Deploying an ASP.NET Core 9.0 application manually can be a time-consuming and error-prone process. To streamline this, I’ve created a PowerShell script that automates the deployment of a .NET Core web application to an IIS server. This ensures minimal downtime while making the process efficient and repeatable.
Overview of the deployment script
This PowerShell script automates key deployment tasks:
→ Publishes the ASP.NET Core 9.0 application.
→ Puts the application into maintenance mode.
→ Stops the IIS Application Pool before deployment.
→ Replaces old files with the new version.
→ Restarts the Application Pool and removes maintenance mode.
→ Opens the application in a browser after deployment.
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Step-by-Step breakdown of the script
1. Define paths and variables
The script starts by setting up key paths such as:
• Project directory: The location of the source code.
• Publish directory: Where the application will be published.
• IIS deployment path: The live website directory.
• Application Pool name: The name of the IIS app pool.
# Define variables
# Set base project directory (relative to script location)
$basePath = $PSScriptRoot
$projectPath = Join-Path $basePath ".\Presentation\HRMSuite.Web"
$publishPath = Join-Path $basePath ".\HRMSuite.Web.Publish"
$websitePath = "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\hrms"
$appPoolName = "hrms"
$appOfflineFile = "$websitePath\app_offline.htm" # Path to the app_offline file
# Stop script execution on error
$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
2. Enable maintenance mode
Before deployment, we notify users about the update by creating an app_offline.htm file in the IIS directory.
# Create app_offline.htm to inform users of update (like in the batch script)
Write-Host "Creating app_offline.htm file..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
$offlineContent = "System Update in Progress, please refresh after 2-3 minutes..."
Set-Content -Path $appOfflineFile -Value $offlineContent
This ensures that users see a maintenance message instead of encountering errors during deployment.
3. Publish the application
The script then compiles and publishes the application in release mode to the specified folder.
# Publish the .NET application
dotnet publish "$projectPath" -c Release -o "$publishPath" --self-contained false --nologo --verbosity quiet /p:NoWarn="CS8618;CS8600"
Using --self-contained false reduces the package size by relying on an existing .NET runtime on the server.
4. Stop the IIS Application Pool
Before replacing old files, we ensure that the application is not running by stopping the IIS App Pool.
# Get the application pool state
$appPoolState = (Get-WebAppPoolState -Name $appPoolName).Value
# Stop the App Pool only if it's running
if ($appPoolState -eq "Started") {
Write-Host "Stopping IIS Application Pool: $appPoolName" -ForegroundColor Yellow
Stop-WebAppPool -Name $appPoolName
} else {
Write-Host "Application Pool '$appPoolName' is already stopped." -ForegroundColor Cyan
}
5. Replace old files with new deployment
After stopping the application, the script deletes old files (excluding logs and app_offline.htm).
# Remove existing files in IIS folder (but skip app_offline.htm and logs folder)
Write-Host "Removing old deployment files..." -ForegroundColor Red
Get-ChildItem -Path $websitePath -Exclude "app_offline.htm", "logs" | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Then, it copies the new published files to the IIS directory using Robocopy.
# Copy new published files
Write-Host "Copying new files to IIS directory..." -ForegroundColor Green
Robocopy $publishPath $websitePath /E /NFL /NDL /njh /njs /np /XO /XF .gitkeep
6. Restart the Application Pool
Once the new files are in place, the IIS App Pool is restarted.
# Start IIS Application Pool
Write-Host "Starting IIS Application Pool: $appPoolName" -ForegroundColor Yellow
Start-WebAppPool -Name $appPoolName
7. Remove maintenance mode
After deployment, app_offline.htm is removed so that the site can go live.
# Remove app_offline.htm after successful deployment
# Check if app_offline.htm exists before removing
if (Test-Path -Path $appOfflineFile) {
Write-Host "Removing app_offline.htm after deployment..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
Remove-Item -Path $appOfflineFile -Force
} else {
Write-Host "app_offline.htm file not found, skipping removal." -ForegroundColor Cyan
}
8. Open the website
Finally, the script automatically opens the application in a web browser.
# Open the website immediately after deployment
$websiteUrl = "http://localhost"
Write-Host "Opening the website: $websiteUrl" -ForegroundColor Green
Start-Process $websiteUrl
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PowerShell deployment script
Below is a PowerShell script that automates the deployment process:
# Define variables
# Set base project directory (relative to script location)
$basePath = $PSScriptRoot
$projectPath = Join-Path $basePath ".\Presentation\HRMSuite.Web"
$publishPath = Join-Path $basePath ".\HRMSuite.Web.Publish"
$websitePath = "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\hrms"
$appPoolName = "hrms"
$appOfflineFile = "$websitePath\app_offline.htm" # Path to the app_offline file
# Stop script execution on error
$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
Write-Host "Publishing ASP.NET Core 9.0 Application..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
# Create app_offline.htm to inform users of update (like in the batch script)
Write-Host "Creating app_offline.htm file..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
$offlineContent = "System Update in Progress, please refresh after 2-3 minutes..."
Set-Content -Path $appOfflineFile -Value $offlineContent
# Publish the .NET application
dotnet publish "$projectPath" -c Release -o "$publishPath" --self-contained false --nologo --verbosity quiet /p:NoWarn="CS8618;CS8600"
# Get the application pool state
$appPoolState = (Get-WebAppPoolState -Name $appPoolName).Value
# Stop the App Pool only if it's running
if ($appPoolState -eq "Started") {
Write-Host "Stopping IIS Application Pool: $appPoolName" -ForegroundColor Yellow
Stop-WebAppPool -Name $appPoolName
} else {
Write-Host "Application Pool '$appPoolName' is already stopped." -ForegroundColor Cyan
}
# Remove existing files in IIS folder (but skip app_offline.htm and logs folder)
Write-Host "Removing old deployment files..." -ForegroundColor Red
Get-ChildItem -Path $websitePath -Exclude "app_offline.htm", "logs" | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
# Copy new published files
Write-Host "Copying new files to IIS directory..." -ForegroundColor Green
Robocopy $publishPath $websitePath /E /NFL /NDL /njh /njs /np /XO /XF .gitkeep
# Start IIS Application Pool
Write-Host "Starting IIS Application Pool: $appPoolName" -ForegroundColor Yellow
Start-WebAppPool -Name $appPoolName
# Remove app_offline.htm after successful deployment
# Check if app_offline.htm exists before removing
if (Test-Path -Path $appOfflineFile) {
Write-Host "Removing app_offline.htm after deployment..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
Remove-Item -Path $appOfflineFile -Force
} else {
Write-Host "app_offline.htm file not found, skipping removal." -ForegroundColor Cyan
}
# Open the website immediately after deployment
$websiteUrl = "http://localhost"
Write-Host "Opening the website: $websiteUrl" -ForegroundColor Green
Start-Process $websiteUrl
Write-Host "Deployment Completed Successfully!" -ForegroundColor Green
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Conclusion
Automating deployment with PowerShell makes the process smooth, predictable, and efficient. This script can be further enhanced with logging and rollback mechanisms. If you’re working with ASP.NET Core and IIS, this deployment script can significantly simplify your workflow.
Happy coding & deploying!