Using GitHub Actions to create a .NET Framework pipeline: Build, test, and deploy

In this article we cover the CI/CD process of a .NET Framework project using GitHub Actions to build, test, and run — from the first workflow file to a complete automated pipeline.

GitHub Actions provides a flexible way to automate various tasks directly from your GitHub repositories — building, testing, and deploying applications. These actions are defined in YAML files as workflows and can be customized to suit your project’s specific requirements.

For reference, I set up a repository on GitHub with a PoC (Proof of Concept) based on this tutorial. That repository has many more features than what I cover here:

Step 1 — Open the Actions tab

Open your repository on GitHub and click on the Actions tab.

Step 2 — Set up a workflow yourself

GitHub provides numerous workflow templates for different languages and frameworks. To write your own from scratch, click Set up a workflow yourself above the Choose a workflow section.

Step 3 — Name the workflow and define triggers

In the GitHub Actions editor, name the workflow and define the events that will fire it:

name: Build .NET Framework

on:
  push:
  workflow_dispatch:

• push fires the workflow on every push to the repository.
• workflow_dispatch allows running the workflow manually from the Actions page.

A complete reference of all trigger events is in the official GitHub Actions documentation.

Step 4 — Define the build job on a Windows runner

.NET Framework requires a Windows environment. Create a job and target windows-latest:

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build
    runs-on: windows-latest

The runs-on value is job-scoped — different jobs in the same workflow can target different operating systems.

Step 5 — Configure the job steps

The job needs the following steps in order:

1. Checkout the source code
2. Set up MSBuild
3. Set up VSTest
4. Set up NuGet
5. Restore NuGet packages
6. Build the solution in Release mode
7. Run the tests
8. (Optional) Run the compiled executable

steps:
  - name: Checkout Code
    uses: actions/checkout@v3
    with:
      fetch-depth: 0

  - name: Setup MSBuild Path
    uses: microsoft/setup-msbuild@v1.3
    env:
      ACTIONS_ALLOW_UNSECURE_COMMANDS: true

  - name: Setup VSTest
    uses: darenm/Setup-VSTest@v1.2

  - name: Setup NuGet
    uses: NuGet/setup-nuget@v1.2
    env:
      ACTIONS_ALLOW_UNSECURE_COMMANDS: true

  - name: Restore NuGet Packages
    run: nuget restore your-solution-name.sln

  - name: Build Release
    run: msbuild your-solution-name.sln /p:Configuration=Release

  - name: Test
    run: vstest.console.exe path-to-test-binary.dll

  - name: Run
    run: path-to-application-binary.exe

Steps 6 and 7 — Save, trigger, and monitor

Save the workflow file — it lives at .github/workflows/build.yml in your repository. GitHub Actions triggers it automatically on the next push, or you can run it manually from the Actions tab. Each run shows a full view of progress, logs, and error details.

Here is the full workflow to build, test, and run a .NET Framework solution:

name: Build .NET Framework

on:
  push:
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build
    runs-on: windows-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout Code
        uses: actions/checkout@v3
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

      - name: Setup MSBuild Path
        uses: microsoft/setup-msbuild@v1.3
        env:
          ACTIONS_ALLOW_UNSECURE_COMMANDS: true

      - name: Setup VSTest
        uses: darenm/Setup-VSTest@v1.2

      - name: Setup NuGet
        uses: NuGet/setup-nuget@v1.2
        env:
          ACTIONS_ALLOW_UNSECURE_COMMANDS: true

      - name: Restore NuGet Packages
        run: nuget restore your-solution-name.sln

      - name: Build Release
        run: msbuild your-solution-name.sln /p:Configuration=Release

      - name: Test
        run: vstest.console.exe path-to-test-binary.dll

      - name: Run
        run: path-to-application-binary.exe