Make .NET projects compatible with Native AOT and trimming by systematically resolving IL trim/AOT analyzer warnings.
.NET 10 → .NET 11 Migration
Migrate a .NET 10 project or solution to .NET 11 and resolve all breaking changes. This is a MIGRATION skill — use it when upgrading from .NET 10 to .NET 11, NOT for writing new programs. USE FOR: upgrading TargetFramework from net10.0 to net11.0, fixing build errors after updating the .NET 11 SDK, resolving source-breaking and behavioral changes in .NET 11 runtime, C# 15 compiler, and EF Core 11, adapting to updated minimum hardware requirements (x86-64-v2, Arm64 LSE), and updating CI/CD pipelines and Dockerfiles for .NET 11. DO NOT USE FOR: .NET Framework migrations, upgrading from .NET 9 or earlier, greenfield .NET 11 projects, or cosmetic modernization unrelated to the upgrade. NOTE: .NET 11 is in preview. Covers breaking changes through Preview 3.
Workflow
> Answer directly from the loaded reference documents for information about .NET 11 breaking changes. You may inspect the local repository (project/solution files, source code, configuration, build/test scripts) as needed to determine which changes apply. Do not fetch web pages or other external sources for breaking change information — the loaded references are the authoritative source. Focus on identifying which breaking changes apply and providing concrete fixes. > > Commit strategy: Commit at each logical boundary — after updating the TFM (Step 2), after resolving build errors (Step 3), after addressing behavioral changes (Step 4), and after updating infrastructure (Step 5). This keeps each commit focused and reviewable.
Step 1: Assess the project
- Identify how the project is built and tested. Look for build scripts,
.sln/.slnxfiles, or individual.csprojfiles. - Run
dotnet --versionto confirm the .NET 11 SDK is installed. If it is not, stop and inform the user. - Determine which technology areas the project uses by examining:
- SDK attribute: Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web → ASP.NET Core; Microsoft.NET.Sdk.WindowsDesktop with <UseWPF> or <UseWindowsForms> → WPF/WinForms - PackageReferences: Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.* → EF Core; Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Cosmos → Cosmos DB provider - Dockerfile presence → Container changes relevant - Cryptography API usage → DSA on macOS affected; AIA cert download changes relevant - Compression API usage → DeflateStream/GZipStream/ZipArchive changes relevant - TAR API usage → Header checksum validation and HardLink entry changes relevant - `NamedPipeClientStream` usage with `SafePipeHandle` → SYSLIB0063 constructor obsoletion relevant - `BackgroundService` usage → Unhandled exceptions now stop the host - `Microsoft.OpenApi` direct usage → v3 API breaking changes in ASP.NET Core OpenAPI - EF Core SQL Server with Entra ID auth → SqlClient 7.0 auth dependency changes - NativeAOT native libraries on Unix → Output filename prefix changed
- Record which reference documents are relevant (see the reference loading table in Step 3).
- Do a clean build (
dotnet build --no-incrementalor deletebin/obj) on the currentnet10.0target to establish a clean baseline. Record any pre-existing warnings.
Step 2: Update the Target Framework
- In each
.csproj(orDirectory.Build.propsif centralized), change:
``xml <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework> ` to: `xml <TargetFramework>net11.0</TargetFramework> ` For multi-targeted projects, add net11.0 to <TargetFrameworks> or replace net10.0`.
- Update all
Microsoft.Extensions.*,Microsoft.AspNetCore.*,Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.*, and other Microsoft package references to their 11.0.x versions. If using Central Package Management (Directory.Packages.props), update versions there.
- Run
dotnet restore. Fix any restore errors before continuing.
- Run
dotnet build. Capture all errors and warnings — these will be addressed in Step 3.
Step 3: Fix source-breaking and compilation changes
Load reference documents based on the project's technology areas:
| Reference file | When to load | |----------------|-------------| | references/csharp-compiler-dotnet10to11.md | Always (C# 15 compiler breaking changes) | | references/core-libraries-dotnet10to11.md | Always (applies to all .NET 11 projects) | | references/sdk-msbuild-dotnet10to11.md | Always (SDK and build tooling changes) | | references/aspnetcore-dotnet10to11.md | Project uses ASP.NET Core (OpenAPI, Blazor) | | references/efcore-dotnet10to11.md | Project uses Entity Framework Core | | references/cryptography-dotnet10to11.md | Project uses cryptography APIs, mTLS, or targets macOS | | references/runtime-jit-dotnet10to11.md | Deploying to older hardware, embedded devices, or using NativeAOT |
Work through each build error systematically. Common patterns:
- C# 15 Span collection expression safe-context — Collection expressions of
Span<T>/ReadOnlySpan<T>type now havedeclaration-blocksafe-context. Code assigning span collection expressions to variables in outer scopes will error. Use array type or move the expression to the correct scope.
- `ref readonly` delegates/local functions need `InAttribute` — If synthesizing delegates from
ref readonly-returning methods or usingref readonlylocal functions, ensureSystem.Runtime.InteropServices.InAttributeis available.
- `nameof(this.)` in attributes — Remove
this.qualifier; usenameof(P)instead ofnameof(this.P).
- `with()` in collection expressions (C# 15) —
with(...)is now treated as constructor arguments, not a method call. Use@with(...)to call a method namedwith.
- Dynamic `&&`/`||` with interface operand — Interface types as left operand of
&&/||withdynamicright operand now errors at compile time. Cast to concrete type ordynamic.
- EF Core Cosmos sync I/O removal —
ToList(),SaveChanges(), etc. on Cosmos provider always throw. Convert to async equivalents.
- SYSLIB0063: `NamedPipeClientStream` `isConnected` parameter obsoleted — The constructor overload taking
bool isConnectedis obsoleted. Remove theisConnectedargument and use the new 3-parameter constructor. Projects withTreatWarningsAsErrorswill fail to build.
- `when` switch-expression-arm parsing —
(X.Y) whenis now parsed as a constant pattern with awhenclause instead of a cast expression, which can cause existing code to fail to compile or change meaning. Review switch expressions usingwhenand adjust syntax as needed.
- Microsoft.OpenApi v3 breaking changes —
Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApinow depends onMicrosoft.OpenApi3.x. Code usingMicrosoft.OpenApitypes directly (OpenApiDocument,OpenApiSchema, etc.) will have compile errors. Follow the v3 upgrade guide.
- EF Core Design package no longer transitive —
Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Toolsand.Tasksno longer depend on.Design. Add an explicitPackageReferenceif needed.
- EFOptimizeContext MSBuild property removed — Replace with
<EFScaffoldModelStage>and<EFPrecompileQueriesStage>.
Step 4: Address behavioral changes
These changes compile successfully but alter runtime behavior. Review each one and determine impact:
- DeflateStream/GZipStream empty payload — Now writes headers and footers even for empty payloads. If your code checks for zero-length output, update the check.
- MemoryStream maximum capacity — Maximum capacity updated and exception behavior changed. Review code that creates large MemoryStreams or relies on specific exception types.
- TAR header checksum validation — TAR-reading APIs now verify checksums. Corrupted or hand-crafted TAR files may now fail to read.
- ZipArchive.CreateAsync eager loading —
ZipArchive.CreateAsynceagerly loads entries. May affect memory usage for large archives.
- Environment.TickCount consistency — Made consistent with Windows timeout behavior. Code relying on specific tick count behavior may need adjustment.
- DSA removed from macOS — DSA cryptographic operations throw on macOS. Use a different algorithm (RSA, ECDSA).
- Japanese Calendar minimum date — Minimum supported date corrected. Code using very early Japanese Calendar dates may be affected.
- Minimum hardware requirements — x86/x64 baseline moved to
x86-64-v2; Windows Arm64 requiresLSE. Verify deployment targets meet requirements.
- Mono launch target for .NET Framework — No longer set automatically. If using Mono for .NET Framework apps on Linux, specify explicitly.
- Unhandled BackgroundService exceptions stop the host — Exceptions from
ExecuteAsync()now propagate and crash the host. Add try/catch in background services that should not bring down the application.
- ZipArchive CRC32 validation — ZIP reads now validate CRC32 checksums. Corrupt or truncated archives that previously succeeded will now throw
InvalidDataException.
- TarWriter emits HardLink entries — Hard-linked files are now written as
HardLinkentries instead of duplicated data. Consumers of .NET-produced tar archives must handleHardLinkentries.
- AIA certificate downloads disabled — Server-side client-certificate validation no longer downloads intermediate CAs via AIA by default. Pre-install the full chain or have clients send intermediates.
- Blazor Virtualize OverscanCount default changed — Default
OverscanCountchanged from 3 to 15. Set explicitly if performance-sensitive.
- Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 7.0 — Entra ID auth separated — Azure/Entra ID authentication dependencies removed from the core SqlClient package. Add
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azureif using Entra ID auth.
- SqlVector<T> excluded from SELECT — Vector properties are no longer auto-loaded. Use explicit projections to include vector values.
- SQLitePCLRaw encryption bundles removed —
bundle_e_sqlcipherand other encryption bundle packages removed in SQLitePCLRaw 3.0.
- NativeAOT Unix native library `lib` prefix — Output filenames now include
libprefix on Linux/macOS (e.g.,libMyLib.so).
Step 5: Update infrastructure
- Dockerfiles: Update base images from 10.0 to 11.0:
``dockerfile # Before FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0 AS build FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0 # After FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:11.0 AS build FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:11.0 ``
- CI/CD pipelines: Update SDK version references. If using
global.json, update thesdk.versionin your existing file while preserving other keys (such asrollForwardand test configuration):
``diff { "sdk": { - "version": "10.0.100", - "rollForward": "latestFeature" + "version": "11.0.100-preview.3", + "rollForward": "latestFeature" }, "otherSettings": { "...": "..." } } ``
- Hardware deployment targets: Verify all deployment targets meet the updated minimum hardware requirements (x86-64-v2 for x86/x64, LSE for Windows Arm64).
Step 6: Verify
- Run a full clean build:
dotnet build --no-incremental - Run all tests:
dotnet test - If the application is containerized, build and test the container image
- Smoke-test the application, paying special attention to:
- Compression behavior with empty streams - TAR file reading (checksum validation and HardLink entries) - EF Core Cosmos DB operations (must be async) - DSA usage on macOS - Memory-intensive MemoryStream usage - Span collection expression assignments - BackgroundService exception handling - mTLS / client certificate chain validation - EF Core SQL Server with Entra ID authentication - NativeAOT output filenames on Unix
- Review the diff and ensure no unintended behavioral changes were introduced
Related skills
Migrate a .NET 8 project to .NET 9 and resolve all breaking changes.
Migrate a .NET 9 project or solution to .NET 10 and resolve all breaking changes.