Deploying a C# Application on VPS: Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Developing a C# application on the .NET platform is only half the battle. To make your project accessible to users on the internet, it must be properly deployed on a server. VPS (Virtual Private Server) is an ideal solution for small and medium businesses and indie developers: it provides full control over the environment at an affordable price. In this article, we will cover the complete process of deploying a C# application on a VPS running Linux (Ubuntu 22.04). You will learn how to prepare the server, publish the application, configure a reverse proxy with Nginx, and ensure automatic startup via systemd.

1. Preparing the VPS and Installing .NET Runtime

1.1. Connecting to the Server

After purchasing a VPS, you will receive an IP address and a root password. Connect via SSH:

ssh root@your-server-ip

It is recommended to immediately create a separate user for security:

adduser appuserusermod -aG sudo appusersu - appuser

1.2. Installing .NET Runtime

For a C# application to run on the server, the ASP.NET Core Runtime is needed. Add the Microsoft repository and install the package:

wget https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/22.04/packages-microsoft-prod.deb -O packages-microsoft-prod.debsudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.debsudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install -y aspnetcore-runtime-8.0

Verify the installation:

dotnet --list-runtimes

You should see a line with the ASP.NET Core 8.0.0 version.

2. Publishing the Application and Uploading to the Server

2.1. Publishing on the Local Machine

On your computer with Visual Studio or .NET CLI, open the project and execute the publish command:

dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish

This command creates a publish folder containing all the files necessary to run the application (including runtime dependencies if you are using FDD — Framework-Dependent Deployment).

2.2. Uploading to the VPS

Copy the publish folder to the server using scp or sftp. On the local machine, execute:

scp -r ./publish appuser@your-server-ip:/home/appuser/myapp

Now, on the server, verify that the files are in place:

ls -la /home/appuser/myapp

3. Configuring systemd for Automatic Startup

To ensure the application starts at system boot and automatically restarts after failures, create a systemd unit.

3.1. Creating the Service File

Create the file /etc/systemd/system/myapp.service with root privileges:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/myapp.service

Insert the following content:

[Unit]Description=My ASP.NET Core ApplicationAfter=network.target

[Service]WorkingDirectory=/home/appuser/myappExecStart=/usr/bin/dotnet /home/appuser/myapp/YourAppName.dllRestart=alwaysRestartSec=10KillSignal=SIGINTSyslogIdentifier=myappUser=appuserEnvironment=ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=ProductionEnvironment=ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://localhost:5000

[Install]WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace YourAppName.dll with the actual name of your .dll file (usually matches the project name).

3.2. Starting and Enabling the Service

sudo systemctl daemon-reloadsudo systemctl start myappsudo systemctl enable myapp

Check the status:

sudo systemctl status myapp

If everything is configured correctly, you will see the status active (running). The application is now listening on port 5000 on the local interface.

4. Configuring Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

To make the application accessible from the outside on standard ports (80/443) and to add an SSL certificate, install and configure Nginx.

4.1. Installing Nginx

sudo apt updatesudo apt install nginx -y

4.2. Site Configuration

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