NuGet: The Backbone of .NET Dependency Management

Overview of the Tool

NuGet is the official package manager for the .NET ecosystem. Its only job is to find, install, update, and manage dependencies for .NET projects. If you’re building anything in .NET.

Key Features

• Centralized package repository (nuget.org) with hundreds of thousands of libraries
• Dependency resolution (handles transitive dependencies automatically)
• Versioning support (semantic versioning, locking, rollback)
• CLI (nuget, dotnet add package) and IDE integration (Visual Studio)
• Private package feeds (Azure Artifacts, GitHub Packages, Nexus, Artifactory)
• Package signing and vulnerability metadata (basic but improving)

How It Fits into DevOps / DevSecOps

• DevOps:

1. Used in CI/CD pipelines to restore dependencies (dotnet restore)
2. Ensures consistent builds across environments
3. Works with artifact repositories for internal packages

4. DevSecOps:

5. Supports signed packages to reduce supply-chain attacks

6. Integrates with vulnerability scanners (Dependabot, Snyk, GitHub Advanced Security)

7. Can enforce approved/internal packages via private feeds

Programming Language

• Primarily C# / .NET
• Supports all .NET languages: C#, F#, VB.NET
• Built on the .NET platform
• Parent Company: Microsoft

Open Source Platform:

• MIT License
• Enterprise features come indirectly via paid tools (Azure DevOps, GitHub Enterprise, Artifactory), not NuGet itself