dotnet add package

       This article applies to: ✔️ .NET Core 3.1 SDK and later versions

NAME

       dotnet-add-package - Adds or updates a package reference in a project file.

SYNOPSIS

              dotnet add [<PROJECT>] package <PACKAGE_NAME>
                  [-f|--framework <FRAMEWORK>] [--interactive]
                  [-n|--no-restore] [--package-directory <PACKAGE_DIRECTORY>]
                  [--prerelease] [-s|--source <SOURCE>] [-v|--version <VERSION>]

              dotnet add package -h|--help

DESCRIPTION

       The  dotnet  add  package  command provides a convenient option to add or update a package
       reference in a project file.  When you run the command, there’s a compatibility  check  to
       ensure  the package is compatible with the frameworks in the project.  If the check passes
       and the package isn’t referenced in the project  file,  a  <PackageReference>  element  is
       added  to  the project file.  If the check passes and the package is already referenced in
       the project file, the <PackageReference> element  is  updated  to  the  latest  compatible
       version.  After the project file is updated, dotnet restore is run.

       For  example,  adding Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore to ToDo.csproj produces output similar
       to the following example:

                Determining projects to restore...
                Writing C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp24A8.tmp
              info : Adding PackageReference for package 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore' into project 'C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj'.
              info :   CACHE https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/index.json
              info :   GET https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/dnceng/9ee6d478-d288-47f7-aacc-f6e6d082ae6d/_packaging/516521bf-6417-457e-9a9c-0a4bdfde03e7/nuget/v3/registrations2-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/index.json
              info :   CACHE https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/page/0.0.1-alpha/3.1.3.json
              info :   CACHE https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/page/3.1.4/7.0.0-preview.2.22153.1.json
              info :   CACHE https://api.nuget.org/v3/registration5-gz-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/page/7.0.0-preview.3.22175.1/7.0.0-preview.3.22175.1.json
              info :   NotFound https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/dnceng/9ee6d478-d288-47f7-aacc-f6e6d082ae6d/_packaging/516521bf-6417-457e-9a9c-0a4bdfde03e7/nuget/v3/registrations2-semver2/microsoft.entityframeworkcore/index.json 257ms
              info : Restoring packages for C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj...
              info : Package 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore' is compatible with all the specified frameworks in project 'C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj'.
              info : PackageReference for package 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore' version '6.0.4' added to file 'C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj'.
              info : Writing assets file to disk. Path: C:\ToDo\obj\project.assets.json
              log  : Restored C:\ToDo\ToDo.csproj (in 171 ms).

       The ToDo.csproj file now contains a <PackageReference> element for the referenced package.

              <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" Version="6.0.4" />

   Implicit restore
       You don’t have to run dotnet restore because it’s run  implicitly  by  all  commands  that
       require  a  restore  to  occur, such as dotnet new, dotnet build, dotnet run, dotnet test,
       dotnet publish, and dotnet pack.   To  disable  implicit  restore,  use  the  --no-restore
       option.

       The dotnet restore command is still useful in certain scenarios where explicitly restoring
       makes sense, such as continuous integration builds in Azure DevOps Services  or  in  build
       systems that need to explicitly control when the restore occurs.

       For information about how to manage NuGet feeds, see the dotnet restore documentation.

ARGUMENTS

       • PROJECT

         Specifies  the  project  file.   If  not  specified,  the  command  searches the current
         directory for one.

       • PACKAGE_NAME

         The package reference to add.

OPTIONS

       • -f|--framework <FRAMEWORK>

         Adds a package reference only when targeting a specific framework.

       • -?|-h|--help

         Prints out a description of how to use the command.

       • --interactive

         Allows the command to stop and wait for user input or action.  For example, to  complete
         authentication.

       • -n|--no-restore

         Adds a package reference without performing a restore preview and compatibility check.

       • --package-directory <PACKAGE_DIRECTORY>

         The  directory  where  to restore the packages.  The default package restore location is
         %userprofile%\.nuget\packages on Windows and ~/.nuget/packages on macOS and Linux.   For
         more information, see Managing the global packages, cache, and temp folders in NuGet.

       • --prerelease

         Allows prerelease packages to be installed.  Available since .NET Core 5 SDK

       • -s|--source <SOURCE>

         The URI of the NuGet package source to use during the restore operation.

       • -v|--version <VERSION>

         Version of the package.  See NuGet package versioning.

EXAMPLES

       • Add Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore NuGet package to a project:

                dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore

       • Add a specific version of a package to a project:

                dotnet add ToDo.csproj package Microsoft.Azure.DocumentDB.Core -v 1.0.0

       • Add a package using a specific NuGet source:

                dotnet add package Microsoft.AspNetCore.StaticFiles -s https://dotnet.myget.org/F/dotnet-core/api/v3/index.json

SEE ALSO

       • Managing the global packages, cache, and temp folders in NuGet

       • NuGet package versioning

                                            2023-10-25                      dotnet-add-package(1)