---
stage: Package
group: Package
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#designated-technical-writers
---
# GitLab NuGet Repository
> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/20050) in [GitLab Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) 12.8.
> - [Moved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/221259) to GitLab Core in 13.3.
With the GitLab NuGet Repository, every project can have its own space to store NuGet packages.
The GitLab NuGet Repository works with:
- [NuGet CLI](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/reference/nuget-exe-cli-reference)
- [.NET Core CLI](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/tools/)
- [Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/)
## Setting up your development environment
[NuGet CLI 5.1 or later](https://www.nuget.org/downloads) is required. Earlier versions have not been tested
against the GitLab NuGet Repository and might not work. If you have [Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/),
NuGet CLI is probably already installed.
Alternatively, you can use [.NET SDK 3.0 or later](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-core/3.0), which installs NuGet CLI.
You can confirm that [NuGet CLI](https://www.nuget.org/) is properly installed with:
```shell
nuget help
```
You should see something similar to:
```plaintext
NuGet Version: 5.1.0.6013
usage: NuGet <command> [args] [options]
Type 'NuGet help <command>' for help on a specific command.
Available commands:
[output truncated]
```
NOTE: **Note:**
GitLab currently only supports NuGet's protocol version 3. Earlier versions are not supported.
### macOS support
For macOS, you can also use [Mono](https://www.mono-project.com/) to run
the NuGet CLI. For Homebrew users, run `brew install mono` to install
Mono. Then you should be able to download the Windows C# binary
`nuget.exe` from the [NuGet CLI page](https://www.nuget.org/downloads)
and run:
```shell
mono nuget.exe
```
## Enabling the NuGet Repository
NOTE: **Note:**
This option is available only if your GitLab administrator has
[enabled support for the Package Registry](../../../administration/packages/index.md).
When the NuGet Repository is enabled, it is available for all new projects
by default. To enable it for existing projects, or if you want to disable it:
1. Navigate to your project's **Settings > General > Visibility, project features, permissions**.
1. Find the Packages feature and enable or disable it.
1. Click on **Save changes** for the changes to take effect.
You should then be able to see the **Packages & Registries** section on the left sidebar.
## Adding the GitLab NuGet Repository as a source to NuGet
You need the following:
- Your GitLab username.
- A personal access token or deploy token. For repository authentication:
- You can generate a [personal access token](../../../user/profile/personal_access_tokens.md) with the scope set to `api`.
- You can generate a [deploy token](./../../project/deploy_tokens/index.md) with the scope set to `read_package_registry`, `write_package_registry`, or both.
- A suitable name for your source.
- Your project ID which can be found on the home page of your project.
You can now add a new source to NuGet with:
- [NuGet CLI](#add-nuget-repository-source-with-nuget-cli)
- [Visual Studio](#add-nuget-repository-source-with-visual-studio).
- [.NET CLI](#add-nuget-repository-source-with-net-cli)
### Add NuGet Repository source with NuGet CLI
To add the GitLab NuGet Repository as a source with `nuget`:
```shell
nuget source Add -Name <source_name> -Source "https://gitlab-instance.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/index.json" -UserName <gitlab_username or deploy_token_username> -Password <gitlab_personal_access_token or deploy_token>
```
Where:
- `<source_name>` is your desired source name.
For example:
```shell
nuget source Add -Name "GitLab" -Source "https://gitlab.example/api/v4/projects/10/packages/nuget/index.json" -UserName carol -Password 12345678asdf
```
### Add NuGet Repository source with Visual Studio
1. Open [Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/).
1. Open the **FILE > OPTIONS** (Windows) or **Visual Studio > Preferences** (Mac OS).
1. In the **NuGet** section, open **Sources** to see a list of all your NuGet sources.
1. Click **Add**.
1. Fill the fields with:
- **Name**: Desired name for the source
- **Location**: `https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/index.json`
- Replace `<your_project_id>` with your project ID.
- If you have a self-managed GitLab installation, replace `gitlab.com` with your domain name.
- **Username**: Your GitLab username or deploy token username
- **Password**: Your personal access token or deploy token
1. Click **Save**.
In case of any warning, please make sure that the **Location**, **Username**, and **Password** are correct.
### Add NuGet Repository source with .NET CLI
To add the GitLab NuGet Repository as a source for .NET, create a file named `nuget.config` in the root of your project with the following content:
```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
<packageSources>
<clear />
<add key="gitlab" value="https://gitlab-instance.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/index.json" />
</packageSources>
<packageSourceCredentials>
<gitlab>
<add key="Username" value="<gitlab_username or deploy_token_username>" />
<add key="ClearTextPassword" value="<gitlab_personal_access_token or deploy_token>" />
</gitlab>
</packageSourceCredentials>
</configuration>
```
## Uploading packages
When uploading packages, note that:
- The Package Registry on GitLab.com can store up to 500 MB of content. This limit is [configurable for self-managed GitLab instances](../../../administration/instance_limits.md#package-registry-limits).
- If you upload the same package with the same version multiple times, each consecutive upload
is saved as a separate file. When installing a package, GitLab serves the most recent file.
- When uploading packages to GitLab, they are not displayed in the packages UI of your project
immediately. It can take up to 10 minutes to process a package.
### Upload packages with NuGet CLI
This section assumes that your project is properly built and you already [created a NuGet package with NuGet CLI](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/create-packages/creating-a-package).
Upload your package using the following command:
```shell
nuget push <package_file> -Source <source_name>
```
Where:
- `<package_file>` is your package filename, ending in `.nupkg`.
- `<source_name>` is the [source name used during setup](#adding-the-gitlab-nuget-repository-as-a-source-to-nuget).
### Upload packages with .NET CLI
This section assumes that your project is properly built and you already [created a NuGet package with .NET CLI](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/create-packages/creating-a-package-dotnet-cli).
Upload your package using the following command:
```shell
dotnet nuget push <package_file> --source <source_name>
```
Where:
- `<package_file>` is your package filename, ending in `.nupkg`.
- `<source_name>` is the [source name used during setup](#adding-the-gitlab-nuget-repository-as-a-source-to-nuget).
For example:
```shell
dotnet nuget push MyPackage.1.0.0.nupkg --source gitlab
```
## Install packages
### Install a package with NuGet CLI
CAUTION: **Warning:**
By default, `nuget` checks the official source at `nuget.org` first. If you have a package in the
GitLab NuGet Repository with the same name as a package at `nuget.org`, you must specify the source
name to install the correct package.
Install the latest version of a package using the following command:
```shell
nuget install <package_id> -OutputDirectory <output_directory> \
-Version <package_version> \
-Source <source_name>
```
Where:
- `<package_id>` is the package ID.
- `<output_directory>` is the output directory, where the package is installed.
- `<package_version>` (Optional) is the package version.
- `<source_name>` (Optional) is the source name.
### Install a package with .NET CLI
CAUTION: **Warning:**
If you have a package in the GitLab NuGet Repository with the same name as a package at a different source,
you should verify the order in which `dotnet` checks sources during install. This is defined in the
`nuget.config` file.
Install the latest version of a package using the following command:
```shell
dotnet add package <package_id> \
-v <package_version>
```
Where:
- `<package_id>` is the package ID.
- `<package_version>` (Optional) is the package version.
## Publishing a NuGet package with CI/CD
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/36424) in GitLab 13.3.
If you’re using NuGet with GitLab CI/CD, a CI job token can be used instead of a personal access token or deploy token.
The token inherits the permissions of the user that generates the pipeline.
This example shows how to create a new package each time the `master` branch
is updated:
1. Add a `deploy` job to your `.gitlab-ci.yml` file:
```yaml
image: mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/sdk:3.1
stages:
- deploy
deploy:
stage: deploy
script:
- dotnet restore -p:Configuration=Release
- dotnet build -c Release
- dotnet pack -c Release
- dotnet nuget add source "$CI_SERVER_URL/api/v4/projects/$CI_PROJECT_ID/packages/nuget/index.json" --name gitlab --username gitlab-ci-token --password $CI_JOB_TOKEN --store-password-in-clear-text
- dotnet nuget push "bin/Release/*.nupkg" --source gitlab
only:
- master
```
1. Commit the changes and push it to your GitLab repository to trigger a new CI build.