Getting Started with .NET 8

Step 1: Install .NET 8 SDK

The .NET SDK includes the runtime and tools needed to develop and run .NET applications. Download the latest SDK from the official .NET website.

Follow the installation instructions for your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux).

Step 2: Verify Installation

After installation, open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command to verify that .NET 8 is installed correctly:

dotnet --version

You should see output similar to 8.0.x.

Step 3: Create Your First .NET Application

Let's create a simple console application. Navigate to your desired directory in the terminal and run:

dotnet new console -o MyFirstApp

This command creates a new directory named MyFirstApp containing a basic console application project.

Navigate and Run

Change your directory into the newly created project:

cd MyFirstApp

Now, run your application:

dotnet run

You should see the output: Hello, World!

Step 4: Explore the Project Files

Inside the MyFirstApp directory, you'll find a few key files:

• MyFirstApp.csproj: The project file that defines the project's metadata, dependencies, and target framework (which will be net8.0).
• Program.cs: The main entry point for your application.

Open Program.cs in your favorite code editor. You'll see code like this:

// File: Program.cs
System.Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");

Step 5: Learn About .NET Project Templates

.NET provides various project templates to kickstart different types of applications, such as:

• dotnet new webapi: For creating ASP.NET Core Web APIs.
• dotnet new webapp: For creating ASP.NET Core Razor Page applications.
• dotnet new blazorserver: For Blazor Server applications.
• dotnet new winforms: For Windows Forms applications.
• dotnet new wpf: For WPF applications.

You can list all available templates using: dotnet new --list