Pipelines for .NET

2024-04-29 · 26 min read
in english pipeline dotnet

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Pipelines

Pipelines are sequences of commands that are executed to ensure the integrity of the code and to produce a final artifact, such as an executable program or a library.

Having a pipeline means having a consistent process that mitigates the risk of human errors in the final product and saves the programmer's time, because he/she can take care of other tasks while the code is compiled, verified and packed.

Conveyor belt

Steps

flowchart TD
    checkout -->
    clean --> 
    restore -->
    audit -->
    sbom -->
    build -->
    unittests[unit tests]
    unittests --if program--> publish --with docker--> dockerk8s[docker / kubernetes]
    publish --no docker--> zipinstaller[zip / installer]
    unittests --if nuget package--> pack --> nugetpush[nuget push]

checkout

Fetches the code from the Git branch. If it's an integration (CI) process, the branch is the one that intends to be merged; if it's a deployment (CD), the code is from the release branch, such as develop, master or release_candidate.

Command line: git clone

clean

Cleans the bin and obj folders, to guarantee that everything will start from zero, with no interferences from previous compilations.

Command line: dotnet clean

restore

Guarantees that the references between projects in the solution are correct and downloads the required NuGet packages.

Command line: dotnet restore

audit

Verifies if there are any NuGet packages in the project with security problems, checking in the CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) and GHSA (GitHub Advisory Database) lists.

Command line: dotnet list package --vulnerable --include-transitive

sbom

SBOM, software bill of materials, is a document that informs which components were used to produce a program or a library.

This document is of utmost importance for critical software, because with it, organizations can easily know which of its applications are in danger when a vulnerability in a library is reported. After the 2020 cyberattack on the USA government, SBOMs became endorsed by the White House.

I recommend the CycloneDX format, for being more succinct and easier to read.

Command line:

  • In CycloneDX format: dotnet CycloneDX
  • In SPDX format: sbom-tool generate

build

Compiles the solution code.

Command line: dotnet build

unit tests

Runs the solution's unit tests to ensure that they are passing.

In this step, we can produce a report that shows the coverage level of the unit tests against the code, revealing which classes, methods and lines were covered by the tests. ReportGenerator is the main tool for these reports in .NET projects.

Command line:

  • Unit tests: dotnet test
  • Coverage report: reportgenerator

publish

Generates the final program for execution. This step differs from build because here certain compilation options can be specified, like the target runtime, self-contained, single-file, and others.

Command line: dotnet publish

pack

Makes a NuGet package, in case of a code that is meant to be a library.

Command line: dotnet pack

nuget push

Uploads the package to a NuGet server, private or public, so it can be used by other people.

Command line: dotnet nuget push

Pipeline engines

There are many pipeline engines available, such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure Pipelines, CircleCI and many others.

You can also have your pipeline as a script, to run locally in your machine. This is a good practice for being a safeguard when your remote pipeline is unavailable or offline and because you can test modifications before commiting them.

I personally recommend using PowerShell scripts for local pipelines, because it's a multiplatform and friendly language, with easy interaction with XML and JSON. Nevertheless, you can use other scripting languages, like Batch, Shell, Python and others you like.

GitHub Actions example for .NET program

name: Publish console / API / desktop program

on:
  workflow_dispatch: # manual trigger
    inputs:
      version:
        required: true
        type: string
      rid:
        required: true
        default: linux-x64 # where the program will run
        type: string
        # https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/rid-catalog

jobs:
  generate_program:

    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    env:
      OUTPUT_FOLDER: ${{ format('./out/{0}/', inputs.rid) }}
      VERSION_NAME: ${{ inputs.version }}
      RID: ${{ inputs.rid }}

    steps:
    - name: Checkout
      uses: actions/checkout@v4
      with:
        fetch-depth: 1

    - name: Install .NET SDK
      uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
      with:
        dotnet-version: 8.x # .NET version here

    - name: Install CycloneDX .NET
      run: dotnet tool install --global CycloneDX

    - name: Clean solution
      run: dotnet clean --nologo --verbosity quiet
    
    - name: Restore solution
      run: dotnet restore --nologo --verbosity quiet

    - name: Audit solution
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        $projectPath = "./src/MyProject.Console/MyProject.Console.csproj"
        $jsonObj = (dotnet list $projectPath package --vulnerable --include-transitive --format json) | ConvertFrom-Json;
        $hasAnyVulnerability = ($jsonObj.projects[0].frameworks -ne $null);
        if ($hasAnyVulnerability) {
          dotnet list package --vulnerable --include-transitive;
          exit 1;
        }

    - name: Build solution
      run: dotnet build --no-restore --configuration Release --nologo --verbosity quiet

    - name: Run unit tests
      run: dotnet test --no-build --configuration Release --nologo --verbosity quiet --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage" --results-directory ./TestResults/

    - name: Unit tests coverage report
      uses: danielpalme/ReportGenerator-GitHub-Action@5.2.4
      with:
        reports: TestResults/**/coverage.cobertura.xml
        targetdir: TestResults
        reporttypes: JsonSummary;Html

    - name: Generate SBOM
      shell: pwsh
      run: dotnet CycloneDX ./src/MyProject.Console/MyProject.Console.csproj -o $env:OUTPUT_FOLDER -f sbom.json -sv $env:VERSION_NAME --json

    - name: Publish program
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        dotnet publish ./src/MyProject.Console/MyProject.Console.csproj `
        --verbosity quiet `
        --nologo `
        --configuration Release `
        -p:PublishSingleFile=true `
        -p:Version=${env:VERSION_NAME} `
        --self-contained true `
        --runtime ${env:RID} `
        --output ${env:OUTPUT_FOLDER};

    - name: Set execution attributes (UNIX only)
      if: ${{ startsWith(inputs.rid, 'linux') || startsWith(inputs.rid, 'osx') }}
      shell: pwsh
      run: chmod +x "${env:OUTPUT_FOLDER}/MyProject.Console"

    - name: Pack program
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        $zipName = "MyProject.Console_${env:VERSION_NAME}_${env:RID}.zip";
        # if Linux or MacOSX, we should use zip instead of Compress-Archive,
        # to preserve the Unix file attributes.
        if ($IsWindows) {
          Compress-Archive -CompressionLevel Optimal -Path $env:OUTPUT_FOLDER -DestinationPath "./out/${zipName}"
        } else {
          cd $env:OUTPUT_FOLDER
          zip -9 -r ../${zipName} *
          cd ../..
        }
        Remove-Item $env:OUTPUT_FOLDER -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction Ignore
        echo "OUTPUT_FILE_NAME=${zipName}" | Out-File -FilePath $Env:GITHUB_ENV -Encoding utf8 -Append

    - name: Upload program to workflow results
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
      with:
        compression-level: 0 # previous step already compresses
        name: ${{ env.OUTPUT_FILE_NAME }}
        path: ${{ format('./out/{0}', env.OUTPUT_FILE_NAME) }}
    
    - name: Upload SBOM to workflow results
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
      with:
        name: sbom.json
        path: ./out/sbom.json
    
    - name: Upload coverage report to workflow results
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
      with:
        name: coverage_report
        path: TestResults
    
    # other subsequent steps can be added here,
    # like docker and kubernetes,
    # or installer generation, in case of desktop programs.

GitHub Actions example for NuGet package

name: Publish NuGet package

on:
  workflow_dispatch: # manual trigger

jobs:
  generate_nuget_package:

    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout
      uses: actions/checkout@v4
      with:
        fetch-depth: 1

    - name: Install .NET SDK
      uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
      with:
        dotnet-version: 8.x # .NET version here

    - name: Install CycloneDX .NET
      run: dotnet tool install --global CycloneDX

    - name: Clean solution
      run: dotnet clean --nologo --verbosity quiet
    
    - name: Restore solution
      run: dotnet restore --nologo --verbosity quiet

    - name: Audit solution
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        $projectPath = "./src/MyProject.Console/MyProject.Console.csproj"
        $jsonObj = (dotnet list $projectPath package --vulnerable --include-transitive --format json) | ConvertFrom-Json;
        $hasAnyVulnerability = ($jsonObj.projects[0].frameworks -ne $null);
        if ($hasAnyVulnerability) {
          dotnet list package --vulnerable --include-transitive;
          exit 1;
        }

    - name: Build solution
      run: dotnet build --no-restore --configuration Release --nologo --verbosity quiet

    - name: Run unit tests
      run: dotnet test --no-build --configuration Release --nologo --verbosity quiet --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage" --results-directory ./TestResults/

    - name: Unit tests coverage report
      uses: danielpalme/ReportGenerator-GitHub-Action@5.2.4
      with:
        reports: TestResults/**/coverage.cobertura.xml
        targetdir: TestResults
        reporttypes: JsonSummary;Html

    - name: Read package version
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        # PackageVersion needs to be declared in .csproj
        ([XML]$nugetCsprojXml = Get-Content ./src/MyProject.Library/MyProject.Library.csproj)
        $versionName = $nugetCsprojXml.Project.PropertyGroup.PackageVersion
        # adds to workflow environment variables
        echo "VERSION_NAME=${versionName}" | Out-File -FilePath $Env:GITHUB_ENV -Encoding utf8 -Append

    - name: Generate SBOM
      shell: pwsh
      run: dotnet CycloneDX ./src/MyProject.Library/MyProject.Library.csproj -o ./out/ -f sbom_MyProject_Library.json -sv $env:VERSION_NAME --json

    - name: Generate package
      run: dotnet pack ./src/MyProject.Library/MyProject.Library.csproj --nologo --verbosity quiet --configuration Release
    
    - name: Upload package to NuGet server
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        $filePath = "./src/MyProject.Library/bin/Release/MyProject.Library.${env:VERSION_NAME}.nupkg"
        dotnet nuget push $filePath --api-key $env:NUGET_API_KEY --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json
        # if it's a private NuGet, specify other source.
        # web portal for testing NuGet uploads: https://int.nugettest.org
        # source for testing: https://apiint.nugettest.org/v3/index.json
      env:
        NUGET_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.MY_NUGET_API_KEY }}

    - name: Upload package to workflow results
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
      with:
        compression-level: 0 # .nupkg already is a compressed zip
        name: ${{ format('MyProject.Library.{0}.nupkg', env.VERSION_NAME) }}
        path: ${{ format('./src/MyProject.Library/bin/Release/MyProject.Library.{0}.nupkg', env.VERSION_NAME) }}

    - name: Upload SBOM to workflow results
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
      with:
        name: sbom_MyProject_Library.json
        path: ./out/sbom_MyProject_Library.json
    
    - name: Upload coverage report to workflow results
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
      with:
        name: coverage_report
        path: TestResults

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