Initial Setup

Get C# running on your machine. This tutorial guides you through installing the .NET SDK, setting up your development environment, and verifying everything works. By the end, you’ll have a working C# development environment ready for learning.

What You’ll Achieve

Install .NET 8 SDK (latest LTS version)
Configure your development environment (VS Code or Visual Studio)
Verify installation with a test program
Understand .NET SDK structure and tooling
Set up your first C# project

Time to complete: 15-30 minutes (varies by internet speed and platform)

Coverage: 0-5% (environment setup foundation)

Prerequisites

Operating System: Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15+, or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 36+, Debian 11+)
Disk Space: 500 MB for .NET SDK, 2 GB for Visual Studio (optional), 200 MB for VS Code
Internet Connection: Required for downloading SDK and extensions

No prior programming knowledge required - this tutorial starts from zero.

Step 1: Install .NET SDK

Windows

Option A: Installer (Recommended)

Visit https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download
Click “Download .NET 8.0 SDK” (LTS version)
Run the downloaded installer (.exe file)
Follow installation wizard (default options work well)
Restart terminal/PowerShell after installation

Option B: Winget (Command Line)

winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.8

Verification:

dotnet --version
# => Should show 8.0.xxx

macOS

Option A: Installer

Visit https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download
Download .NET 8.0 SDK for macOS
Open the .pkg file and follow installation wizard
Restart terminal after installation

Option B: Homebrew (Recommended)

brew install --cask dotnet-sdk

Verification:

dotnet --version
# => Should show 8.0.xxx

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Add Microsoft package repository
wget https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/22.04/packages-microsoft-prod.deb -O packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb
rm packages-microsoft-prod.deb

# Install .NET SDK
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y dotnet-sdk-8.0

# Verify installation
dotnet --version
# => Should show 8.0.xxx

Linux (Fedora)

# Add Microsoft package repository
sudo rpm --import https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc
sudo wget -O /etc/yum.repos.d/microsoft-prod.repo https://packages.microsoft.com/config/fedora/37/prod.repo

# Install .NET SDK
sudo dnf install dotnet-sdk-8.0

# Verify installation
dotnet --version
# => Should show 8.0.xxx

Step 2: Choose Your Editor

Option A: Visual Studio Code (Recommended for Learning)

Why VS Code?

Lightweight and fast
Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Excellent C# extension with IntelliSense
Free and open source
Great for learning before committing to full IDE

Installation:

Download from https://code.visualstudio.com/
Install C# Dev Kit extension:
- Open VS Code
- Click Extensions icon (or Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
- Search for “C# Dev Kit”
- Click Install (installs C# extension + C# Dev Kit)

Verification:

Open VS Code
Create new file: test.cs
Type: Console.WriteLine("Hello");
IntelliSense should suggest WriteLine (autocomplete working)

Option B: Visual Studio (Full IDE)

Why Visual Studio?

Full-featured IDE with advanced debugging
Best for enterprise development
Built-in project templates and designers
Windows and macOS only (no Linux)

Installation:

Download Visual Studio 2022 Community (free) from https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/
During installation, select “.NET desktop development” workload
Optional: Also select “ASP.NET and web development” for web apps

Option C: JetBrains Rider

Why Rider?

Professional IDE with excellent refactoring
Cross-platform
Powerful code analysis
Commercial (paid, 30-day trial available)

Installation: Download from https://www.jetbrains.com/rider/

For this tutorial series, we’ll use VS Code in examples for maximum accessibility.

Step 3: Verify Installation

Let’s confirm everything works by creating and running a simple program:

Create Test Project

# Create new directory
mkdir test-csharp
cd test-csharp

# Create new console application
dotnet new console

# You should see:
# => The template "Console App" was created successfully.
# => Processing post-creation actions...
# => Running 'dotnet restore'...
# => Restore succeeded.

Inspect Generated Files

ls
# => Program.cs    # Your main code file
# => test-csharp.csproj  # Project file (build configuration)
# => obj/          # Build artifacts (ignore)

Examine Program.cs

cat Program.cs

You should see:

// See https://aka.ms/new-console-template for more information
Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");

Run Your First Program

dotnet run
# => Hello, World!

Success! If you see “Hello, World!”, your C# environment is working correctly.

Step 4: Understanding .NET SDK Structure

Key Commands

# Version information
dotnet --version        # SDK version
dotnet --info          # Detailed environment info

# Project commands
dotnet new             # List available templates
dotnet new console     # Create console app
dotnet new webapi      # Create Web API
dotnet new classlib    # Create class library

# Build and run
dotnet build           # Compile project
dotnet run             # Build and run
dotnet clean           # Remove build outputs

# Package management
dotnet add package <name>    # Add NuGet package
dotnet restore              # Restore dependencies

Project File (.csproj)

The .csproj file contains build configuration:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

Key settings:

OutputType: Exe (executable) vs Library
TargetFramework: net8.0 (.NET 8)
ImplicitUsings: Auto-import common namespaces
Nullable: Enable nullable reference types

Step 5: Configure VS Code for C# Development

If using VS Code, set up these productivity features:

Recommended Settings

Create .vscode/settings.json in your project:

{
  "omnisharp.enableRoslynAnalyzers": true,
  "omnisharp.enableEditorConfigSupport": true,
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "csharp.semanticHighlighting.enabled": true
}

Recommended Extensions

C# Dev Kit (Microsoft) - Core C# support
C# (Microsoft) - Language support
.NET Install Tool (Microsoft) - Manage SDK versions
NuGet Package Manager (jmrog) - Browse and install packages

Keyboard Shortcuts

F5 - Start debugging
Ctrl+F5 - Run without debugging
F12 - Go to definition
Shift+F12 - Find all references
Ctrl+. - Quick actions and refactorings

Troubleshooting

“dotnet: command not found”

Solution: SDK not in PATH. Restart terminal or add manually:

Windows: Already in PATH after installer
macOS/Linux: Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

export DOTNET_ROOT=$HOME/.dotnet
export PATH=$PATH:$DOTNET_ROOT

“It was not possible to find any compatible framework version”

Solution: Wrong .NET version or missing runtime.

# Check installed SDKs
dotnet --list-sdks

# Check installed runtimes
dotnet --list-runtimes

# If missing, reinstall .NET 8 SDK

IntelliSense not working in VS Code

Solution:

Ensure C# Dev Kit extension installed
Open folder containing .csproj file (not individual .cs file)
Wait for “Restore complete” notification in bottom status bar
If still broken: Reload VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+P → “Reload Window”)

“The current .NET SDK does not support targeting .NET 8.0”

Solution: Update to .NET 8 SDK:

dotnet --version
# If < 8.0, download and install from https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download

What’s Next?

With your environment set up, you’re ready to start learning C#:

Quick Start - Write your first meaningful C# program with basic syntax touchpoints
By Example: Beginner - Learn through 30 annotated code examples

Key Takeaways

.NET SDK includes compiler, runtime, and tools - Everything needed for C# development
dotnet CLI is your primary tool - Build, run, test, and manage projects from command line
Cross-platform from day one - Same code runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
VS Code provides excellent C# support - Free, lightweight, and powerful enough for professional work

Why It Matters

.NET 8 represents Microsoft’s unified platform vision - one SDK for desktop, web, mobile, cloud, and IoT development. Installing the SDK gives you access to ASP.NET Core for web development, Entity Framework Core for databases, MAUI for cross-platform mobile apps, and thousands of NuGet packages for every domain. The cross-platform nature means you can develop on macOS, deploy to Linux servers, and target Windows desktops with a single codebase - a capability that was impossible with legacy .NET Framework.

Last updated February 2, 2026

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