MSBuild SDKs

  • Last updated: July 7, 2024

MSBuild can be quite intimidating at first. At least, it was for me. The SDK-style projects used by .NET today greatly simplifies creating projects, but it pushes even more of the build system into a black box. The goal of this section is to open that box and look inside. To understand not just MSBuild, but the “SDK” projects built on top of them.

  • MSBuild primer for developers
  • A tour through the stages
  • How the SDK system works
    • Anatomy of an SDK
    • What makes up the Microsoft.NET.SDK?
    • What’s needed to build a project?
    • Hooks and extension points
  • Building our own SDK
    • Solving cross platform native build
    • Distributing the SDK on NuGet
    • Creating templates