Deploy ASP.NET Core on Ubuntu with Nginx

This guide walks you through deploying an ASP.NET Core app on a Linux server using Nginx as a reverse proxy.

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1. SSH into the Server

ssh username@your-server-ip

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2. Install Required Packages

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y wget

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3. Install ASP.NET Core Runtime

wget https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/20.04/packages-microsoft-prod.deb -O packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y aspnetcore-runtime-8.0  # based on your runtime version

Replace aspnetcore-runtime-8.0 with the correct runtime version if needed.

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4. Publish Your App

cd "app path"
dotnet publish -c Release -o 
 

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5. Create Deployment Directory on Server

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/myapp
sudo chown "username" /var/www/myapp

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6. Upload Published Files (Using Your User Account)

scp -r "folder-path" username@your-server-ip:/var/www/myapp

Replace folder-path with your local publish directory.

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7. Run the App to Test

cd /var/www/myapp/publish
dotnet app.dll --urls "http://0.0.0.0:5000"

Make sure to replace app.dll with your actual DLL name.

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8. Install and Start Nginx

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx -y
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

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9. Configure Nginx Site

Create a new file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/app

Paste the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-server-ip;

    location / {
        proxy_pass         http://localhost:5000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header   Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header   Connection keep-alive;
        proxy_set_header   Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header   X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header   X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Replace your-server-ip with your actual server IP address.

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10. Enable Nginx Site and Reload

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/app /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl reload nginx

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11. Run the App in Background

cd /var/www/myapp/publish
nohup dotnet app.dll --urls "http://0.0.0.0:5000" &

nohup ensures the process continues running after logout. & runs the application as a background process.

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Your ASP.NET Core app is now running behind Nginx and accessible at:

http://your-server-ip/