What software development tools does Microsoft offer for C# and .NET Core platform? Do they include CLI or GUI options?

Last Updated: 02.07.2025 07:03

What software development tools does Microsoft offer for C# and .NET Core platform? Do they include CLI or GUI options?

There are virtually unlimited tools you can use, but if you want a fully integrated debugging environment (critical to C# development), you’re likely to have the best experience with a full IDE like VS (not Code, that’s an Editor) or Rider. The CLI is mostly only useful for creating, building, and running projects, so great for scripting and DevOps, or (like me), if you just want to run your app in an independent process from the IDE.

Where the first two are GUI options, and the third is the CLI, which I personally prefer. There are also many other options out there, such as VSCodium (a privacy centric VS Code fork), Cursor (AI powered editor; mind your company policy when using AI tools), Rider, etc.

dotnet CLI

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Visual Studio (IDE)

VS Code (editor)

Official Tooling consists of:

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