How to Install .NET 8.0 on Ubuntu 24.04

What is .NET 8.0?

.NET 8.0 is the latest Long-Term Support (LTS) release of Microsoft’s unified, cross-platform development platform for building web, desktop, mobile, cloud, and IoT applications. Released in November 2023, .NET 8 brings performance enhancements, modern language features, and robust support for cloud-native and AI-driven development.

Running .NET 8.0 on Ubuntu 24.04 provides a secure and scalable platform for deploying and hosting applications across a wide range of workloads—whether you’re building microservices, APIs, real-time apps, or cross-platform desktop tools.

Key Features of .NET 8.0

Cross-Platform Support

Run apps on Linux, Windows, and macOS
Build once and deploy anywhere with consistent behavior

Improved Performance

Further enhancements to JIT compiler, GC (Garbage Collector), and threading
Native AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation improvements for minimal startup time and memory usage

ASP.NET Core Enhancements

New Blazor Web App template combining SSR + WebAssembly
Improved SignalR, Kestrel, and minimal APIs
Enhanced gRPC and WebSocket support

Native AOT

Produce standalone, low-footprint binaries with no runtime dependencies
Faster startup and lower memory usage, ideal for microservices and containers

Enhanced AI Integration

Built-in support for ONNX runtime, TorchSharp, and third-party ML libraries
Easy access to Azure OpenAI, Hugging Face, and other AI providers

C# 12 Features (Bundled with .NET 8)

Primary constructors for non-record types
Interpolated string handlers
Collection expressions and improved lambda expression syntax

Why Use .NET 8.0 on Ubuntu 24.04?

Ubuntu 24.04 is a robust, modern LTS release with support through 2029, making it an excellent choice for:

Web and API development using ASP.NET Core
Containerized microservices in cloud-native architectures
CI/CD pipelines and cross-platform development
Enterprise-grade hosting environments

Microsoft provides official .NET packages for Ubuntu, and .NET 8 is fully supported on Ubuntu 24.04 via the Microsoft APT repository.

System Requirements

Component	Minimum Requirement
OS	Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (64-bit)
CPU	x64, ARM64 (AArch64)
Memory	1 GB minimum (2+ GB for most apps)
Disk Space	500 MB+ for SDK, less for runtime only
Dependencies	`libicu`, `libssl`, `libcurl4`, `zlib1g`, `krb5`

SDK and runtime packages are available for x64, ARM64, and RISC-V (experimental).

Typical Use Cases

RESTful APIs and microservices with ASP.NET Core
Real-time apps using SignalR or WebSockets
Desktop GUIs via .NET MAUI (preview on Linux)
Cloud functions and background workers
AI and data processing with ML.NET or external models
Console tools with native AOT for quick execution

Comparison: .NET 8 vs Other Runtimes

Feature	.NET 8.0	Node.js	Java (OpenJDK 21)	Python 3.12
Language Support	C#, F#, VB.NET	JavaScript, TypeScript	Java, Kotlin	Python
AOT Compilation	Yes (Native AOT)	No	Yes (GraalVM)	Limited (Cython/Numba)
Web Framework	ASP.NET Core	Express, Fastify	Spring, Micronaut	Django, Flask
Performance	High	Medium	High	Medium
Best Use Case	Enterprise, APIs, Cloud	Web apps, real-time	Large enterprise apps	Data science, scripting

Developer Tools and Ecosystem

Visual Studio Code: Lightweight IDE with excellent .NET support on Linux
JetBrains Rider: Full-featured C# IDE (commercial)
CLI Tools: dotnet build, dotnet run, dotnet publish, etc.
NuGet: Package manager for libraries and dependencies
Docker Images: Official .NET 8 runtime and SDK images available for containerized deployments

Security Best Practices

Keep runtime and SDK updated with latest patches
Use HTTPS, data encryption, and identity providers (OAuth, OpenID)
Follow OWASP guidelines when building web apps
Use code analyzers, dotnet format, and dotnet security audit
Harden containers and servers with UFW, AppArmor, and resource limits

Deployment on Ubuntu 24.04

Common Stack Example:

Web Server: Kestrel (built-in) or behind Nginx reverse proxy
Database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, or SQL Server on Linux
Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic APM
CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitLab CI
Containers: Docker or Podman, with Kubernetes support (Helm, Dapr)

.NET 8.0 on Ubuntu 24.04 offers a powerful, performant, and flexible development environment for building modern cloud, web, and desktop applications. Whether you’re creating scalable APIs, microservices, or cross-platform apps, .NET 8 delivers significant speed, security, and deployment advantages—while Ubuntu 24.04 provides a stable and production-ready base to run them.

This combination is especially well-suited for teams seeking an open-source, cross-platform, enterprise-grade framework supported by a vast ecosystem of libraries, tools, and services.

Step 1: Launch a VPS on Shape.Host

Go to https://shape.host and sign in.

Click Create, then choose Instance.

Select a location close to your audience.

Shape.host instance form with the data center location selector highlighted.

Pick Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit) as your OS.

Choose a plan with at least 2 CPUs, 4 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD.

Shape.host instance form with the operating system image selector highlighted.

Hit Create Instance.

Shape.host instance form with the Create Instance button highlighted.

Note the IP address under your instance’s Resources section.

Shape.host Resources dashboard with the server IP address highlighted.

Step 2: Connect to Your Server

On Linux/macOS:

ssh root@your_server_ip

On Windows:
Use PuTTY and log in with your root credentials.

Step 3: Update System Packages

apt update

Makes sure your server has access to the latest package versions.

Terminal showing APT package management commands and output.

Step 4: Install .NET 8 SDK

apt install dotnet8

Installs the .NET 8.0 Software Development Kit, including the CLI and runtime.

Step 5: Confirm .NET Installation

dotnet --version

Displays the installed version to verify that .NET 8 is ready to use.

Terminal showing dotnet commands or output during Confirm .NET Installation.

Step 6: Create a New Console App

dotnet new console -o helloworld
cd helloworld
dotnet run

This creates a simple console app named helloworld.
The final command runs it and displays “Hello, World!” output.

Terminal showing dotnet commands or output during Create a New Console App.

Terminal showing file and directory setup commands.

Step 7: Create a New Razor Web App

dotnet new razor -o asp.net
cd asp.net
dotnet run --urls=http://0.0.0.0:5000/

Generates a basic Razor web project in a folder named asp.net.
The app will now listen on all IPs via port 5000.

Terminal showing dotnet commands or output during Create a New Razor Web App.

Step 8: Test Your Web App

Open your browser and visit:

http://your_server_ip:5000

You should see the default Razor app home page.

Web application welcome page displayed in a browser.

You’ve installed .NET 8.0, created and tested a console and web app, all on Ubuntu 24.04.

Shape.Host offers fast, reliable Cloud SSD VPS servers ideal for .NET development:

Instant deployment
Full root access
Powerful performance

Start your next .NET project at https://shape.host