NuNuGet

A simple, standalone, opinionated NuGet client for scripts to install packages - and their dependencies - to the global packages folder.

Overview

NuNuGet is a lightweight command-line tool that restores NuGet packages based on a simple JSON configuration file. It's designed for scenarios where you need to manage package dependencies outside of a traditional .NET project structure, such as native C++ projects that consume NuGet packages. It is not intended - or designed - to be run interactively, it is designed for build-systems to use to populate dependencies.

Features

• JSON-based package list - Define packages in a simple JSON format instead of .csproj files
• Lock file support - Generate and use lock files for reproducible builds
• Custom NuGet configuration - Use a specific nuget.config for package sources
• Cross-platform - Supports Windows (x64, ARM64), Linux (x64), and macOS (ARM64)
• Single-file deployment - Can be published as a self-contained single executable

Installation

Build from source:

dotnet build

Or publish as a single executable (see Publishing section below).

Usage

Install Command

Install packages from a package list JSON file:

NuNuGet install --listFile <path> --configFile <path> --lockFile <path> [--verbose]

Options

Option	Required	Description
--configFile	Yes	Path to the NuGet configuration file to use
--listFile	Yes	Path to the packages.list.json file to restore
--lockFile	Yes	Path to the NuGet lock file to use
--verbose	No	Enable verbose output

Example

NuNuGet install --configFile ./nuget.config --listFile ./packages.list.json --lockFile ./packages.lock.json --verbose

Package List Format

The package list is a JSON file that specifies the target framework and packages to install:

{
  "targetFramework": "net8.0",
  "packages": [
    {
      "id": "Newtonsoft.Json",
      "version": "13.0.3"
    },
    {
      "id": "Microsoft.Extensions.Logging",
      "version": "8.0.0"
    }
  ]
}

Schema

Property	Type	Description
targetFramework	string	The target framework moniker (e.g., native, net8.0, netstandard2.0)
packages	array	List of package entries
packages[].id	string	The NuGet package identifier
packages[].version	string	The version string (e.g., 1.8.2109, [1.0,2.0), 1.*)

Publishing

Build single-file executables for distribution:

# Framework-dependent single file
dotnet publish .\NuNuGet.csproj /p:PublishProfile=SingleFile

# Framework-dependent, trimmed
dotnet publish .\NuNuGet.csproj /p:PublishProfile=SingleFileTrimmed

# Self-contained, trimmed (Windows x64)
dotnet publish .\NuNuGet.csproj --runtime win-x64 /p:PublishProfile=SingleFileSelfContainedTrimmed

# Self-contained, trimmed (Windows ARM64)
dotnet publish .\NuNuGet.csproj --runtime win-arm64 /p:PublishProfile=SingleFileSelfContainedTrimmed

Publish Profiles

Profile	Description
SelfContained	Self-contained (no .NET runtime required)
SingleFile	Framework-dependent single file
SingleFileSelfContained	Self-contained single file (no .NET runtime required)
SingleFileTrimmed	Framework-dependent with IL trimming †
SingleFileSelfContainedTrimmed	Self-contained with IL trimming (no .NET runtime required) †

† - Not yet working; trimming problems exist.

Packaging

dotnet pack --configuration Release /bl

Dependencies

NuNuGet uses:

• the official NuGet Client SDK libraries:

  • NuGet.Commands - Restore command infrastructure
  • NuGet.Common - Common types and utilities
  • NuGet.Packaging - Package reading and extraction
  • NuGet.ProjectModel - Project model types
  • NuGet.Resolver - Dependency resolution

• System.CommandLine - for command-line parsing

• Microsoft.Extensions.Logging - for common logging