Microsoft has announced the release of .NET Aspire 9.5 as the latest minor release of the platform, introducing support for .NET 8 (LTS), .NET 9 (STS), and the .NET 10 Release Candidate 1. As noted by the team, Aspire releases are delivered independently from the .NET release schedule, with major versions aligned to .NET milestones and minor versions released more frequently.
According to the announcement, one of the central additions in Aspire 9.5 is a preview of the new aspire update command. This command is designed to automatically scan projects, validate versions, and apply safe upgrades to keep applications up to date.
The feature is described as channel-aware, giving developers the choice to update against stable, daily, or custom builds. While still in preview, it has been emphasized that this command alters project files and package configurations, with the recommendation to use version control when experimenting with it.
The release also introduces experimental support for a single-file AppHost, referred to as apphost.cs. As stated, this capability aligns with upcoming .NET 10 file-based app scenarios and is currently available behind a feature flag.
Other tooling improvements include enhancements to the aspire exec command, which now offers working directory support and clearer error messages, along with refinements to performance, such as faster package resolution and improved logging clarity. SSH Remote port forwarding in Visual Studio Code has also been added, bringing consistency with Dev Containers and GitHub Codespaces.
On the dashboard side, Aspire 9.5 integrates a new Generative AI visualizer. As reported, this feature allows developers to collate and examine LLM-centric telemetry, with support for evolving OpenTelemetry conventions.
The dashboard further expands with multi-resource console logs, custom resource icons, reverse proxy support, container runtime notifications, and improvements to trace filtering and detail displays. Observers have noted that these additions continue Aspire’s focus on offering clearer insights into distributed application behavior.
(Color-coded prefixes, Source: Microsoft Learn)
Integration updates are also a significant part of this release. Aspire 9.5 now includes first-class support for OpenAI endpoints, typed catalogs for GitHub Models and Azure AI Foundry, and Dev Tunnels integration to simplify exposing local services.
var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
// Add a basic Dev Tunnel resource (default: private access)
var tunnel = builder.AddDevTunnel("dev-tunnel");
// Add your web application
var webApp = builder.AddProject<Projects.WebApp>("webapp");
// Connect the tunnel to the web application endpoint
tunnel.WithReference(webApp);
builder.Build().Run();
Static file serving has been added to the YARP integration, and new packages introduce preview support for Azure Kusto clusters. Redis and RabbitMQ clients gain auto activation capabilities, while Redis integration now supports a fluent builder pattern and Azure Redis Enterprise. Other enhancements extend to MySQL password handling, Azure Storage emulator reliability, and advanced caching scenarios.
The update also brings new app model capabilities, such as resource lifecycle event APIs, expanded health probe support, refined startup ordering with WaitForStart, and enhanced resource lifetime management. Publishing improvements include support for Azure Container App Jobs, a unified Azure deployment pipeline through the aspire deploy command, and more control over executable resources, deployment image tags, and container build customization.
Breaking changes accompany the release, including requirements for the Name property in InteractionInput APIs and updated terminology in the notification system.
Community discussions following the release have highlighted the significance of the Aspire update feature, with some developers welcoming it as a long-requested improvement for project maintainability. Others noted the dashboard’s AI-focused updates as timely, given the rapid evolution of telemetry standards.
For interested readers, full details and technical documentation of Aspire 9.5 are available in the official release notes.
