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This guide will help you install and run the FullStackHero .NET Starter Kit using .NET Aspire for local development.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

.NET 10 SDK

Download from dotnet.microsoft.com

Docker Desktop

Required for Postgres and Redis containers

.NET Aspire Workload

Install via dotnet workload install aspire

IDE

Visual Studio 2025+, VS Code, or Rider
The starter kit targets net10.0 and requires the latest C# language features. Make sure your SDK is up to date.

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Installation Steps

1

Verify .NET 10 SDK

Confirm you have .NET 10 installed:
dotnet --version
You should see output like 10.0.0 or higher.
2

Install Aspire Workload

Install the .NET Aspire workload for orchestration:
dotnet workload install aspire
Verify the installation:
dotnet workload list
3

Clone the Repository

Clone the starter kit from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/fullstackhero/dotnet-starter-kit.git
cd dotnet-starter-kit
4

Restore Dependencies

Restore NuGet packages for the entire solution:
dotnet restore src/FSH.Framework.slnx
This will restore all dependencies defined in Directory.Packages.props including:
  • Entity Framework Core 10.0.2
  • Finbuckle.MultiTenant 10.0.2
  • Hangfire 1.8.23
  • Mediator 3.0.1
  • OpenTelemetry packages
5

Build the Solution

Build the entire solution to ensure everything compiles:
dotnet build src/FSH.Framework.slnx
The project is configured with TreatWarningsAsErrors=false in development, but you should aim for zero warnings in production builds.
6

Start Docker Desktop

Ensure Docker Desktop is running. Aspire will use it to spin up:
  • PostgreSQL container (with persistent volume fsh-postgres-data)
  • Redis container (with persistent volume fsh-redis-data)
7

Run with Aspire

Launch the entire application stack using Aspire:
dotnet run --project src/Playground/FSH.Playground.AppHost
Aspire will:
  1. Start PostgreSQL and Redis containers
  2. Apply database migrations automatically
  3. Launch the Playground API at https://localhost:5285
  4. Launch the Blazor UI at https://localhost:7140
  5. Enable OpenTelemetry export to http://localhost:4317
First run may take a few minutes while Docker pulls images and applies migrations.
8

Verify Installation

Open your browser and verify the following endpoints:
curl https://localhost:5285/health
You should see:
  • Health endpoint returning Healthy status
  • Interactive API docs via Scalar
  • Blazor UI login screen

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Verification Commands

After installation, verify your setup:
Check running containers
docker ps
You should see containers for:
  • postgres (port 5432)
  • redis (port 6379)
Check API endpoint
curl https://localhost:5285 -k
Expected response: 
{
  "message": "hello world!"
}
Run tests
dotnet test src/FSH.Framework.slnx
All architecture and unit tests should pass.

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Running Without Aspire

If you prefer to run the API standalone without Aspire:
1

Set up Infrastructure

Manually start PostgreSQL and Redis:
docker run -d --name fsh-postgres -p 5432:5432 \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=password \
  -e POSTGRES_DB=fsh \
  postgres:17

docker run -d --name fsh-redis -p 6379:6379 redis:7
2

Configure Connection Strings

Update src/Playground/Playground.Api/appsettings.json or set environment variables:
export DatabaseOptions__Provider=POSTGRESQL
export DatabaseOptions__ConnectionString="Server=localhost;Database=fsh;User Id=postgres;Password=password"
export DatabaseOptions__MigrationsAssembly="FSH.Playground.Migrations.PostgreSQL"
export CachingOptions__Redis="localhost:6379"
3

Run the API

dotnet run --project src/Playground/Playground.Api
The API will start at https://localhost:5285.

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Next Steps

Aspire Setup

Learn how Aspire orchestrates your application

Configuration

Understand all configuration options

Project Structure

Explore the codebase organization

Architecture

Deep dive into the architecture

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Troubleshooting

Ensure Docker Desktop is running and you have sufficient resources allocated:
  • Memory: At least 4GB
  • CPU: At least 2 cores
Check Docker logs:
docker logs fsh-postgres
docker logs fsh-redis
The API automatically applies migrations on startup via UseHeroMultiTenantDatabases(). If migrations fail:
  1. Check database connectivity
  2. Verify the connection string in appsettings.json
  3. Ensure the MigrationsAssembly matches your database provider
Manual migration:
dotnet ef database update --project src/Playground/Migrations.PostgreSQL
If default ports are in use, modify launchSettings.json or Aspire configuration:
  • API: 5285 (HTTPS)
  • Blazor: 7140 (HTTPS)
  • PostgreSQL: 5432
  • Redis: 6379
Trust the development certificate:
dotnet dev-certs https --trust

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