How to host your ASP.net website on Linux

In this guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of setting up and deploying an ASP.NET Core website on a Linux server. Whether using Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, or another Linux distribution, this tutorial will help you get your application up and running smoothly.

Step-by-Step Guide to Host ASP.NET Core on Linux

1. Prepare Your Linux Server

1. Choose a Linux Distribution: Popular choices are Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, and Fedora. This guide will use Ubuntu as an example.
2. Update Package Lists:

   sudo apt update

2. Install .NET SDK and Runtime

1. Add Microsoft Package Repository:

   wget https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/$(lsb_release -rs)/packages-microsoft-prod.deb -O packages-microsoft-prod.deb
   sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb

2. Install .NET SDK:

   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install -y dotnet-sdk-7.0

3. Install ASP.NET Core Runtime:

   sudo apt-get install -y aspnetcore-runtime-7.0

3. Publish Your Application

1. In Visual Studio (on your development machine):
   • Right-click on your project > Publish.
   • Choose "Folder" as the target.
   • Publish the project to a folder.
2. Copy the Published Files to the Linux Server: You can use SCP, SFTP, or any other file transfer method to copy the published files to the server.

   scp -r /path/to/published/files username@server_ip:/path/to/destination

4. Set Up a Reverse Proxy

1. Install Nginx:

   sudo apt-get install -y nginx

2. Configure Nginx:
   • Create a new configuration file for your site.

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

   • Add the following configuration:

     server {
         listen 80;
         server_name your_domain_or_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;
         }
     }

   • Enable the configuration:

     sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/your_site /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
     sudo systemctl restart nginx

5. Configure the Application Service

1. Create a Systemd Service File:

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/kestrel-your_app.service

   Add the following content:

   [Unit]
   Description=Example .NET Web API App running on Ubuntu
   
   [Service]
   WorkingDirectory=/path/to/published/files
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/dotnet /path/to/published/files/your_app.dll
   Restart=always
   # Restart service after 10 seconds if the dotnet service crashes:
   RestartSec=10
   KillSignal=SIGINT
   SyslogIdentifier=dotnet-example
   User=www-data
   Environment=ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production
   Environment=DOTNET_PRINT_TELEMETRY_MESSAGE=false
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

2. Start and Enable the Service:

   sudo systemctl enable kestrel-your_app.service
   sudo systemctl start kestrel-your_app.service

6. Test Your Application

Open your browser and navigate to your server's domain or IP address to see your ASP.NET Core application running.

Additional Tips

• Security: Ensure your server's firewall allows traffic on the necessary ports (e.g., port 80 for HTTP and port 443 for HTTPS).
• SSL/TLS: Set up SSL/TLS for your website using Let's Encrypt for free certificates.
• Monitoring and Logs: Use tools like journalctl to view logs for your application and Nginx.

By following these steps, you can successfully run your ASP.NET Core application on a Linux server.