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Manage package dependencies in .NET applications

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This article explains how to add and remove package dependencies by editing the project file or by using the CLI.

The <PackageReference> element

The <PackageReference> project file element has the following structure:

<PackageReference Include="PACKAGE_ID" Version="PACKAGE_VERSION" />

The Include attribute specifies the ID of the package to add to the project. The Version attribute specifies the version to get. Versions are specified as per NuGet version rules.

Note

If you're not familiar with project-file syntax, see the MSBuild project reference documentation for more information.

Use conditions to add a dependency that's available only in a specific target, as shown in the following example:

<PackageReference Include="PACKAGE_ID" Version="PACKAGE_VERSION" Condition="'$(TargetFramework)' == 'netcoreapp2.1'" />

The dependency in the preceding example will only be valid if the build is happening for that given target. The $(TargetFramework) in the condition is an MSBuild property that's being set in the project. For most common .NET applications, you don't need to do this.

Add a dependency by editing the project file

To add a dependency, add a <PackageReference> element inside an <ItemGroup> element. You can add to an existing <ItemGroup> or create a new one. The following example uses the default console application project that's created by dotnet new console:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web">

  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>netcoreapp3.1</TargetFramework>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore" Version="3.1.2" />
  </ItemGroup>

</Project>

Add a dependency by using the CLI

To add a dependency, run the dotnet add package command, as shown in the following example:

dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore

Remove a dependency by editing the project file

To remove a dependency, remove its <PackageReference> element from the project file.

Remove a dependency by using the CLI

To remove a dependency, run the dotnet remove package command, as shown in the following example:

dotnet remove package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore

See also