI/CD debugging — especially if you suspect a corrupted local cache.

3. dotnet build – Build Like a Pro

Building directly from CLI gives you better insight into what's going on under the hood:

dotnet build
dotnet build -c Release

Tip from my experience: always use -c Release for anything performance-critical — you'll catch certain build-time issues that never show up in Debug.

4. dotnet run – Instant Execution

This one's obvious, but still worth a mention:

dotnet run
dotnet run --project src/MyProject

For quick prototypes, I find this faster than opening the IDE — especially when I'm SSH'd into a build server or working on a Raspberry Pi with .NET installed.

5. dotnet watch – My Favourite Productivity Booster

If there's one feature that changed my development speed, it's dotnet watch.

dotnet watch run

This automatically rebuilds and restarts your app whenever you change the code. Perfect for Web APIs, Blazor, or any service where you want quick feedback.

A little trick: combine it with hot reload (available in newer .NET versions):

dotnet watch run --hot-reload

From my experience, this almost feels like working in a JavaScript environment — fast iteration, minimal waiting.

6. dotnet test – Quick Test Runs Without the IDE

I run tests from CLI more often than from Visual Studio:

dotnet test
dotnet test --filter Category=Integration

This is especially handy in CI/CD pipelines or when you just want to quickly confirm a bug fix before committing.

7. dotnet format – Keep the Code Clean

Nothing kills code reviews faster than formatting arguments.

dotnet format

From my experience, integrating this into your pre-commit hook or CI pipeline keeps everyone happy and your codebase consistent.

8. dotnet publish – Ready for Deployment

When it's time to deploy, I go with:

dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish

And if I want a self-contained deployment (no need for .NET installed on the server):

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true

From my previous experience, this is especially useful for Docker images — smaller runtime dependencies, fewer surprises.

9. dotnet tool – Hidden Power

The CLI supports global and local tools that can supercharge your workflow:

dotnet tool install -g dotnet-ef
dotnet tool list -g

Some tools I keep installed:

• dotnet-ef – Entity Framework Core migrations
• dotnet-outdated – Checks for outdated NuGet packages
• dotnet-serve – Quick local web server

10. dotnet --info – The Doctor's Report

When debugging environment issues (especially on build servers):

dotnet --info

From my experience, this is the quickest way to confirm SDK versions, runtimes, and environment variables without guessing.