AspNetCore.Docs/aspnetcore/tutorials/publish-to-azure-webapp-using-vscode.md

---
title: Publish an ASP.NET Core app to Azure with Visual Studio Code
author: ricardoserradas
description: Learn how to publish an ASP.NET Core app to Azure App Service using Visual Studio Code
ms.author: ricardoserradas
ms.custom: mvc
ms.date: 04/16/2019
uid: tutorials/publish-to-azure-webapp-using-vscode
---

# Publish an ASP.NET Core app to Azure with Visual Studio Code

By [Ricardo Serradas](https://twitter.com/ricardoserradas)

[!INCLUDE [Azure App Service Preview Notice](../includes/azure-apps-preview-notice.md)]

To troubleshoot an App Service deployment issue, see <xref:host-and-deploy/azure-apps/troubleshoot>.

## Intro

With this tutorial, you'll learn how to create an ASP.Net Core MVC Application
and deploy it within Visual Studio Code.

## Set up

- Open a [free Azure account](https://azure.microsoft.com/free/dotnet/) if you don't have one.
- Install [.NET Core SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download)
- Install [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/Download)
  - Install the [C# Extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode.csharp) to Visual Studio Code
  - Instal the [Azure App Service Extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-azuretools.vscode-azureappservice)
  to Visual Studio Code and configure it before proceeding

## Create an ASP.Net Core MVC project

Using a terminal, navigate to the folder you want the project to be created on
and use the following command:

```cmd
> dotnet new mvc
```

You'll have a folder structure similar to the following:

```cmd
      appsettings.Development.json
      appsettings.json
<DIR> Controllers
<DIR> Models
      netcore-vscode.csproj
<DIR> obj
      Program.cs
<DIR> Properties
      Startup.cs
<DIR> Views
<DIR> wwwroot
```

## Open it with Visual Studio Code

After your project is created, you can open it with Visual Studio Code
by using one of the options below:

### Through the command line

Use the following command within the folder you created the project:

```cmd
> code .
```

If the command below does not work, check if your installation is configured
properly by referencing [this link](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/setup-overview#_cross-platform).

### Through Visual Studio Code interface

- Open Visual Studio Code
- On the menu, select `File > Open Folder`
- Select the root of the folder you created the MVC Project

When you open the project folder, you'll receive a message saying that required
assets to build and debug are missing. Accept the help to add them.

![Visual Studio Code interface with project loaded](publish-to-azure-webapp-using-vscode/_static/folder-structure-restore-netcore.jpg)

A `.vscode` folder will be created under the project structure. It will contain the following files:

```cmd
launch.json
tasks.json
```

These are utility files to help you build and debug your .NET Core Web App.

## Run the app

Before we deploy the app to Azure, make sure it is running
properly on your local machine.

- Press F5 to run the project

Your web app will start running on a new tab of your default browser. You may
notice a privacy warning as soon as it starts. This is because your app will
start either using HTTP and HTTPS, and it navigates to the HTTPS endpoint
by default.

![Privacy warning while debugging the app locally](publish-to-azure-webapp-using-vscode/_static/run-webapp-https-warning.jpg)

To keep the debugging session, click `Advanced` and then `Continue to localhost (unsafe)`.

## Generate the deployment package locally

- Open Visual Studio Code terminal
- Use the following command to generate a `Release` package to a sub folder called `publish`:
  - `dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish`
- A new `publish` folder will be created under the project structure

![Publish folder structure](publish-to-azure-webapp-using-vscode/_static/publish-folder.jpg)

## Publish to Azure App Service

Leveraging the Azure App Service extension for Visual Studio Code, follow the
steps below to publish the website directly to the Azure App Service.

### If you're creating a new Web App

- Right click the `publish` folder and select `Deploy to Web App...`
- Select the subscription you want to create the Web App
- Select `Create New Web App`
- Enter a name for the Web App

The extension will create the new Web App and will automatically start
deploying the package to it. Once the deployment is finished, click
`Browse Website` to validate the deployment.

![Deployment succeeded message](publish-to-azure-webapp-using-vscode/_static/deployment-succeeded-message.jpg)

Once you click `Browse Website`, you'll navigate to it using your default browser:

![New Web App successfully deployed](publish-to-azure-webapp-using-vscode/_static/new-webapp-deployed.jpg)

### If you're deploying to an existing Web App

- Right click the `publish` folder and select `Deploy to Web App...`
- Select the subscription the existing Web App resides
- Select the Web App from the list
- Visual Studio Code will ask you if you want to overwrite the
existing content. Click `Deploy` to confirm

The extension will deploy the updated content to the Web App. Once it's done,
click `Browse Website` to validate the deployment.

![Existing Web App successfully deployed](publish-to-azure-webapp-using-vscode/_static/existing-webapp-deployed.jpg)

## Next steps

- [Create your first Azure DevOps pipeline](/azure/devops/pipelines/create-first-pipeline)

## Additional resources

- [Azure App Service](/azure/app-service/app-service-web-overview)
- [Azure resource groups](/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-overview#resource-groups)