Microsoft Build Engine, or MSBuild, is a set of free and open-source build tools for managed code under the Common Language Infrastructure as well as native C and C++ code. It was first released in 2003 and was a part of .NET Framework. MSBuild is included with Visual Studio, but can also be run independently through MSBuild's command-line interface.
Developer(s) | Microsoft, .NET Foundation |
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Initial release | 2003 |
Stable release | v17.8.3
/ 15 November 2023 |
Repository |
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Written in | C# |
Operating system | Cross-platform |
Platform | .NET Framework, .NET |
Type | Build tool |
License | MIT License |
Website | docs |
MSBuild is a build tool that helps automate the process of creating a software product, including compiling the source code, packaging, testing, deployment and creating documentations. With MSBuild, it is possible to build Visual Studio projects and solutions without the Visual Studio IDE installed. MSBuild is free and open-source. MSBuild was previously bundled with .NET Framework; starting with Visual Studio 2013, however, it is bundled with Visual Studio instead. MSBuild is a functional replacement for the nmake utility, which remains in use in projects that originated in older Visual Studio releases.
MSBuild acts on MSBuild project files which have a similar XML syntax to Apache Ant or NAnt. Even though the syntax is based upon well-defined XML schema, the fundamental structure and operation is comparable to the traditional Unix make utility: the user specifies what will be used (typically source code files) and what the result should be (typically a static library, DLL or an executable application), but the utility itself decides what to do and the order in which to carry out the build.
MSBuild can build a project against a supported .NET Framework version of choice. This feature is called "multitargeting". Any given build of a project, however, can only target one version of the framework at a time.
MSBuild was first created in 2003 targeting .NET Framework 2.0 for use in Visual Studio 2005 (codenamed Whidbey) and Windows Vista (codenamed Longhorn).[9][10]
Version | .NET Framework | Visual Studio Version | Usual Install Locations (x86)[11] |
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2.0 | 2.0 | 2005 | C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727 |
3.5 | 3.5 | 2008 | C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5 |
4.7.3062.0 | 4.0 | 2010 | C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319 |
4.8.3761.0 | 4.5.2 | 2012 | C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319 |
12.0[6] | 4.5.2 | 2013 | C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\12.0\Bin |
14.0 | 4.6 | 2015 | C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\14.0\Bin |
15.0[12] | 4.7 | 2017 |
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16.0[13] | 4.7.2 | 2019 |
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17.0 | 2022 |
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This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. In particular, it is unclear what this section is talking about and what is the nature of, say, a "Target" or "Task". Examples would help.(April 2013) |
Latest online Msbuild Tutorials with example so this page for both freshers and experienced candidate who want to get job in Msbuild company