.NET SDK 8

.NET SDK 8 is Microsoft's versioned development kit for building, testing and publishing .NET 8 applications and libraries. It includes command-line tooling and the matching .NET and ASP.NET Core runtimes. It is useful for C#, F# and Visual Basic developers maintaining .NET 8 projects; it is not an integrated graphical IDE or just a runtime for launching an existing application.

Features

• Create projects from supported templates and build them with the dotnet command line.
• Restore NuGet dependencies and compile projects with the SDK toolchain.
• Run automated tests using supported test projects and tooling.
• Publish framework-dependent or self-contained applications for appropriate targets.
• Use the included .NET runtime and ASP.NET Core runtime for local development.
• Select project SDK versions and roll-forward behavior using global.json.

.NET 8 supports C# 12. Visual Studio Code with suitable C# tooling, JetBrains Rider and other editors are separate products with their own installation and license requirements. This SDK does not supply a graphical Mac application window, Windows Desktop runtime or every optional mobile workload.

Install, architectures and dependencies

Use the official Mac installer matching your processor, or brew install --cask dotnet-sdk@8. The inventory's default package is the native osx-arm64 installer for Apple Silicon, with osx-x64 alternatives for Intel. Match the SDK architecture with the tooling and native dependencies your project needs; Rosetta can run supported x64 components on Apple Silicon, but native ARM64 does not require Rosetta merely because it is .NET.

The recorded Homebrew cask explicitly depends on the unversioned dotnet-sdk cask. This packaging dependency is separate from Microsoft's statement that the SDK itself already includes its matching .NET and ASP.NET Core runtimes. Do not infer that this versioned cask can always be installed in isolation, or that a newer SDK installs every older runtime needed by existing applications.

The official installer can request administrator approval to install system-wide files. Ordinary compilation does not require blanket Accessibility, Screen Recording or Full Disk Access. The selected project, packages and build scripts run code with your user's access; review untrusted repositories, NuGet sources, build targets and scripts before building them. Restoring dependencies can access configured package feeds and transmit credentials to those endpoints.

Keep side-by-side SDK versions deliberate. PATH, DOTNET_ROOT, architecture-specific locations and global.json influence which SDK is chosen. An SDK update does not automatically migrate a target framework or guarantee that every project, native library and workload remains compatible. Optional Android, iOS, Mac Catalyst or other workloads require separate workload downloads and platform tools; they are not all included in this base SDK. Publishing an app for a platform does not mean its UI framework runs on every host platform.

Systems and support lifecycle

The dedicated .NET 8 supported-OS table dated September 28, 2026 lists macOS 15, 26 and 27 on ARM64 and x64. The general Microsoft Learn installation page still lists macOS 14, 15 and 26; consult the current version-specific support policy before deployment rather than treating this documentation mismatch or the cask's older macOS variations as a support guarantee. Windows and Linux have separate packages and supported distributions.

.NET 8 is an LTS release currently in maintenance support, with end of support scheduled for November 10, 2026. Install current servicing updates while it remains supported and plan migration to a supported release before that date. LTS does not mean indefinite support, and operating-system support can end independently. SDK feature-band version 8.0.425 is different from its included runtime version 8.0.31.

Accounts, cost and licenses

The .NET SDK is free and open source. The official SDK source uses the MIT license, with bundled components and dependencies carrying their own notices. No Microsoft account, paid activation or Azure subscription is required for local SDK use. Private package feeds can require accounts or credentials. Cloud hosting, commercial IDEs, support contracts and third-party packages can have separate fees and licenses; installing this SDK grants none of those subscriptions.

The official Apple Silicon 8.0.425 PKG download is 209,353,254 bytes according to HTTP HEAD metadata. Installed SDKs, runtimes, optional workloads, NuGet caches and project outputs require additional disk space.

Sources: Mac installation and SDK/runtime distinction, Version-specific .NET 8 supported systems, Support lifecycle, SDK selection, SDK source and license, .NET 8 releases.