Table of Contents

abpdev.yml Configuration

abpdev.yml is the project-local configuration file used by abpdev run. It can define solution-wide project selection and migration behavior, as well as launch settings and environment variables for individual .NET and npm applications.

The file has two top-level sections:

  • run configures application discovery, selection, and launch behavior.
  • environment applies a named virtual environment and custom environment variables to launched processes.

abpdev prepare can generate an abpdev.yml containing the detected environment. You can then add any of the settings documented below.

Complete Example

run:
  watch: false
  no-build: false
  graph-build: false
  configuration: Debug
  skip-migrate: false
  skip-check-libs: false
  projects:
    - MyApp.HttpApi.Host
    - angular
  msbuild-properties:
    UseMudBlazor: "true"
    DefineConstants: "FEATURE_A;FEATURE_B"
  npm:
    scripts:
      - start:dev
      - dev

environment:
  name: SqlServer
  variables:
    ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT: Development
    ConnectionStrings__Default: "Server=localhost;Database={AppName}_{Today};Trusted_Connection=True;TrustServerCertificate=True"

All property names use hyphen-case. Environment variable names and MSBuild property names keep their original casing.

File Lookup

For abpdev run <working-directory>, AbpDevTools loads <working-directory>/abpdev.yml as the root configuration. It does not look for .abpdev.yml or a user-level abpdev.yml.

When each application is launched, AbpDevTools searches for the nearest abpdev.yml, starting in the application's directory and continuing through its parent directories. The first file found is used for that application. Files are not merged, so a nearer project file replaces the root file for project launch and environment settings.

Use a project-level file when one application needs different launch settings:

MySolution/
|-- abpdev.yml
|-- services/
|   `-- orders/
|       |-- OrdersService.csproj
|       `-- abpdev.yml

The root file can select all applications:

run:
  projects:
    - MyApp.HttpApi.Host
    - OrdersService

The nearer services/orders/abpdev.yml can configure only the orders service:

run:
  configuration: Release
  msbuild-properties:
    EnablePreviewFeatures: "true"

environment:
  name: PostgreSql

Because files are not merged, repeat any root launch or environment settings that the project-level file should retain.

Alternate Root File

The --yml option loads an alternate root configuration:

abpdev run --yml profiles/development.yml

The alternate file controls root-scoped settings such as projects, skip-migrate, skip-check-libs, and npm.scripts. Application launch settings still use the nearest file named abpdev.yml.

run Section

Property Type Default Scope and behavior
watch Boolean false Uses dotnet watch for .NET applications. Read from the nearest application configuration when it has a run section.
no-build Boolean false Passes --no-build to dotnet run. Read from the nearest application configuration.
graph-build Boolean false Passes /graphBuild to dotnet run. Read from the nearest application configuration.
configuration String Not set Passes --configuration <value> to dotnet run. Read from the nearest application configuration.
skip-migrate Boolean false Skips the migration step before applications start. Read from the root configuration.
skip-check-libs Boolean false Skips the wwwroot/libs check and installation prompt. Read from the root configuration.
projects String array Empty Selects applications using case-insensitive name or path fragments. Read from the root configuration.
msbuild-properties Mapping Empty Passes each entry as --property:Name=Value to dotnet run. Read from the nearest application configuration.
npm.scripts String array Empty Lists npm script names in priority order. Read from the root configuration.

Project Selection

run.projects has the same matching behavior as the --projects command-line option. Each value is a case-insensitive fragment matched against the application name, path, or npm display name.

run:
  projects:
    - HttpApi.Host
    - angular

When --projects is supplied on the command line, it replaces run.projects.

MSBuild Properties

run.msbuild-properties is a mapping of MSBuild property names to values:

run:
  msbuild-properties:
    UseMudBlazor: "true"
    DefineConstants: "FEATURE_A;FEATURE_B"
    EmptyValue:

Quote values that contain spaces, semicolons, or YAML boolean-like values. A null value is passed as an empty value.

Command-line --msbuild-property Name=Value entries are merged with the file. A command-line entry replaces a file entry with the same name, using a case-insensitive comparison.

npm Scripts

For each package.json, AbpDevTools uses the first configured script that exists:

run:
  npm:
    scripts:
      - start:dev
      - dev
      - serve

If none of the configured scripts exist, discovery falls back to dev, then serve, then start. A configured script is considered safe for automatic execution, including with abpdev run --all.

environment Section

Property Type Default Behavior
name String Not set Applies a virtual environment configured by abpdev env config.
variables String mapping Empty Sets or replaces environment variables for the launched process. 
environment:
  name: SqlServer
  variables:
    ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT: Development
    Redis__Configuration: localhost:6379

The named virtual environment is applied first. Values in environment.variables are applied afterward and replace variables with the same name.

The variables are applied only to processes started by abpdev run; they do not modify the parent shell or machine environment.

Value Placeholders

Environment variable values support these placeholders:

Placeholder Replacement
{Today} Current local date in yyyyMMdd format.
{AppName} A normalized application name derived from the target application's working directory.

Command-Line Precedence

Setting Effective value
watch Nearest application configuration when it has a run section; otherwise command-line --watch.
no-build, graph-build Enabled when either the command-line option or nearest application configuration is true.
skip-migrate, skip-check-libs Enabled when either the command-line option or root configuration is true.
projects Command-line --projects when supplied; otherwise root run.projects.
configuration Nearest application configuration when set; otherwise command-line --configuration.
msbuild-properties File and command-line mappings are merged; command-line values replace duplicate names.
environment The nearest file's named environment, then its variables, then command-line --env; later values replace duplicate variables.

The no-build, graph-build, skip-migrate, and skip-check-libs options are additive: there is no command-line option that changes a true file value back to false.

abpdev.yml is separate from the global configuration files managed by other commands:

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