Aspire
GitHubOfficialFirst committed by ChrisMcKee1Distributed by GitHub
- Skill
- Tool integration
- Software development
- MIT
- Medium risk
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
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/github/aspire/downloadUnzip 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
| Reference | When to load |
|---|---|
| CLI Reference | Command flags, options, or detailed usage |
| MCP Server | Setting up MCP for AI assistants, available tools |
| Integrations Catalog | Discovering integrations via MCP tools, wiring patterns |
| Polyglot APIs | Method signatures, chaining options, language-specific patterns |
| Architecture | DCP internals, resource model, service discovery, networking, telemetry |
| Dashboard | Dashboard features, standalone mode, GenAI Visualizer |
| Deployment | Docker, Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps, App Service |
| Testing | Integration tests against the AppHost |
| Troubleshooting | Diagnostic 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.
Aspire CLI 13.2+ (recommended — has built-in docs search)
If running Aspire CLI 13.2 or later (aspire --version), the MCP server includes docs search tools:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_docs | Lists all available documentation from aspire.dev |
search_docs | Performs weighted lexical search across indexed documentation |
get_doc | Retrieves 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:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_integrations | Lists available Aspire hosting integrations |
get_integration_docs | Gets 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".
| Rank | Library ID | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | /microsoft/aspire.dev | Primary source. Guides, integrations, CLI reference, deployment. |
| 2 | /dotnet/aspire | API internals, source-level implementation details. |
| 3 | /communitytoolkit/aspire | Non-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/aspireSamples repo:
dotnet/aspire-samplesCommunity integrations:
CommunityToolkit/Aspire
2. Prerequisites & Install
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| .NET SDK | 10.0+ (required even for non-.NET workloads — the AppHost is .NET) |
| Container runtime | Docker 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.ProjectTemplates3. Project Templates
| Template | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| aspire-starter | aspire new aspire-starter | ASP.NET Core/Blazor starter + AppHost + tests |
| aspire-ts-cs-starter | aspire new aspire-ts-cs-starter | ASP.NET Core/React starter + AppHost |
| aspire-py-starter | aspire new aspire-py-starter | FastAPI/React starter + AppHost |
| aspire-apphost-singlefile | aspire new aspire-apphost-singlefile | Empty 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)
| Concept | Key point |
|---|---|
| Run vs Publish | aspire run = local dev (DCP engine). aspire publish = generate deployment manifests. |
| Service discovery | Automatic via env vars: ConnectionStrings__<name>, services__<name>__http__0 |
| Resource lifecycle | DAG ordering — dependencies start first. .WaitFor() gates on health checks. |
| Resource types | ProjectResource, ContainerResource, ExecutableResource, ParameterResource |
| Integrations | 144+ across 13 categories. Hosting package (AppHost) + Client package (service). |
| Dashboard | Real-time logs, traces, metrics, GenAI visualizer. Runs automatically with aspire run. |
| MCP Server | AI assistants can query running apps and search docs via CLI (STDIO). |
| Testing | Aspire.Hosting.Testing — spin up full AppHost in xUnit/MSTest/NUnit. |
| Deployment | Docker, Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps, Azure App Service. |
6. CLI Quick Reference
Valid commands in Aspire CLI 13.1:
| Command | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
aspire new <template> | Create from template | Stable |
aspire init | Initialize in existing project | Stable |
aspire run | Start all resources locally | Stable |
aspire add <integration> | Add an integration | Stable |
aspire publish | Generate deployment manifests | Preview |
aspire config | Manage configuration settings | Stable |
aspire cache | Manage disk cache | Stable |
aspire deploy | Deploy to defined targets | Preview |
aspire do <step> | Execute a pipeline step | Preview |
aspire update | Update integrations (or --self for CLI) | Preview |
aspire mcp init | Configure MCP for AI assistants | Stable |
aspire mcp start | Start the MCP server | Stable |
Full command reference with flags: CLI Reference.
7. Common Patterns
Adding a new service
Create your service directory (any language)
Add to AppHost:
Add*App()orAddProject<T>()Wire dependencies:
.WithReference()Gate on health:
.WaitFor()if neededRun:
aspire run
Migrating from Docker Compose
aspire new aspire-apphost-singlefile(empty AppHost)Replace each
docker-composeservice with an Aspire resourcedepends_on→.WithReference()+.WaitFor()ports→.WithHttpEndpoint()environment→.WithEnvironment()or.WithReference()
8. Key URLs
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Documentation | https://aspire.dev |
| Runtime repo | https://github.com/dotnet/aspire |
| Docs repo | https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev |
| Samples | https://github.com/dotnet/aspire-samples |
| Community Toolkit | https://github.com/CommunityToolkit/Aspire |
| Dashboard image | mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspire-dashboard |
| Discord | https://aka.ms/aspire/discord |
| https://www.reddit.com/r/aspiredotdev/ |
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer851 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
- SKILL.md9.1 KiB
- references/architecture.md10.0 KiB
- references/cli-reference.md8.5 KiB
- references/dashboard.md6.3 KiB
- references/deployment.md6.2 KiB
- references/integrations-catalog.md5.0 KiB
- references/mcp-server.md8.3 KiB
- references/polyglot-apis.md8.8 KiB
- references/testing.md7.4 KiB
- references/troubleshooting.md10.8 KiB
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
Use
WaitForResourceReadyAsyncbefore making requests — ensures all dependencies are healthyEach test should be independent — don't rely on state from previous tests
Use
await usingfor the app — ensures cleanup even on test failureTest real infrastructure — Aspire spins up real containers (Redis, PostgreSQL, etc.), giving you high-fidelity integration tests
Keep test AppHost lean — exclude resources you don't need for specific test scenarios
Use test-specific configuration — override settings for test isolation
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
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Attribution and licence
- First committed by
ChrisMcKee1
- 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