---
title: Razor view compilation and precompilation in ASP.NET Core
author: rick-anderson
description: Learn how to enable MVC Razor view compilation and precompilation in ASP.NET Core apps.
manager: wpickett
ms.author: riande
ms.date: 12/13/2017
ms.prod: asp.net-core
ms.technology: aspnet
ms.topic: article
uid: mvc/views/view-compilation
---
# Razor view compilation and precompilation in ASP.NET Core
By [Rick Anderson](https://twitter.com/RickAndMSFT)
Razor views are compiled at runtime when the view is invoked. ASP.NET Core 1.1.0 and higher can optionally compile Razor views and deploy them with the app—a process known as precompilation. The ASP.NET Core 2.x project templates enable precompilation by default.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> Razor view precompilation is currently unavailable when performing a [self-contained deployment (SCD)](/dotnet/core/deploying/#self-contained-deployments-scd) in ASP.NET Core 2.0. The feature will be available for SCDs when 2.1 releases. For more information, see [View compilation fails when cross-compiling for Linux on Windows](https://github.com/aspnet/MvcPrecompilation/issues/102).
Precompilation considerations:
* Precompiling views results in a smaller published bundle and faster startup time.
* You can't edit Razor files after you precompile views. The edited views won't be present in the published bundle.
To deploy precompiled views:
# [ASP.NET Core 2.x](#tab/aspnetcore2x)
If your project targets .NET Framework, include a package reference to [Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation](https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation/):
```xml
```
If your project targets .NET Core, no changes are necessary.
The ASP.NET Core 2.x project templates implicitly set `MvcRazorCompileOnPublish` to `true` by default, which means this node can be safely removed from the *.csproj* file. If you prefer to be explicit, there's no harm in setting the `MvcRazorCompileOnPublish` property to `true`. The following *.csproj* sample highlights this setting:
[!code-xml[](view-compilation\sample\MvcRazorCompileOnPublish2.csproj?highlight=5)]
# [ASP.NET Core 1.x](#tab/aspnetcore1x)
Set `MvcRazorCompileOnPublish` to `true`, and include a package reference to `Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation`. The following *.csproj* sample highlights these settings:
[!code-xml[](view-compilation\sample\MvcRazorCompileOnPublish.csproj?highlight=5,12)]
---
Prepare the app for a [framework-dependent deployment](/dotnet/core/deploying/#framework-dependent-deployments-fdd) by executing a command such as the following at the project root:
```console
dotnet publish -c Release
```
A *.PrecompiledViews.dll* file, containing the compiled Razor views, is produced when precompilation succeeds. For example, the screenshot below depicts the contents of *Index.cshtml* inside of *WebApplication1.PrecompiledViews.dll*:
