NetBeauty 2 is a tool designed to organize your .NET Framework or .NET Core application's runtime components and dependencies into a sub-directory, resulting in a cleaner and more manageable project structure.
- Supports both .NET Framework and .NET Core 3.0+;
- Compatible with all platforms;
- Works with various deployment models: Framework-dependent (FDD), Self-contained (SCD), and Framework-dependent executables (FDE);
- Reduces file clutter by moving dependencies into a dedicated directory;
- Offers advanced options for hiding unnecessary files and customizing the runtime structure.
Even fewer files!
Explore the --hiddens option for further reduction.
| Feature | NetBeauty 2 | NetCoreBeauty |
|---|---|---|
| Supported Frameworks | .NET Framework, .NET Core 3.0+ | .NET Core 2.0+ |
| Deployment Models | FDD, SCD, FDE | SCD only |
| Supported Platforms | All platforms | Windows (x64, x86, arm64), Linux (x64, arm, arm64), macOS (x64, arm64) |
| Patched HostFXR Requirement | Not required (except when using patch) | Required |
| Minimum File Structure | ~20 files (default), ~8 files (with patch) | ~8 files |
| Shared Runtime Support | Yes | Possible (with patched libhostfxr) |
| Approach | NetBeauty 2 | NetCoreBeauty |
|---|---|---|
| Startup Hook | Utilizes STARTUP_HOOKS |
N/A |
| Assembly Resolution | Handles assembly resolution via AssemblyLoadContext.Resolving and AssemblyLoadContext.ResolvingUnmanagedDll |
N/A |
| Patched HostFXR | Optionally uses a patched libhostfxr | Relies on patched libhostfxr |
| Additional Probing Paths | Uses additionalProbingPaths when patching |
Uses additionalProbingPaths |
Tip
For more details, visit the NetBeauty 2 repository and the NetCoreBeauty (v1) repository.
One of the main objectives of NetBeauty 2 is to use a custom loader instead of patching. However, the loader requires many types and APIs (such as Dictionary<TKey, TValue>, List<T>, Path.GetFullPath, File.Exists, NativeLibrary, RuntimeInformation, etc.), which introduces numerous assembly references. Unfortunately, these files cannot be moved; otherwise, CoreCLR fails to initialize and invoke the loader. More complex logic leads to more files. Therefore, the patch is still necessary.
Now, both the loader and the patch work seamlessly together:
- The loader enables support for FDD and FDE applications.
- The patch minimizes the file count (SCD apps only).
The startup hook has been renamed from nbloader to libloader.
No action is required on your part. Both BeautyNBLoaderVerPolicy (in the project file) and nbloaderverpolicy (in the CLI) remain unchanged for maximum backward compatibility. For more information, see issue #80.
To add NetBeauty to your .NET Core project, run:
dotnet add package nulastudio.NetBeautyYour .csproj file should look similar to the following:
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
<PropertyGroup>
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
<TargetFramework>netcoreapp3.0</TargetFramework>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup>
<!-- Disable NetBeauty (set to True to turn off all features). -->
<DisableBeauty>False</DisableBeauty>
<!-- Enable shared runtime mode (set to True to share libraries across apps). -->
<BeautySharedRuntimeMode>False</BeautySharedRuntimeMode>
<!-- Directory for dependencies; default is 'libraries'. Use quotes if the path contains spaces. -->
<BeautyLibsDir Condition="$(BeautySharedRuntimeMode) == 'True'">../libraries</BeautyLibsDir>
<BeautyLibsDir Condition="$(BeautySharedRuntimeMode) != 'True'">./libraries</BeautyLibsDir>
<!-- DLLs you want to exclude from being moved (e.g., critical or custom files). -->
<!-- <BeautyExcludes>dll1.dll;lib*;...</BeautyExcludes> -->
<!-- Files to hide from end users (e.g., runtime or config files). Only supported on Windows. -->
<!-- <BeautyHiddens>hostfxr;hostpolicy;*.deps.json;*.runtimeconfig*.json</BeautyHiddens> -->
<!-- Only run NetBeauty on publish (set to True to skip on build). -->
<BeautyOnPublishOnly>False</BeautyOnPublishOnly>
<!-- Internal option: do not modify. -->
<BeautyNoRuntimeInfo>False</BeautyNoRuntimeInfo>
<!-- Loader version policy: auto, with, or without. -->
<BeautyNBLoaderVerPolicy>auto</BeautyNBLoaderVerPolicy>
<!-- Enable debugging support for third-party debuggers (e.g., dnSpy). -->
<BeautyEnableDebugging>False</BeautyEnableDebugging>
<!-- Use the patch to minimize file count (SCD mode only). Set to False to disable. -->
<BeautyUsePatch>True</BeautyUsePatch>
<!-- Customize AppHost entry point (relative to AppHostDir). See documentation for details. -->
<!-- <BeautyAppHostEntry>bin/MyApp.dll</BeautyAppHostEntry> -->
<!-- Customize AppHost directory (relative to BeautyDir). See documentation for details. -->
<!-- <BeautyAppHostDir>..</BeautyAppHostDir> -->
<!-- Specify custom MSBuild tasks to run after NetBeauty completes. -->
<!-- <BeautyAfterTasks></BeautyAfterTasks> -->
<!-- Log verbosity: Error, Detail, or Info. -->
<BeautyLogLevel>Info</BeautyLogLevel>
<!-- Use a mirror for GitHub resources if needed. -->
<!-- <BeautyGitCDN>https://gitee.com/liesauer/HostFXRPatcher</BeautyGitCDN> -->
<!-- Specify a branch or tag for the patcher repository. -->
<!-- <BeautyGitTree>master</BeautyGitTree> -->
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<PackageReference Include="nulastudio.NetBeauty" Version="2.1.5.0" />
</ItemGroup>
</Project>After configuring your project, simply run dotnet build or dotnet publish. NetBeauty will handle everything automatically.
If your project is already published, you can use the NetBeauty binary application:
# Usage:
nbeauty2 [--loglevel=(Error|Detail|Info)] [--srmode] [--enabledebug] [--usepatch] [--hiddens=hiddenFiles] [--noruntimeinfo] [--roll-forward=<rollForward>] [--nbloaderverpolicy=(auto|with|without)] [--apphostentry=<appHostEntry>] [--apphostdir=<appHostDir>] <beautyDir> [<libsDir> [<excludes>]]Example:
nbeauty2 --usepatch --loglevel Detail --hiddens "hostfxr;hostpolicy;*.deps.json;*.runtimeconfig*.json" "/path/to/publishDir" libraries "dll1.dll;lib*;..."Note
The --hiddens option only hides files (does not move them) and is supported on Windows only.
To install NetBeauty as a global tool, run:
dotnet tool install --global nulastudio.nbeautyYou can then use it as you would any other binary distribution.
Below is an example of a shared runtime directory structure:
├── libraries # Shared runtime DLLs (customizable name)
│ ├── locales # Satellite assemblies
│ │ ├── en
│ │ │ └── *.resources.dll
│ │ │ ├── MD5_1 # Allows multiple runtimes between apps
│ │ │ │ └── *.resources.dll
│ │ │ └── MD5_2
│ │ │ └── *.resources.dll
│ │ ├── zh-Hans
│ │ │ └── *.resources.dll
│ │ │ ├── MD5_1
│ │ │ │ └── *.resources.dll
│ │ │ └── MD5_2
│ │ │ └── *.resources.dll
│ │ └── ... # Other languages
│ ├── *.dll # Shared managed assemblies
│ │ ├── MD5_1
│ │ │ └── *.dll
│ │ └── MD5_2
│ │ └── *.dll
│ └── srm_native # Native DLLs (not shared; each app has its own copy)
│ ├── APPID_1
│ │ └── *.dll
│ └── APPID_2
│ └── *.dll
├── app1 # Main folder for app1
│ ├── hostfxr.dll ... # DLLs that cannot be moved
│ ├── libloader.dll # Loader (moved if using patch)
│ ├── app1.deps.json
│ ├── app1.dll
│ ├── app1.exe
│ ├── app1.runtimeconfig.json
│ └── ...
└── app2 # Main folder for app2
├── hostfxr.dll ...
├── libloader.dll
├── app2.deps.json
├── app2.dll
├── app2.exe
├── app2.runtimeconfig.json
└── ...NetBeauty 2 draws inspiration from AppHostPatcher to provide a more user-friendly folder structure for software suites by patching the imprinted entry path of AppHost.
See the demo for more details.
Example Structure:
├── MyApp # Main folder for the app
│ ├── libs # Dependencies
│ ├── hostfxr.dll ... # DLLs that cannot be moved
│ ├── libloader.dll # Loader (moved if using patch)
│ ├── MyApp.deps.json
│ ├── MyApp.dll
│ ├── MyApp.runtimeconfig.json
│ └── ...
└── MyApp.exe # AppHostShared Runtime with Customized AppHost:
├── libraries # Shared runtime DLLs (customizable name)
├── app1 # Main folder for app1
│ ├── hostfxr.dll ...
│ ├── app1.deps.json
│ ├── app1.dll
│ ├── app1.runtimeconfig.json
│ └── ...
├── app2 # Main folder for app2
│ ├── hostfxr.dll ...
│ ├── app2.deps.json
│ ├── app2.dll
│ ├── app2.runtimeconfig.json
│ └── ...
├── app1.exe
└── app2.exeThis project is licensed under the MIT License.
Copyright © 2022 nullastudio
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