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Aspire

GitHubOfficialFirst committed by ChrisMcKee1Distributed by GitHub

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Software development
  • MIT
  • Medium risk

From the author

Aspire skill covering the Aspire CLI, AppHost orchestration, service discovery, integrations, MCP server, VS Code extension, Dev Containers, GitHub Codespaces, templates, dashboard, and deployment. Use when the user asks to create, run, debug, configure, deploy, or troubleshoot an Aspire distributed application.
— the description by ChrisMcKee1

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

Aspire is a code-first, polyglot orchestration framework designed to simplify the development, debugging, and deployment of distributed applications. It uses an AppHost project to manage the lifecycle of containers, executables, and cloud resources, providing a unified developer experience across various languages including C#, Python, Go, and JavaScript. The framework includes a local Developer Control Plane (DCP) for orchestration, a real-time dashboard for observability, and built-in support for service discovery and infrastructure integrations.

What it does

  • Orchestrates multi-service applications via a central AppHost project.
  • Provides a local runtime engine (DCP) for managing resource lifecycles.
  • Automates service discovery and configuration through environment variable injection.
  • Offers a real-time dashboard for monitoring logs, traces, and metrics.
  • Supports polyglot workloads including .NET, Python, Go, and Node.js.
  • Generates deployment manifests for cloud environments like Kubernetes and Azure.

When to use it

  • When building a distributed system that requires local orchestration of multiple services.
  • When you need to manage dependencies between containers, databases, and APIs.
  • When you want to simplify service discovery and configuration in a polyglot environment.
  • When you need to transition from local development to cloud deployment using standardized manifests.
  • When you require integrated observability and health checks during the development loop.

Advantages

  • Unified developer experience for polyglot distributed systems.
  • Code-first approach allows for programmatic infrastructure definition.
  • Automatic service discovery reduces manual configuration overhead.
  • Integrated dashboard provides immediate visibility into system health and logs.
  • Supports standard container runtimes and cloud-native deployment targets.

Usage examples

“Create a new Aspire project with a starter template.”
The agent executes 'aspire new aspire-starter' to generate a project structure containing an AppHost, service defaults, and sample services.
“How do I add a Redis cache to my existing Aspire AppHost?”
The agent guides you to run 'aspire add redis' and shows how to wire the resource in your AppHost using '.WithReference(redis)'.
“Run my distributed application locally.”
The agent triggers 'aspire run', which builds the AppHost, starts the DCP engine, manages resource dependencies, and opens the Aspire dashboard.
“How can I deploy my Aspire application to Kubernetes?”
The agent explains the use of 'aspire publish' to generate the necessary deployment manifests for your target environment.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/github/aspire/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip aspire.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by ChrisMcKee1

Aspire — Polyglot Distributed-App Orchestration

Aspire is a code-first, polyglot toolchain for building observable, production-ready distributed applications. It orchestrates containers, executables, and cloud resources from a single AppHost project — regardless of whether the workloads are C#, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Java, Rust, Bun, Deno, or PowerShell.

Mental model: The AppHost is a conductor — it doesn't play the instruments, it tells every service when to start, how to find each other, and watches for problems.

Detailed reference material lives in the references/ folder — load on demand.


References

ReferenceWhen to load
CLI ReferenceCommand flags, options, or detailed usage
MCP ServerSetting up MCP for AI assistants, available tools
Integrations CatalogDiscovering integrations via MCP tools, wiring patterns
Polyglot APIsMethod signatures, chaining options, language-specific patterns
ArchitectureDCP internals, resource model, service discovery, networking, telemetry
DashboardDashboard features, standalone mode, GenAI Visualizer
DeploymentDocker, Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps, App Service
TestingIntegration tests against the AppHost
TroubleshootingDiagnostic codes, common errors, and fixes

1. Researching Aspire Documentation

The Aspire team ships an MCP server that provides documentation tools directly inside your AI assistant. See MCP Server for setup details.

If running Aspire CLI 13.2 or later (aspire --version), the MCP server includes docs search tools:

ToolDescription
list_docsLists all available documentation from aspire.dev
search_docsPerforms weighted lexical search across indexed documentation
get_docRetrieves a specific document by its slug

These tools were added in PR #14028. To update: aspire update --self --channel daily.

For more on this approach, see David Pine's post: https://davidpine.dev/posts/aspire-docs-mcp-tools/

Aspire CLI 13.1 (integration tools only)

On 13.1, the MCP server provides integration lookup but not docs search:

ToolDescription
list_integrationsLists available Aspire hosting integrations
get_integration_docsGets documentation for a specific integration package

For general docs queries on 13.1, use Context7 as your primary source (see below).

Fallback: Context7

Use Context7 (mcp_context7) when the Aspire MCP docs tools are unavailable (13.1) or the MCP server isn't running:

Step 1 — Resolve the library ID (one-time per session):

Call mcp_context7_resolve-library-id with libraryName: ".NET Aspire".

RankLibrary IDUse when
1/microsoft/aspire.devPrimary source. Guides, integrations, CLI reference, deployment.
2/dotnet/aspireAPI internals, source-level implementation details.
3/communitytoolkit/aspireNon-Microsoft polyglot integrations (Go, Java, Node.js, Ollama).

Step 2 — Query docs:

libraryId: "/microsoft/aspire.dev", query: "Python integration AddPythonApp service discovery"
libraryId: "/communitytoolkit/aspire", query: "Golang Java Node.js community integrations"
Fallback: GitHub search (when Context7 is also unavailable)

Search the official docs repo on GitHub:

  • Docs repo: microsoft/aspire.dev — path: src/frontend/src/content/docs/

  • Source repo: dotnet/aspire

  • Samples repo: dotnet/aspire-samples

  • Community integrations: CommunityToolkit/Aspire


2. Prerequisites & Install

RequirementDetails
.NET SDK10.0+ (required even for non-.NET workloads — the AppHost is .NET)
Container runtimeDocker Desktop, Podman, or Rancher Desktop
IDE (optional)VS Code + C# Dev Kit, Visual Studio 2022, JetBrains Rider
# Linux / macOS
curl -sSL https://aspire.dev/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://aspire.dev/install.ps1 | iex

# Verify
aspire --version

# Install templates
dotnet new install Aspire.ProjectTemplates

3. Project Templates

TemplateCommandDescription
aspire-starteraspire new aspire-starterASP.NET Core/Blazor starter + AppHost + tests
aspire-ts-cs-starteraspire new aspire-ts-cs-starterASP.NET Core/React starter + AppHost
aspire-py-starteraspire new aspire-py-starterFastAPI/React starter + AppHost
aspire-apphost-singlefileaspire new aspire-apphost-singlefileEmpty single-file AppHost

4. AppHost Quick Start (Polyglot)

The AppHost orchestrates all services. Non-.NET workloads run as containers or executables.

var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Infrastructure
var redis = builder.AddRedis("cache");
var postgres = builder.AddPostgres("pg").AddDatabase("catalog");

// .NET API
var api = builder.AddProject<Projects.CatalogApi>("api")
    .WithReference(postgres).WithReference(redis);

// Python ML service
var ml = builder.AddPythonApp("ml-service", "../ml-service", "main.py")
    .WithHttpEndpoint(targetPort: 8000).WithReference(redis);

// React frontend (Vite)
var web = builder.AddViteApp("web", "../frontend")
    .WithHttpEndpoint(targetPort: 5173).WithReference(api);

// Go worker
var worker = builder.AddGolangApp("worker", "../go-worker")
    .WithReference(redis);

builder.Build().Run();

For complete API signatures, see Polyglot APIs.


5. Core Concepts (Summary)

ConceptKey point
Run vs Publishaspire run = local dev (DCP engine). aspire publish = generate deployment manifests.
Service discoveryAutomatic via env vars: ConnectionStrings__<name>, services__<name>__http__0
Resource lifecycleDAG ordering — dependencies start first. .WaitFor() gates on health checks.
Resource typesProjectResource, ContainerResource, ExecutableResource, ParameterResource
Integrations144+ across 13 categories. Hosting package (AppHost) + Client package (service).
DashboardReal-time logs, traces, metrics, GenAI visualizer. Runs automatically with aspire run.
MCP ServerAI assistants can query running apps and search docs via CLI (STDIO).
TestingAspire.Hosting.Testing — spin up full AppHost in xUnit/MSTest/NUnit.
DeploymentDocker, Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps, Azure App Service.

6. CLI Quick Reference

Valid commands in Aspire CLI 13.1:

CommandDescriptionStatus
aspire new <template>Create from templateStable
aspire initInitialize in existing projectStable
aspire runStart all resources locallyStable
aspire add <integration>Add an integrationStable
aspire publishGenerate deployment manifestsPreview
aspire configManage configuration settingsStable
aspire cacheManage disk cacheStable
aspire deployDeploy to defined targetsPreview
aspire do <step>Execute a pipeline stepPreview
aspire updateUpdate integrations (or --self for CLI)Preview
aspire mcp initConfigure MCP for AI assistantsStable
aspire mcp startStart the MCP serverStable

Full command reference with flags: CLI Reference.


7. Common Patterns

Adding a new service
  1. Create your service directory (any language)

  2. Add to AppHost: Add*App() or AddProject<T>()

  3. Wire dependencies: .WithReference()

  4. Gate on health: .WaitFor() if needed

  5. Run: aspire run

Migrating from Docker Compose
  1. aspire new aspire-apphost-singlefile (empty AppHost)

  2. Replace each docker-compose service with an Aspire resource

  3. depends_on → .WithReference() + .WaitFor()

  4. ports → .WithHttpEndpoint()

  5. environment → .WithEnvironment() or .WithReference()


8. Key URLs

Files

references/testing.md

Testing — Complete Reference

Aspire provides Aspire.Hosting.Testing for running integration tests against your full AppHost. Tests spin up the entire distributed application (or a subset) and run assertions against real services.


Package

<PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.Testing" Version="*" />

Core pattern: DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder

// 1. Create a testing builder from your AppHost
var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
    .CreateAsync<Projects.MyAppHost>();

// 2. (Optional) Override resources for testing
// ... see customization section below

// 3. Build and start the application
await using var app = await builder.BuildAsync();
await app.StartAsync();

// 4. Create HTTP clients for your services
var client = app.CreateHttpClient("api");

// 5. Run assertions
var response = await client.GetAsync("/health");
Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.OK, response.StatusCode);

xUnit examples

Basic health check test
public class HealthTests(ITestOutputHelper output)
{
    [Fact]
    public async Task AllServicesAreHealthy()
    {
        var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
            .CreateAsync<Projects.AppHost>();

        await using var app = await builder.BuildAsync();
        await app.StartAsync();

        // Test each service's health endpoint
        var apiClient = app.CreateHttpClient("api");
        var apiHealth = await apiClient.GetAsync("/health");
        Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.OK, apiHealth.StatusCode);

        var workerClient = app.CreateHttpClient("worker");
        var workerHealth = await workerClient.GetAsync("/health");
        Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.OK, workerHealth.StatusCode);
    }
}
API integration test
public class ApiTests(ITestOutputHelper output)
{
    [Fact]
    public async Task CreateOrder_ReturnsCreated()
    {
        var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
            .CreateAsync<Projects.AppHost>();

        await using var app = await builder.BuildAsync();
        await app.StartAsync();

        var client = app.CreateHttpClient("api");

        var order = new { ProductId = 1, Quantity = 2 };
        var response = await client.PostAsJsonAsync("/orders", order);

        Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.Created, response.StatusCode);

        var created = await response.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<Order>();
        Assert.NotNull(created);
        Assert.Equal(1, created.ProductId);
    }
}
Testing with wait for readiness
[Fact]
public async Task DatabaseIsSeeded()
{
    var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
        .CreateAsync<Projects.AppHost>();

    await using var app = await builder.BuildAsync();
    await app.StartAsync();

    // Wait for the API to be fully ready (all dependencies healthy)
    await app.WaitForResourceReadyAsync("api");

    var client = app.CreateHttpClient("api");
    var response = await client.GetAsync("/products");

    Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.OK, response.StatusCode);
    var products = await response.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<List<Product>>();
    Assert.NotEmpty(products);
}

MSTest examples

[TestClass]
public class IntegrationTests
{
    [TestMethod]
    public async Task ApiReturnsProducts()
    {
        var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
            .CreateAsync<Projects.AppHost>();

        await using var app = await builder.BuildAsync();
        await app.StartAsync();

        var client = app.CreateHttpClient("api");
        var response = await client.GetAsync("/products");

        Assert.AreEqual(HttpStatusCode.OK, response.StatusCode);
    }
}

NUnit examples

[TestFixture]
public class IntegrationTests
{
    [Test]
    public async Task ApiReturnsProducts()
    {
        var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
            .CreateAsync<Projects.AppHost>();

        await using var app = await builder.BuildAsync();
        await app.StartAsync();

        var client = app.CreateHttpClient("api");
        var response = await client.GetAsync("/products");

        Assert.That(response.StatusCode, Is.EqualTo(HttpStatusCode.OK));
    }
}

Customizing the test AppHost

Override resources
var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
    .CreateAsync<Projects.AppHost>();

// Replace a real database with a test container
builder.Services.ConfigureHttpClientDefaults(http =>
{
    http.AddStandardResilienceHandler();
});

// Add test-specific configuration
builder.Configuration["TestMode"] = "true";

await using var app = await builder.BuildAsync();
await app.StartAsync();
Exclude resources
var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
    .CreateAsync<Projects.AppHost>(args =>
    {
        // Don't start the worker for API-only tests
        args.Args = ["--exclude-resource", "worker"];
    });
Test with specific environment
var builder = await DistributedApplicationTestingBuilder
    .CreateAsync<Projects.AppHost>(args =>
    {
        args.Args = ["--environment", "Testing"];
    });

Connection string access

// Get the connection string for a resource in tests
var connectionString = await app.GetConnectionStringAsync("db");

// Use it to query the database directly in tests
using var conn = new NpgsqlConnection(connectionString);
await conn.OpenAsync();
var count = await conn.ExecuteScalarAsync<int>("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM products");
Assert.True(count > 0);

Best practices

  1. Use WaitForResourceReadyAsync before making requests — ensures all dependencies are healthy

  2. Each test should be independent — don't rely on state from previous tests

  3. Use await using for the app — ensures cleanup even on test failure

  4. Test real infrastructure — Aspire spins up real containers (Redis, PostgreSQL, etc.), giving you high-fidelity integration tests

  5. Keep test AppHost lean — exclude resources you don't need for specific test scenarios

  6. Use test-specific configuration — override settings for test isolation

  7. Timeout protection — set reasonable test timeouts since containers take time to start:

[Fact(Timeout = 120_000)]  // 2 minutes
public async Task SlowIntegrationTest() { ... }

Project structure

MyApp/
├── src/
│   ├── MyApp.AppHost/           # AppHost project
│   ├── MyApp.Api/               # API service
│   ├── MyApp.Worker/            # Worker service
│   └── MyApp.ServiceDefaults/   # Shared defaults
└── tests/
    └── MyApp.Tests/             # Integration tests
        ├── MyApp.Tests.csproj   # References AppHost + Testing package
        └── ApiTests.cs          # Test classes
<!-- MyApp.Tests.csproj -->
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
    <IsAspireTestProject>true</IsAspireTestProject>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Aspire.Hosting.Testing" Version="*" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk" Version="*" />
    <PackageReference Include="xunit" Version="*" />
    <PackageReference Include="xunit.runner.visualstudio" Version="*" />
  </ItemGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <ProjectReference Include="..\..\src\MyApp.AppHost\MyApp.AppHost.csproj" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: GitHub Copilot

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs an MCP server, Needs network access

Security

What our scanner noticed· Medium risk

  • Instructions that use the network
  • Downloads piped into a shell

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

First committed by
GitHub avatar of ChrisMcKee1ChrisMcKee1
Publisher
GitHub (Official)
Distributed by
GitHub
Source
github/awesome-copilot · skills/aspire · commit 797337f
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced
Contributors
ChrisMcKee1

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by ChrisMcKee1 or GitHub.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download aspire.zip