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Manage dependencies in .NET applications

This article explains how to add and remove package, project, and assembly dependencies.

Add and remove package dependencies

You can add and remove dependencies by editing your project file or through .NET CLI commands.

Use the CLI

To add a dependency, run the dotnet package command for your SDK version:

dotnet package add Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore

To remove a dependency, run the dotnet package command for your SDK version:

dotnet package remove Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore

Edit the project file

To add a dependency, add a <PackageReference> item inside an <ItemGroup> element. You can add to an existing <ItemGroup> or create a new one.

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

  <PropertyGroup>
    ...
  </PropertyGroup>

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

</Project>

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.

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.

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

For more information about the PackageReference item, see the MSBuild reference for .NET SDK projects.

Add and remove project references

Use a project-to-project reference when your project depends on another project. To add and remove project references, either edit the project file or use the CLI.

Use the CLI

To add a project reference, run the dotnet reference command for your SDK version.

dotnet reference add ../MyLibrary/MyLibrary.csproj

To remove a project reference, run the following command for your SDK version:

dotnet reference remove ../MyLibrary/MyLibrary.csproj

Edit the project file

The <ProjectReference> project file element identifies the path to the referenced project. To add a project reference, add a <ProjectReference> item inside an <ItemGroup> element. You can add to an existing <ItemGroup> or create a new one.

<ItemGroup>
  <ProjectReference Include="../MyLibrary/MyLibrary.csproj" />
</ItemGroup>

To remove a project reference, remove the <ProjectReference> element from the project file.

For more information about the ProjectReference item, see the Common MSBuild project items.

Add and remove assembly references

You can add and remove assembly references through the project file. The .NET CLI doesn't provide commands to add or remove assembly references.

To reference a .NET assembly that isn't part of a project or package, add a <Reference> element to the project file. Use the <HintPath> element to specify the relative or absolute path to the assembly:

<ItemGroup>
  <Reference Include="MyAssembly">
    <HintPath>lib/MyAssembly.dll</HintPath>
  </Reference>
</ItemGroup>

To remove an assembly reference, remove its <Reference> element from the project file.

For more information about the Reference item, see the Common MSBuild project items.

Tips

  • Don't include inputs to the restore operation in the .targets or .props file of a referenced package. These inputs can include PackageReference items, ExcludeAssets attributes, the NuGet feeds to use, or other NuGet configuration. The .targets and .props files from packages aren't used until after NuGet restore is complete. Anything needed for restore needs to be in the project file or .targets file of the project itself, not a package dependency.

  • If you want to use ASP.NET APIs in a console application or class library, add a FrameworkReference item to your project file:

    <FrameworkReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.App" />

    For more information, see Use the ASP.NET Core shared framework.

See also

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