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Write Dockerfile for traditional ASP.NET Apps (Part 3)

Ali Heydari

Ali Heydari

🗓 October 25, 2023

⏳ 6 min read

Write Dockerfile for traditional ASP.NET Apps (Part 3)
  1. Introduction
  2. Write Dockerfile
    1. Windows Service (Console Application)
      1. Step 1: Write builder stage
      2. Step 2: Write runner stage
  3. Build Dockerfile
  4. Run the container
  5. Test the container

Introduction

In continuation of Part 1 and Part 2, we will see how to write multi-staged Dockerfile for traditional ASP.NET apps with best practices. We will use a real world example.

Write Dockerfile

I decided to use a multi-stage Dockerfile to build the application. The first stage is to build the application and the second stage is to run the application.

Windows Service (Console Application)

As I mentioned in Part 1, The project contains a Web Application (ASP.NET MVC), A Web API (ASP.NET Web API) and a Windows Service (Console Application). In this article, I will explain how to write a Dockerfile for the Windows Service (Console Application).

Many of the steps in the Dockerfile are the same for the Web Application and the Web API. So If you read Part 1 Or Part 2 you can skip detailed steps and go directly to the final Dockerfile.

Step 1: Write builder stage

The first stage is to build the Web Application and Web API.

  1. I used the mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/sdk:4.8 image to build the application.
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/sdk:4.8 AS builder
  1. Define the working directory and all needed arguments like credentials and build configuration.
WORKDIR /app/source
 
ARG NEXUS_NUGET_REPO_URL=https://registry.company.com
ARG NEXUS_USERNAME
ARG NEXUS_PASSWORD
ARG DOTNET_BUILD_CONFIGURATION=Release
ARG DOTNET_BUILD_ID=1.0.0
  1. Copy the solution file to the working directory.
COPY [ "MONSTER.sln", "MONSTER.sln"]
  1. Copy the packages.config and .csproj files to the working directory. before installing dependencies. This will help Docker to cache the dependencies and speed up the build process.
COPY [ "MONSTER.API/packages.config", "MONSTER.API/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ApplicationServices/packages.config", "MONSTER.ApplicationServices/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ConsoleService/packages.config", "MONSTER.ConsoleService/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DomainContracts/packages.config", "MONSTER.DomainContracts/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DomainServices/packages.config", "MONSTER.DomainServices/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DTOs/packages.config", "MONSTER.DTOs/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Entites/packages.config", "MONSTER.Entites/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ExternalAPIs/packages.config", "MONSTER.ExternalAPIs/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Framework/packages.config", "MONSTER.Framework/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.NinjectInitializer/packages.config", "MONSTER.NinjectInitializer/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Persistence/packages.config", "MONSTER.Persistence/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/packages.config", "MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Test/packages.config", "MONSTER.Test/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Web/packages.config", "MONSTER.Web/packages.config"]
 
COPY [ "MONSTER.API/MONSTER.API.csproj", "MONSTER.API/MONSTER.API.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ApplicationServices/MONSTER.ApplicationServices.csproj", "MONSTER.ApplicationServices/MONSTER.ApplicationServices.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ConsoleService/MONSTER.ConsoleService.csproj", "MONSTER.ConsoleService/MONSTER.ConsoleService.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ContactCenterMonitor/MONSTER.ContactCenterMonitor.csproj", "MONSTER.ContactCenterMonitor/MONSTER.ContactCenterMonitor.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DomainContracts/MONSTER.DomainContracts.csproj", "MONSTER.DomainContracts/MONSTER.DomainContracts.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DomainServices/MONSTER.DomainServices.csproj", "MONSTER.DomainServices/MONSTER.DomainServices.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DTOs/MONSTER.DTOs.csproj", "MONSTER.DTOs/MONSTER.DTOs.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Entites/MONSTER.Entities.csproj", "MONSTER.Entites/MONSTER.Entities.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ExternalAPIs/MONSTER.ExternalAPIs.csproj", "MONSTER.ExternalAPIs/MONSTER.ExternalAPIs.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Framework/MONSTER.Framework.csproj", "MONSTER.Framework/MONSTER.Framework.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.NinjectInitializer/MONSTER.Initializer.csproj", "MONSTER.NinjectInitializer/MONSTER.Initializer.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Persistence/MONSTER.Persistence.csproj", "MONSTER.Persistence/MONSTER.Persistence.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/MONSTER.ProcessManagerService.csproj", "MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/MONSTER.ProcessManagerService.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Resources/MONSTER.Resources.csproj", "MONSTER.Resources/MONSTER.Resources.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Test/MONSTER.Test.csproj", "MONSTER.Test/MONSTER.Test.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Web/MONSTER.Web.csproj", "MONSTER.Web/MONSTER.Web.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Web.Test.Integration/MONSTER.Web.Test.Integration.csproj", "MONSTER.Web.Test.Integration/MONSTER.Web.Test.Integration.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Web.Test.Unit/MONSTER.Web.Test.Unit.csproj", "MONSTER.Web.Test.Unit/MONSTER.Web.Test.Unit.csproj"]
  1. (Optional) In that project I had to install the NuGet packages from a private repository. So I disabled the default NuGet repository and added the private repository. If you don't have a private repository, you can skip this step.
RUN  nuget.exe sources Disable -Name nuget.org; \
     nuget.exe sources Add -Name NexusNuget \
     -Source $Env:NEXUS_NUGET_REPO_URL \
     -UserName $Env:NEXUS_USERNAME \
     -Password $Env:NEXUS_PASSWORD
  1. Install the NuGet packages. you can combine this step with the previous step if you have a private repository to reduce the number of layers.
RUN nuget.exe restore -Verbosity detailed MONSTER.sln
  1. Copy the rest of the files to the working directory.
COPY . .
  1. Let's cook!👨‍🍳 Build the project using MSBuild. (msbuild.exe is already installed in the base image)
RUN msbuild.exe MONSTER.Web\MONSTER.API.csproj \
 -p:Configuration=$env:DOTNET_BUILD_CONFIGURATION \
 -p:Platform='Any CPU' \
 -p:DeployOnBuild=true \
 -p:OutputPath="C:\build-output"

Boom! We have a build! Now let's create the runtime image.

Step 2: Write runner stage

  1. I used the mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/runtime:4.8-20220712-windowsservercore-ltsc2019 image as the base image for the runtime image.
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/runtime:4.8-20220712-windowsservercore-ltsc2019 AS runner
  1. Update SHELL to use PowerShell and pass only one argument to it: $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'.
SHELL ["powershell", "-Command", "$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop';"]
  1. Set the working directory to C:\inetpub\wwwroot.
ENV APP_ROOT C:\\app
WORKDIR ${APP_ROOT}
  1. Copy the build output from the builder image to the working directory.
COPY --from=builder /build-output .
  1. Define the entry point for the container. The entry point is the command that is executed when the container starts. In this case, the entry point is the Windows Service executable file.
ENTRYPOINT ["C:\\app\\MMS.ProcessManagerService.exe"]

Tada! We have a runtime image! Now let's create the final image.

The entire Dockerfile looks like this:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/sdk:4.8 AS builder
WORKDIR /app/source
 
ARG NEXUS_NUGET_REPO_URL=https://registry.company.com
ARG NEXUS_USERNAME
ARG NEXUS_PASSWORD
ARG DOTNET_BUILD_CONFIGURATION=Release
ARG DOTNET_BUILD_ID=1.0.0
 
COPY [ "MONSTER.sln", "MONSTER.sln"]
 
COPY [ "MONSTER.API/packages.config", "MONSTER.API/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ApplicationServices/packages.config", "MONSTER.ApplicationServices/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ConsoleService/packages.config", "MONSTER.ConsoleService/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DomainContracts/packages.config", "MONSTER.DomainContracts/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DomainServices/packages.config", "MONSTER.DomainServices/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DTOs/packages.config", "MONSTER.DTOs/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Entites/packages.config", "MONSTER.Entites/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ExternalAPIs/packages.config", "MONSTER.ExternalAPIs/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Framework/packages.config", "MONSTER.Framework/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.NinjectInitializer/packages.config", "MONSTER.NinjectInitializer/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Persistence/packages.config", "MONSTER.Persistence/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/packages.config", "MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Test/packages.config", "MONSTER.Test/packages.config"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Web/packages.config", "MONSTER.Web/packages.config"]
 
COPY [ "MONSTER.API/MONSTER.API.csproj", "MONSTER.API/MONSTER.API.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ApplicationServices/MONSTER.ApplicationServices.csproj", "MONSTER.ApplicationServices/MONSTER.ApplicationServices.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ConsoleService/MONSTER.ConsoleService.csproj", "MONSTER.ConsoleService/MONSTER.ConsoleService.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ContactCenterMonitor/MONSTER.ContactCenterMonitor.csproj", "MONSTER.ContactCenterMonitor/MONSTER.ContactCenterMonitor.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DomainContracts/MONSTER.DomainContracts.csproj", "MONSTER.DomainContracts/MONSTER.DomainContracts.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DomainServices/MONSTER.DomainServices.csproj", "MONSTER.DomainServices/MONSTER.DomainServices.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.DTOs/MONSTER.DTOs.csproj", "MONSTER.DTOs/MONSTER.DTOs.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Entites/MONSTER.Entities.csproj", "MONSTER.Entites/MONSTER.Entities.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ExternalAPIs/MONSTER.ExternalAPIs.csproj", "MONSTER.ExternalAPIs/MONSTER.ExternalAPIs.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Framework/MONSTER.Framework.csproj", "MONSTER.Framework/MONSTER.Framework.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.NinjectInitializer/MONSTER.Initializer.csproj", "MONSTER.NinjectInitializer/MONSTER.Initializer.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Persistence/MONSTER.Persistence.csproj", "MONSTER.Persistence/MONSTER.Persistence.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/MONSTER.ProcessManagerService.csproj", "MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/MONSTER.ProcessManagerService.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Resources/MONSTER.Resources.csproj", "MONSTER.Resources/MONSTER.Resources.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Test/MONSTER.Test.csproj", "MONSTER.Test/MONSTER.Test.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Web/MONSTER.Web.csproj", "MONSTER.Web/MONSTER.Web.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Web.Test.Integration/MONSTER.Web.Test.Integration.csproj", "MONSTER.Web.Test.Integration/MONSTER.Web.Test.Integration.csproj"]
COPY [ "MONSTER.Web.Test.Unit/MONSTER.Web.Test.Unit.csproj", "MONSTER.Web.Test.Unit/MONSTER.Web.Test.Unit.csproj"]
 
RUN  nuget.exe sources Disable -Name nuget.org; \
     nuget.exe sources Add -Name NexusNuget \
     -Source $Env:NEXUS_NUGET_REPO_URL \
     -UserName $Env:NEXUS_USERNAME \
     -Password $Env:NEXUS_PASSWORD; \
     nuget.exe restore -Verbosity detailed MONSTER.sln
 
COPY . .
 
RUN msbuild.exe MONSTER.ProcessManagerService\MONSTER.ProcessManagerService.csproj \
 -p:Configuration=$env:DOTNET_BUILD_CONFIGURATION \
 -p:Platform='Any CPU' \
 -p:DeployOnBuild=true \
 -p:OutputPath="C:\build-output"
 
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/runtime:4.8-20220712-windowsservercore-ltsc2019 AS runner
 
SHELL ["powershell", "-Command", "$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'; $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue';"]
 
ENV APP_ROOT C:\\app
WORKDIR ${APP_ROOT}
 
COPY --from=builder /build-output .
 
 
ENTRYPOINT ["C:\\app\\MMS.ProcessManagerService.exe"]

Build Dockerfile

First for building this images and running the container you need to have Docker installed on your machine if you don't have it you can download it from here. Second you need to switch to Windows containers by right clicking on the Docker icon in the system tray and select Switch to Windows containers.

Now you only need to build your Dockerfile and tag it with a name. Here is the command to build the Dockerfile:

docker build \
-t monster-service:1.0.0 \
-f MONSTER.ProcessManagerService/Dockerfile \
--build-arg NEXUS_NUGET_REPO_URL=https://nexus.example.com/repository/nuget-hosted/ \
--build-arg NEXUS_USERNAME=johndoe \
--build-arg NEXUS_PASSWORD=yourstrongpassword \
--build-arg DOTNET_BUILD_CONFIGURATION=Release \
--build-arg DOTNET_BUILD_ID=1.0.0 \
.

Run the container

Now you can run the container using the following command:

docker run \
-d \
monster-service:1.0.0

Test the container

Now your container is running and you can test it by sending a request to the service. In my case the service reads some data from a database and makes some calculations on it.

You are done! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.

Tags:

WindowsDockerASP.NET

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