Use Docker Tools in Visual Studio on Windows
Tip
This content is an excerpt from the eBook, Containerized Docker Application Lifecycle with Microsoft Platform and Tools, available on .NET Docs or as a free downloadable PDF that can be read offline.
The developer workflow when using the Docker Tools included in Visual Studio 2022 version 17.0 and later, is similar to using Visual Studio Code and Docker CLI (in fact, it's based on the same Docker CLI), but it's easier to get started, simplifies the process, and provides greater productivity for the build, run, and compose tasks. It can also run and debug your containers via the usual F5 and Ctrl+F5keys from Visual Studio. You can even debug a whole solution if its containers are defined in the same docker-compose.yml file at the solution level.
Configure your local environment
With the latest versions of Docker for Windows, it's easier than ever to develop Docker applications because the setup is straightforward, as explained in the following references.
Tip
To learn more about installing Docker for Windows, go to (https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-windows/).
Docker support in Visual Studio
There are two levels of Docker support you can add to a project. In ASP.NET Core projects, you can just add a Dockerfile file to the project by enabling Docker support. The next level is container orchestration support, which adds a Dockerfile to the project (if it doesn't already exist) and a docker-compose.yml file at the solution level. Container orchestration support, via Docker Compose, is available in Visual Studio 2022 versions 17.0. Container orchestration support is an opt-in feature in Visual Studio 2022 versions 17.0 or later. Visual Studio 2022 also supports Kubernetes/Helm deployment.
The Add > Docker Support and Add > Container Orchestrator Support commands are located on the right-click menu (or context menu) of the project node for an ASP.NET Core project in Solution Explorer, as shown in Figure 4-31:
Figure 4-31. Adding Docker support to a Visual Studio project
Add Docker support
Besides the option to add Docker support to an existing application, as shown in the previous section, you can also enable Docker support during project creation by selecting Enable Docker Support in the New ASP.NET Core Web Application dialog box that opens after you click OK in the New Project dialog box, as shown in Figure 4-32.
Figure 4-32. Enable Docker support during project creation in Visual Studio
When you add or enable Docker support, Visual Studio adds a Dockerfile file to the project, that includes references to all required project from the solution.
Add container orchestration support
When you want to compose a multi-container solution, add container orchestration support to your projects. This lets you run and debug a group of containers (a whole solution) at the same time if they're defined in the same docker-compose.yml file.
To add container orchestration support, right-click on the project node in Solution Explorer, and choose Add > Container Orchestration Support. Then choose Docker Compose to manage the containers.
After you add container orchestration support to your project, you see a Dockerfile added to the project and a docker-compose folder added to the solution in Solution Explorer, as shown in Figure 4-33:
Figure 4-33. Docker files in Solution Explorer in Visual Studio
If docker-compose.yml already exists, Visual Studio just adds the required lines of configuration code to it.
Configure Docker tools
From the main menu, choose Tools > Options, and expand Container Tools > Settings. The container tools settings appear.
Figure 4-34. Docker Tools Options
For more detailed configurations refer to Container Tools settings
Tip
For further details on the services implementation and use of Visual Studio Tools for Docker, read the following articles:
Use the Containers tool window to view container details such as the filesystem, logs, environment, ports, and more: https://learn.microsoft.com/visualstudio/containers/view-and-diagnose-containers Debug apps in a local Docker container: https://learn.microsoft.com/visualstudio/containers/edit-and-refresh
Deploy an ASP.NET container to a container registry using Visual Studio: https://learn.microsoft.com/visualstudio/containers/hosting-web-apps-in-docker
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