Install using Visual Studio Code

Follow these steps to set up an Umbraco project with Visual Studio Code. The benefit of using Visual Studio Code is that it is super quick to get up and running.

Installing and setting up Visual Studio Code

1. Go to https://code.visualstudio.com/ and download Visual Studio Code for free.

2. Once installed, launch Visual Studio Code.

3. Click the extensions menu at the bottom on the left side. Then search for C# and install it.

   

   Visual Studio Code install extension

Creating your Umbraco project

Follow the Templates Guide to create your project folder.

Configure Visual Studio Code to run the Umbraco project

Open your project folder in Visual Studio Code, your project will look something like this:

Fresh Umbraco installation

Now we need to tell Visual Studio Code how to run your project.

Open the command palette, you can use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P, and type in Tasks: Configure and select the Tasks: Configure Task option:

Configure task option

Select "Create task.json from template"

Create task from template

Now select ".NET Core" as your template.

Create .NET Core Template

Visual Studio Code creates a folder called .vscode that contains a file called tasks.json. The tasks.json file tells Visual Studio Code how to build your project.

Now that we've told Visual Studio Code how to build your project, we need to tell it how to launch it. Visual Studio Code can do this for you. First, select the little play button in the left side menu, and then select the "create a launch.json file" link.

Creating launch.json file

This will prompt a menu to appear, select .NET 5+ and .NET Core:

Prompt Menu

If .NET 5+ and .NET Core is missing in the drop-down menu:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + P (on Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + P (on macOS) to open the Command Palette.

2. Search for the command .NET: Generate Assets for Build and Debug. This command will generate the necessary assets for building and debugging your .NET application.

Now you'll see a green play button appear with a dropdown where ".NET Core Launch (web)" is selected.

Green Play button options

If you navigate to the Files section, a new launch.json file is created in the .vscode folder. When you press F5, the launch.json file tells Visual Studio Code to build your project, run it, and then open a browser .

With that, you're ready to run the project! Press F5, or click the little green play button in the Run and Debug section to run your brand new Umbraco site locally.

Umbraco Web Installer

This section covers the installation and configuration of Umbraco inside your web browser when you run Umbraco for the first time.

You will see the install screen where you will need to fill in some data before Umbraco can be installed.

Web Installer - Lets Get Started

When the installer is done, you will be logged into the backoffice.

Congratulations, you have installed an Umbraco site!

You can log into your Umbraco site by entering the following into your browser: http://yoursite.com/umbraco/.