Deployment overview

Aspire deployment is pipeline-based. Add a deployment target to your AppHost, and Aspire gains the steps needed for that target. aspire publish, aspire deploy, and aspire do <step> are different ways of entering that pipeline.

The Aspire deployment model

Deployment behavior doesn’t live outside the AppHost. It comes from resources in the application model. Any resource can contribute pipeline steps, but target resources such as Docker Compose, Kubernetes, and Azure environments are the most common way to add deployment behavior. You usually make a target available by adding the corresponding hosting integration package, then adding its target resource to the AppHost.

Resources add pipeline steps

C#

AppHost.cs

var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.AddDockerComposeEnvironment("env");

builder.AddProject<Projects.Api>("api");

builder.Build().Run();

TypeScript

apphost.ts

import { createBuilder } from './.modules/aspire.js';

const builder = await createBuilder();

await builder.addDockerComposeEnvironment('env');

await builder.addProject('api', '../Api/Api.csproj', 'http');

await builder.build().run();

In this example, the Docker Compose environment resource contributes the steps needed to publish or deploy compatible compute resources for Docker Compose. Other resources can contribute different steps, but they all plug into the same pipeline model.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of adding a target and deploying an app, see Deploy your first Aspire app.

Pipeline entry points

A pipeline step is a named unit of work in the Aspire pipeline. Any resource can contribute steps and declare dependencies so Aspire can run work in the correct order.

Command	What it enters	What it is for
aspire publish	The publish entry point	Emit target-specific artifacts as a one-way handoff, preserving unresolved parameters
aspire deploy	The deploy entry point	Generate target-specific output, resolve parameters, and apply deployment changes directly
aspire do <step>	A named step and its dependencies	Run a specific step directly

If no resource contributes work for publish or deploy, Aspire has nothing to execute for that entry point. In current Aspire CLI builds, that entry point completes as a no-op. That usually means your AppHost hasn’t added a target or other resource that contributes steps for that path yet.

These are separate entry points. Use aspire publish when you want a one-way handoff out of Aspire: it emits artifacts that another tool or a manual step will apply later. Use aspire deploy when you want Aspire to stay in control, generate the target-specific output behind the scenes, resolve parameter values, and apply the deployment in one operation. aspire deploy does not consume previously published assets.

For more information on pipeline concepts and aspire do, see Pipelines and the aspire do command.

Compute environments

A compute environment is a resource that represents a deployment target and contributes steps for compatible compute resources such as projects, containers, and executables.

Compute environments answer where does this resource go? Compatible compute resources attach to a matching compute environment by default. When you add more than one matching compute environment, you explicitly bind resources to the target environment that should own them.

This makes hybrid deployments possible: different compute resources in the same AppHost can go to different targets while still participating in the same overall pipeline.

For concrete examples of compute environments, see Docker Compose, Kubernetes, and Azure.

Parameters

Parameters are the external values the pipeline needs from outside the AppHost, such as secrets, connection information, image names, or registry settings.

Parameters connect AppHost code to pipeline behavior. In the publish path, the target preserves that requirement in emitted artifacts so another tool or manual step can provide the value later. In the deploy path, Aspire resolves the value internally while it generates and applies the deployment.

C#

AppHost.cs

var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

var apiKey = builder.AddParameter("apiKey", secret: true);
builder.AddDockerComposeEnvironment("env");

builder.AddProject<Projects.Api>("api")
    .WithEnvironment("API_KEY", apiKey);

builder.Build().Run();

TypeScript

apphost.ts

import { createBuilder } from './.modules/aspire.js';

const builder = await createBuilder();

const apiKey = await builder.addParameter('apiKey', { secret: true });
await builder.addDockerComposeEnvironment('env');

const api = await builder.addProject('api', '../Api/Api.csproj', 'http');
await api.withEnvironment('API_KEY', apiKey);

await builder.build().run();

In this example:

• apiKey is the Aspire parameter name in the AppHost.
• API_KEY is the environment variable the deployed app receives.
• Parameters__apiKey is an environment variable you can use to supply the value to the AppHost when the pipeline runs.
• APIKEY is the publish-time placeholder name Docker Compose emits in generated .env and ${...} references.

When the Docker Compose target publishes artifacts, the publish path preserves that relationship in target-specific output:

docker-compose.yaml

services:
  api:
    image: '${API_IMAGE}'
    environment:
      API_KEY: '${APIKEY}'

.env

# Parameter apiKey
APIKEY=

In this Docker Compose output, the placeholder name is APIKEY rather than API_KEY. The app still receives API_KEY; APIKEY is only the generated publish-time placeholder that the emitted artifacts use later.

The placeholder name in published output is target-specific, but the mapping stays the same:

Stage	Example	Meaning
AppHost input	Parameters__apiKey	Supplies the apiKey parameter to the AppHost when the pipeline runs
Publish artifact	API_KEY: '${APIKEY}'	Tells the target to inject the resolved value into the app as API_KEY
Publish-time input	APIKEY=... in .env	Supplies the published artifact placeholder for Docker Compose

This .env example is specific to Docker Compose publish output. It illustrates the publish artifact handoff path. aspire deploy does not consume this .env file; Aspire resolves the parameter before applying changes directly.

Because this example has only one matching compute environment, the project resource attaches to it automatically. Use WithComputeEnvironment only when you need to disambiguate between multiple matching targets.

Parameters answer what values does this pipeline need?

For more information on parameter resolution and sources, see External parameters.

Environments

An Aspire environment identifies the context for a pipeline run, such as Development, Staging, or Production. It answers which context is this pipeline running in?

Environments are distinct from compute environments:

• environment = the context for this run
• compute environment = the target resource that receives compatible compute resources

Pass --environment when pipeline behavior or AppHost behavior should vary by context.

Aspire CLI

aspire publish --environment staging
aspire deploy --environment production
aspire do publish --environment staging

For more information, see Environments and CI/CD overview.

Built-in target capabilities

Integration	Target	Publish	Deploy	Notes
📦 Aspire.Hosting.Docker	Docker / Docker Compose	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Use generated Compose with your own scripts or tooling.
📦 Aspire.Hosting.Kubernetes	Kubernetes	✅ Yes	❌ No	Apply with kubectl, GitOps, or other controllers.
📦 Aspire.Hosting.Azure.AppContainers	Azure Container Apps	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Full publish and deploy support via aspire deploy.
📦 Aspire.Hosting.Azure.AppService	Azure App Service	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Full publish and deploy support via aspire deploy.

Deploy support is target-specific. When a target doesn’t support deploy, publish its artifacts and apply them with external tooling.

Learn more about hosting integrations in the Integrations overview.

Continue learning

CI/CD overview See how the same Aspire pipeline fits into local validation and CI/CD workflows.

Pipelines Understand the underlying pipeline model and how named steps work.

Custom deployment pipelines Extend the pipeline with custom steps, callbacks, and reporting APIs.

JavaScript apps Choose the right production hosting model for JavaScript frontends.