If you're on a Mac with an Apple M1 or M2 chip, you need to install the Arm64 version of the SDK.
Check everything installed correctly
Once you've installed, open a new command prompt and run the following command:
Once you've installed, open a new terminal and run the following command:
Command prompt
dotnet --version
If the installation succeeded, you should see version 8.0.100 or higher outputted:
Command prompt
8.0.100
If everything looks good, select the Continue button below to go to the next step.
Got an error?
If you receive a 'dotnet' is not recognized as an internal or external command error, make sure you opened a new command prompt. If quickly restarting your machine doesn't resolve the issue, use the I ran into an issue button to get help fixing the problem.
Create your service
In your command prompt, run the following command to create your app:
In your terminal, run the following command to create your app:
Command prompt
dotnet new webapi -o MyMicroservice --no-https
Then, navigate to the new directory created by the previous command:
Command prompt
cd MyMicroservice
What do these commands mean?
The dotnet command creates a new application of type webapi (that's a REST API endpoint).
The -o parameter creates a directory named MyMicroservice where your app is stored.
The --no-https flag creates an app that will run without an HTTPS certificate, to keep things simple for deployment.
The cd MyMicroservice command puts you into the newly created app directory.
The generated code
Several files were created in the MyMicroservice directory, to give you a simple service that is ready to run, including the following files:
Program.cs is the entry point file and contains all the settings and configuration that are loaded when the app starts and has code for a simple API that returns the weather forecast for the next five days. It also starts the application.
MyMycroservice.http is used for testing ASP.NET Core projects.
MyMicroservice.csproj defines the version of .NET the app is targeting, what libraries the project references, etc.
The launchSettings.json file inside the Properties directory defines different profile settings for the local development environment. A port number ranging between 5000-5300 is automatically assigned at project creation and saved on this file.
The following code shows the contents of the Program.cs file:
Program.cs
var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);// Add services to the container.// Learn more about configuring Swagger/OpenAPI at https://aka.ms/aspnetcore/swashbucklebuilder.Services.AddEndpointsApiExplorer();builder.Services.AddSwaggerGen();var app = builder.Build();// Configure the HTTP request pipeline.if (app.Environment.IsDevelopment()){ app.UseSwagger(); app.UseSwaggerUI();}var summaries = new[]{ "Freezing", "Bracing", "Chilly", "Cool", "Mild", "Warm", "Balmy", "Hot", "Sweltering", "Scorching"};app.MapGet("/weatherforecast", () =>{ var forecast = Enumerable.Range(1, 5).Select(index => new WeatherForecast ( DateOnly.FromDateTime(DateTime.Now.AddDays(index)), Random.Shared.Next(-20, 55), summaries[Random.Shared.Next(summaries.Length)] )) .ToArray(); return forecast;}).WithName("GetWeatherForecast").WithOpenApi();app.Run();record WeatherForecast(DateOnly Date, int TemperatureC, string? Summary){ public int TemperatureF => 32 + (int)(TemperatureC / 0.5556);}
Select the Continue button below to go to the next step.
Got an error?
If you receive a message similar to Template "ASP.NET Core Web API" could not be created. Failed to create template. Details: Access to the path 'C:\Windows\System32\MyMicroservice' is denied, change your current directory to one where you have permissions to create a new folder and try to run the command again.
If Windows can't find the SDK when you try to create the project and you are sure you have installed the SDK, your machine might have an issue with the PATH environment variable. See this Stack Overflow post for instructions on how to diagnose and fix this issue.
If you can't resolve the issue you're having, select the I ran into an issue button below to get help fixing the problem.
Run your service
In your command prompt, run the following command:
In your terminal, run the following command:
Command prompt
dotnet run
You should see an output similar to the following:
Command prompt
Building...info: Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime[14]Now listening on: http://localhost:5020info: Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime[0]Application started. Press Ctrl+C to shut down.info: Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime[0]Hosting environment: Developmentinfo: Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime[0]Content root path: C:\Users\Ana\MyMicroservice
Wait for the app to display that it's listening on http://localhost:<port number>, and then open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:<port number>/weatherforecast.
In this example, it showed that it was listening on port 5020, so the following image shows the URL localhost:5020/weatherforecast.
Congratulations, you've got a simple service running!
Press CTRL+C on your command prompt to end the dotnet run command that is running the service locally.
Press CTRL+C on your terminal to end the dotnet run command that is running the service locally.
Got an error?
If you receive a message similar to No webpage was found for the web address: http://localhost:5020, ensure you are viewing the Weather Forecast page of your application. The URL should look like http://localhost:5020/weatherforecast and not just http://localhost:5020.
Install Docker
Docker is a platform that enables you to combine an app plus its configuration and dependencies into a single, independently deployable unit called a container.
If you already have Docker installed, make sure it's version 23.0.0 or higher.
Download and install
You'll be asked to register for Docker Store before you can download the installer.
By default, Docker will use Linux Containers on Windows. Leave this configuration settings as-is when prompted in the installer.
After installing Docker, you may be asked to sign out to finalize installation.
Check that Docker is ready to use
Once you've installed, open a new command prompt and run the following command:
Once you've installed, open a new terminal and run the following command:
Command prompt
docker --version
If the command runs, displaying some version information, then Docker is successfully installed.
Add Docker metadata
To run with a Docker image, you need a Dockerfile — a text file that contains instructions for how to build your app as a Docker image. A Docker image contains everything needed to run your app as a Docker container.
Return to app directory
Since you opened a new command prompt in the previous step, you'll need to return to the directory you created your service in.
Since you opened a new terminal in the previous step, you'll need to return to the directory you created your service in.
Command prompt
cd MyMicroservice
Add a DockerFile
Create a file called Dockerfile with this command:
Command prompt
touch Dockerfile
Command prompt
fsutil file createnew Dockerfile 0
You can then open it in your favorite text editor.
You can then open it in your favorite text editor manually or with this command:
Command prompt
open Dockerfile
Command prompt
start Dockerfile
Replace the content of the Dockerfile to the following in the text editor:
Note: Make sure to name the file as Dockerfile and not Dockerfile.txt or some other name.
Optional: Add a .dockerignore file
A .dockerignore file reduces the set of files that are used as part of `docker build`. Fewer files will result in faster builds.
Create a file called .dockerignore file (this is similar to a .gitignore file if you're familiar with those) with this command:
Command prompt
touch .dockerignore
Command prompt
fsutil file createnew .dockerignore 0
You can then open it in your favorite text editor.
You can then open it in your favorite text editor manually or with this command:
Command prompt
open .dockerignore
Command prompt
start .dockerignore
Replace the content of the .dockerignore to the following in the text editor:
.dockerignore
Dockerfile[b|B]in[O|o]bj
Create Docker image
Run the following command:
Command prompt
docker build -t mymicroservice .
The docker build command uses the Dockerfile to build a Docker image.
The -t mymicroservice parameter tells it to tag (or name) the image as mymicroservice.
The final parameter tells it which directory to use to find the Dockerfile (. specifies the current directory).
This command will download and build all dependencies to create a Docker image and may take some time.
You can run the following command to see a list of all images available on your machine, including the one you just created.
Command prompt
docker images
Run Docker image
You can run your app in a container using the following command:
Command prompt
docker run -it --rm -p 3000:8080 --name mymicroservicecontainer mymicroservice
You can browse to the following URL to access your application running in a container: http://localhost:3000/weatherforecast
Optionally, you can view your container running in a separate command prompt using the following command:
Optionally, you can view your container running in a separate terminal window using the following command:
Command prompt
docker ps
Press CTRL+C on your command prompt to end the docker run command that is running the service in a container.
Press CTRL+C on your terminal to end the docker run command that is running the service in a container.
Congratulations! You've successfully created a small, independent service that can be deployed and scaled using Docker containers.
These are the fundamental building blocks of microservices.
Got an error?
If you receive a message similar to ERROR: error during connect: this error may indicate that the docker daemon is not running, it may indicate that you need to launch the Docker application. Check that the Docker client is running by running docker run hello-world. This should pull and run the image. For more help, see the Docker documentation for instructions on how to diagnose and fix this issue.
Next steps
Congratulations! You've created a simple service and then ran it in a Docker container.
Now, you can learn how to deploy your microservice to the cloud with our next tutorial.