Deploying Applications, Services, and Components

By deploying an application, service, or component, you distribute it for installation on other computers, devices, servers, or in the cloud. You choose the appropriate method in Visual Studio for the type of deployment that you need.

In the following table, you can find descriptions of different deployment scenarios and links to more information about how you can successfully complete those scenarios.

In This Section

Deployment Scenario

Supporting Content

Publish to the cloud: You can make applications, services, and data available from anywhere by using Visual Studio to deploy them to Microsoft Azure.

Publishing Applications to Microsoft Azure

Publish a Windows Store app: You can easily build, submit, and sell your apps from the Windows Store to customers around the world.

Packaging, deployment, and query of Windows Store apps

Publish a Windows Phone app: You can submit a new app or an update to an existing app for certification on the Windows Phone Dev Center.

Publish a Windows Phone App

Deploy an ASP.NET application or service: You can deploy ASP.NET applications and services in a number of different ways.

Deploying ASP.NET web applications and services

Deploy a LightSwitch application or service: After you create applications and OData services by using LightSwitch, you can deploy them to a web server or to Microsoft Azure.

Deploying LightSwitch Applications

Publish an app for SharePoint: You can publish an app for SharePoint to the Office Store or to an app catalog for an internal organization.

Publish an app for SharePoint by using Visual Studio

Publish an app for Office: You can publish an app for Office to the Office Store or to an app catalog for an internal organization.

Publishing your app for Office

Deploy a WCF service: Other applications can use WCF RIA services that you deploy to a web server.

Deploying WCF RIA Services Solutions

Deploy an OData service: Other applications can use OData services that you deploy to a web server.

Deploy an OData Service

Deploy a desktop application: By using ClickOnce deployment, you can publish a desktop application to a web server or a network file share. Users can then install the application with a single click.

ClickOnce Security and Deployment

Create a setup program: You can create a setup program by using InstallShield Limited Edition, which is free.

InstallShield Limited Edition

Maintain an existing setup program: Continue using a setup program created in an earlier version of Visual Studio by installing the Visual Studio Installer Projects Extension.

Visual Studio Installer Projects Extension

Documentation for installer projects is available here: Visual Studio Installer Deployment

Deploy a Visual C++ application: You can deploy the Visual C++ runtime with an application by using central deployment, local deployment, or static linking.

Deploying Native Desktop Applications (Visual C++)

Deploy an application for testing: You can enable more sophisticated development and testing by deploying your applications into virtual environments.

Test on a lab environment

Install prerequisites: You can install prerequisite components for desktop applications by configuring a generic installer, which is known as a bootstrapper.

Application Deployment Prerequisites