dotnet-cli-distribution

CLI distribution strategy for .NET tools: choosing between Native AOT single-file publish, framework-dependent deployment, and dotnet tool packaging. Runtime Identifier (RID) matrix planning for cross-platform targets (linux-x64, osx-arm64, win-x64, linux-arm64), single-file publish configuration, and binary size optimization techniques for CLI applications.

Version assumptions: .NET 8.0+ baseline. Native AOT for console apps is fully supported since .NET 8. Single-file publish has been mature since .NET 6.

Scope

• Distribution strategy decision matrix (AOT, framework-dependent, self-contained, dotnet tool)
• Runtime Identifier (RID) matrix planning for cross-platform targets
• Single-file publish configuration
• Binary size optimization for CLI tools
• Publishing workflow (local and release artifacts)

Out of scope