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Getting started with NetDaemon

This guide walks you through setting up your development environment for building NetDaemon apps.

Prerequisites​

  • .NET 10 SDK
  • A development environment such as Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, or Rider
  • A Home Assistant instance
  • A Home Assistant long-lived access token
  • Git (optional)
  • Docker (optional)

1. Install the NetDaemon templates​

Install the NetDaemon .NET templates so you can scaffold a new project:

Install templates
dotnet new --install NetDaemon.Templates.Project

2. Create a new project​

Create a new folder and scaffold your first NetDaemon app:

Create a project
mkdir NetDaemonApps
cd NetDaemonApps
dotnet new nd-project
tip

Run dotnet new list netdaemon to see the available NetDaemon templates.

We assume you are familiar with your development environment, but for additional guidance and tips, see the development tools tips & tricks page.

3. Configure Home Assistant​

NetDaemon development environment needs to be configured to connect to Home Assistant.

Edit the values in the appsettings.json. The following settings are mandatory:

  • Host: the IP address or hostname of your Home Assistant instance
  • Port: Defaults to 8123
  • Token: Your long-lived access token

Example appsettings.json file:

appsettings.json
{
    "Logging": {
        "LogLevel": {
            "Default": "Debug",
            "Microsoft": "Warning"
        },
        "ConsoleThemeType": "Ansi"
    },
    "HomeAssistant": {
        "Host": "home_assistant_host",
        "Port": 8123,
        "Ssl": false,
        "Token": "my_very_secret_token_from_homeassistant"
    },
    "NetDaemon": {
        "ApplicationConfigurationFolder": "./apps"
    },
    "CodeGeneration": {
        "Namespace": "HomeAssistantGenerated",
        "OutputFile": "HomeAssistantGenerated.cs",
        "UseAttributeBaseClasses": "false"
    }
}
info

We recommend creating a development-specific configuration file named appsettings.development.json, which is automatically excluded from Git. This prevents accidentally exposing your secret token if you use an external git repository like GitHub. Remember to remove sensitive data from appsettings.json before push to remote repository.

tip

When running your app from the console, ensure an appsettings.json file is in the same directory. Without it, the NetDaemon Runtime will start but will not connect to Home Assistant, and your apps will not load.

4. Run and debug your project​

Once configured, you can begin developing your NetDaemon applications. The project template includes example apps to help you get started with development and testing.

Run the project from your project folder:

Run NetDaemon
dotnet run

Debug your applications while monitoring log output for errors.

For a more powerful and convenient way to interact with Home Assistant entities and services, we recommend using the code generator to generate C# classes.

5. Deploy NetDaemon apps​

Use dotnet publish -c Release -o [your output directory]. Then, copy all contents from [your_output_directory] to the appropriate location on your Home Assistant host:

  • If using the NetDaemon add-on: /config/netdaemon6
  • If using another hosting option: Copy to your chosen destination folder

For more details on different deployment options, see the installation documentation.

There is a deployment option where you use the source code to deploy NetDaemon apps. We do not recommend using it for most users, but see the source deployment docs for details.

Keep your dependencies and tools up-to-date​

The template project includes a PowerShell script to update NetDaemon and all dependent packages to their latest versions:

Update dependencies
update_all_dependencies.ps1