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merged 8 commits into from
May 30, 2025
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Add Rancher Desktop details #3672

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WIP, backlog
IEvangelist Jan 17, 2025
7309401
Clarify rancher desktop support
IEvangelist May 29, 2025
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IEvangelist May 29, 2025
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IEvangelist May 29, 2025
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Remove dup section from bad rebase
IEvangelist May 29, 2025
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IEvangelist May 30, 2025
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Update rancher support scenarios
IEvangelist May 30, 2025
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IEvangelist May 30, 2025
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22 changes: 17 additions & 5 deletions docs/fundamentals/setup-tooling.md
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@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
---
title: .NET Aspire tooling
description: Learn about essential tooling concepts for .NET Aspire.
ms.date: 04/15/2025
ms.date: 05/29/2025
zone_pivot_groups: dev-environment
uid: dotnet/aspire/setup-tooling
---
Expand All @@ -23,7 +23,10 @@ To work with .NET Aspire, you need the following installed locally:

- [.NET 8.0](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0) or [.NET 9.0](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/9.0).
- An OCI compliant container runtime, such as:
- [Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop) or [Podman](https://podman.io/). For more information, see [Container runtime](#container-runtime).
- [Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop)
- [Podman](https://podman.io/)
- [Rancher Desktop](https://rancherdesktop.io/)
- _For more information, see [Container runtime](#container-runtime)_.
- An Integrated Developer Environment (IDE) or code editor, such as:
- [Visual Studio 2022](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/) version 17.9 or higher (Optional)
- [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) (Optional)
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -136,7 +139,16 @@ For more information, see [.NET Aspire templates](aspire-sdk-templates.md).

## Container runtime

.NET Aspire projects are designed to run in containers. You can use either Docker Desktop or Podman as your container runtime. [Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/) is the most common container runtime. [Podman](https://podman.io/docs/installation) is an open-source daemonless alternative to Docker, that can build and run Open Container Initiative (OCI) containers. If your host environment has both Docker and Podman installed, .NET Aspire defaults to using Docker. You can instruct .NET Aspire to use Podman instead, by setting the `ASPIRE_CONTAINER_RUNTIME` environment variable to `podman`:
.NET Aspire supports running containers using various OCI-compatible runtimes, such as Docker Desktop, Podman, and Rancher Desktop.

- [Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/) is the most popular container runtime among .NET Aspire developers, offering a familiar and widely supported environment for building and running containers.
- [Podman](https://podman.io/docs/installation) is an open-source, daemonless alternative to Docker. It supports building and running Open Container Initiative (OCI) containers, making it a flexible choice for developers who prefer a lightweight solution.
- [Rancher Desktop](https://rancherdesktop.io/) is another open-source option that provides a user-friendly interface for managing containers. It runs as an Electron app and uses a virtual machine on macOS and Linux, while using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on Windows.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> .NET Aspire supports Rancher Desktop only with the default Docker CLI setup. If you configure Rancher Desktop to use the `nerdctl` CLI, it isn't supported.

If your host environment has a Docker and Podman installed, .NET Aspire defaults to using Docker. You can instruct .NET Aspire to use Podman instead, by setting the `DOTNET_ASPIRE_CONTAINER_RUNTIME` environment variable to `podman`:

## [Linux](#tab/linux)

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -174,7 +186,7 @@ The .NET Aspire dashboard is also available in a standalone mode. For more infor

## Visual Studio tooling

Visual Studio provides additional features for working with .NET Aspire integrations and the App Host orchestrator project. Not all of these features are currently available in Visual Studio Code or through the CLI.
Visual Studio provides extra features for working with .NET Aspire integrations and the App Host orchestrator project. Not all of these features are currently available in Visual Studio Code or through the CLI.

### Add an integration package

Expand All @@ -192,7 +204,7 @@ For more information on .NET Aspire integrations, see [.NET Aspire integrations

### Add hosting packages

.NET Aspire hosting packages are used to configure various resources and dependencies an app may depend on or consume. Hosting packages are differentiated from other integration packages in that they're added to the _*.AppHost_ project. To add a hosting package to your app, follow these steps:
.NET Aspire hosting packages are used to configure various resources and dependencies an app might depend on or consume. Hosting packages are differentiated from other integration packages in that they're added to the _*.AppHost_ project. To add a hosting package to your app, follow these steps:

1. In Visual Studio, right select on the _*.AppHost_ project and select **Add** > **.NET Aspire package...**.

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