Getting started with Aspire
Aspire is a polyglot stack for building, running, debugging, and deploying distributed applications. The AppHost can be authored in C# or TypeScript today, with additional languages (Java, Go, Python, Rust, …) on the roadmap. The Aspire CLI (aspire) is the entry point for everything: scaffolding apps, running them locally, inspecting state, and deploying.
When to use this skill
- The user is new to Aspire and wants to install the CLI.
- The user wants to scaffold a brand-new Aspire app.
- The user wants to know how to run the app they just created.
- The user is looking for the authoritative docs, integration catalog, or API reference.
Don't use this skill for
- Operating an existing Aspire AppHost (resources, logs, traces, dashboard commands). That's the official
aspire skill.
- Editing AppHost source code (C# or TypeScript) — consult the API reference on aspire.dev.
Install the Aspire CLI
The official cross-platform installers are hosted on aspire.dev:
- Windows (PowerShell):
iex (irm https://aspire.dev/install.ps1)
- macOS / Linux (bash):
curl -fsSL https://aspire.dev/install.sh | bash
After install, verify with aspire --version. Do not install Aspire from NuGet/npm directly when the user wants the CLI — the install script is the supported path.
Create a new Aspire app
aspire new
aspire new is interactive. It prompts for the template (for example aspire-starter, apphost, apphost-ts), the project name, the output location, and the language. It creates a subfolder for the new project, so run it from the parent directory where you want the project folder to live. Do not pass fabricated template flags; let the CLI prompt the user.
Run the app
cd <project>
aspire start
aspire start launches the AppHost and the Aspire dashboard. Prefer aspire start over dotnet run for AppHosts — aspire start is the agent-friendly path; aspire run blocks the terminal.
Where to learn more
1---2name: getting-started-with-aspire3description: Use this skill when a developer asks how to begin using Aspire — installing the Aspire CLI, creating a new Aspire app, running it locally, or finding the authoritative docs, integration catalog, or API reference on aspire.dev. Use it for questions like "how do I install aspire?", "how do I create a new aspire app?", "how do I run my aspire app?", or "where is the documentation for aspire?". Do not use it for operating an existing Aspire AppHost (use the official `aspire` skill at github.com/microsoft/aspire/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire), authoring AppHost code, or adding integrations to an existing app.4---56# Getting started with Aspire78[Aspire](https://aspire.dev) is a polyglot stack for building, running, debugging, and deploying distributed applications. The AppHost can be authored in C# or TypeScript today, with additional languages (Java, Go, Python, Rust, …) on the roadmap. The Aspire CLI (`aspire`) is the entry point for everything: scaffolding apps, running them locally, inspecting state, and deploying.910## When to use this skill1112- The user is new to Aspire and wants to install the CLI.13- The user wants to scaffold a brand-new Aspire app.14- The user wants to know how to run the app they just created.15- The user is looking for the authoritative docs, integration catalog, or API reference.1617## Don't use this skill for1819- Operating an existing Aspire AppHost (resources, logs, traces, dashboard commands). That's the [official `aspire` skill](https://github.com/microsoft/aspire/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire).20- Editing AppHost source code (C# or TypeScript) — consult the API reference on aspire.dev.2122## Install the Aspire CLI2324The official cross-platform installers are hosted on aspire.dev:2526- **Windows (PowerShell):** `iex (irm https://aspire.dev/install.ps1)`27- **macOS / Linux (bash):** `curl -fsSL https://aspire.dev/install.sh | bash`2829After install, verify with `aspire --version`. Do not install Aspire from NuGet/npm directly when the user wants the CLI — the install script is the supported path.3031## Create a new Aspire app3233```sh34aspire new35```3637`aspire new` is **interactive**. It prompts for the template (for example `aspire-starter`, `apphost`, `apphost-ts`), the project name, the output location, and the language. It creates a subfolder for the new project, so run it from the parent directory where you want the project folder to live. Do not pass fabricated template flags; let the CLI prompt the user.3839## Run the app4041```sh42cd <project>43aspire start44```4546`aspire start` launches the AppHost and the Aspire dashboard. Prefer `aspire start` over `dotnet run` for AppHosts — `aspire start` is the agent-friendly path; `aspire run` blocks the terminal.4748## Where to learn more4950- **Documentation hub:** <https://aspire.dev/docs/>51- **CLI reference:** <https://aspire.dev/reference/cli/>52- **Integration catalog:** <https://aspire.dev/integrations/>53- **C# API reference:** <https://aspire.dev/reference/api/csharp/>54- **TypeScript API reference:** <https://aspire.dev/reference/api/typescript/>55- **LLM-friendly corpus:** <https://aspire.dev/llms.txt>, <https://aspire.dev/llms-full.txt>56- **Per-page markdown:** every page on aspire.dev is also available as `<page>.md` (or via `Accept: text/markdown` content negotiation).57- **In-page search tool:** when running in a WebMCP-capable browser, the `search-aspire-docs` tool is registered on every aspire.dev page.58- **Source repository:** <https://github.com/microsoft/aspire>
Microsoft