🚀 Netloy

Cross-Platform .NET Application Packaging Tool

Build once, deploy everywhere

Features • Installation • Quick Start • Documentation • Changelog • Contributing

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📖 What is Netloy?

Netloy is a powerful command-line tool that automates the packaging and deployment of .NET applications across multiple platforms and formats. With a single configuration file, create professional installers and packages for Windows, Linux, and macOS without platform-specific expertise.

Say goodbye to complex build scripts and manual packaging. Netloy handles icon generation, desktop integration, AppStream metadata, and platform-specific requirements automatically.

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✨ Features

🎯 Multi-Platform Support

• Windows: EXE (Inno Setup), MSI (WiX v3)
• Linux: DEB, RPM, AppImage, Flatpak, Pacman
• macOS: APP Bundle, DMG
• Portable: Cross-platform ZIP/TAR.GZ archives

⚙️ Powerful Configuration

• Single .netloy configuration file for all platforms
• Macro system for dynamic templating (${APP_VERSION}, ${PUBLISH_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}, etc.)
• Post-publish scripts (Bash, PowerShell, Batch)
• Configuration upgrade tool for version compatibility

🎨 Automated Asset Management

• Icon generation: Provide one PNG (1024×1024), get all required sizes automatically
• Multi-format icon support: PNG, SVG, ICO, ICNS
• AppStream metadata generation for Linux software centers

🖥️ Desktop Integration

• Desktop shortcuts and Start Menu entries
• File associations and context menu integration
• Terminal command support (StartCommand)
• Platform-specific category mapping

🔧 Build Flexibility

• Supports both .NET Core and .NET Framework
• Custom dotnet publish arguments
• Direct binary packaging (skip build, use existing binaries)
• Clean build artifacts automatically

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📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0 SDK or later

Install via .NET Tool

dotnet tool install --global Netloy

Verify Installation

netloy --version

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🚀 Quick Start

1. Create a Configuration File

Navigate to your .NET project directory and create a new configuration:

netloy --new conf

This generates a .netloy file with default settings. Edit it to customize your application metadata, packaging options, and platform-specific settings.

2. Build Your Package

Windows Installer (MSI)

netloy -t msi -r win-x64 --config-path MyApp.netloy

Linux DEB Package

netloy -t deb -r linux-x64 --config-path MyApp.netloy

macOS DMG

netloy -t dmg -r osx-arm64 --config-path MyApp.netloy

3. Find Your Package

Built packages are saved to the output directory specified in your configuration or via -o flag.

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📋 Supported Package Types

Platform	Type	Format	Command Flag
Windows	Installer	EXE	-t exe
Windows	Installer	MSI	-t msi
Windows	Portable	ZIP	-t portable
Linux	Package	DEB	-t deb
Linux	Package	RPM	-t rpm
Linux	Package	Pacman	-t pacman
Linux	AppImage	AppImage	-t appimage
Linux	Flatpak	Flatpak	-t flatpak
Linux	Portable	TAR.GZ	-t portable
macOS	Bundle	APP (zipped)	-t app
macOS	Installer	DMG	-t dmg
macOS	Portable	TAR.GZ	-t portable

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🛠️ Configuration Example

Here's a minimal .netloy configuration:

App Preamble

AppBaseName = MyApp
AppFriendlyName = My Awesome App
AppId = com.example.myapp
AppVersionRelease = 1.0.0
AppShortSummary = A simple example application
AppDescription = """
This is a longer description of my application.
It supports multiple paragraphs.
"""
AppLicenseId = MIT

Publisher

PublisherName = Example Inc.
PublisherCopyright = Copyright © 2025 Example Inc.
PublisherLinkUrl = https://example.com
PublisherEmail = contact@example.com

Desktop Integration

DesktopTerminal = false
PrimeCategory = Utility
IconFiles = """
Deploy/icons/app-icon.1024x1024.png
Deploy/icons/app-icon.svg
Deploy/icons/app-icon.ico
Deploy/icons/app-icon.icns
"""
AutoGenerateIcons = true

.NET Publish

DotnetProjectPath = ./MyApp.csproj
DotnetPublishArgs = -p:Version=<APPVERSION> --self-contained true

Output

PackageName = myapp
OutputDirectory = ./output

📚 For complete configuration reference, see the Wiki.

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🧪 Examples

Build with Custom Version

netloy -t msi -r win-x64 --app-version 2.1.0 --config-path MyApp.netloy

Build for ARM64 Architecture

netloy -t deb -r linux-arm64 --config-path MyApp.netloy --verbose

Skip Build (Use Existing Binaries)

netloy -t appimage -r linux-x64 --binary-path ./bin/Release/net8.0/linux-x64/publish

Create New Desktop File Template

netloy --new desktop

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📚 Documentation

• Wiki Home: Comprehensive documentation
• Getting Started Guide: Step-by-step tutorial
• Configuration Reference: All config options explained
• Macro System: Template variables and usage
• Command Line Reference: CLI arguments

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📝 Changelog

For a detailed list of changes, new features, and bug fixes in each version, see the CHANGELOG.md.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guide for details on our code of conduct and the process for submitting pull requests.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the AGPL-3.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by PupNet Deploy, though Netloy is a complete rewrite from scratch with expanded features and cross-platform support
• Inno Setup for Windows EXE installer generation
• WiX Toolset for Windows MSI package creation
• AppImage for portable Linux application format
• Flatpak for sandboxed Linux application distribution

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Made with ❤️ by Adel Bakhshi

⭐ If Netloy helps your project, consider giving it a star!