NuGet packages in the package registry All tiers All offerings
- Introduced in GitLab 12.8.
- Moved from GitLab Premium to GitLab Free in 13.3.
- Symbol package support added in GitLab 14.1.
Publish NuGet packages in your project’s package registry. Then, install the packages whenever you need to use them as a dependency.
The package registry works with:
For documentation of the specific API endpoints that these clients use, see the NuGet API documentation.
Learn how to install NuGet.
Use the GitLab endpoint for NuGet Packages
Introduced group-level endpoint in GitLab 13.8.
To use the GitLab endpoint for NuGet Packages, choose an option:
- Project-level: Use when you have few NuGet packages and they are not in the same GitLab group.
- Group-level: Use when you have many NuGet packages in different projects within the same GitLab group.
Some features such as publishing a package are only available on the project-level endpoint.
When asking for versions of a given NuGet package name, the GitLab package registry returns a maximum of 300 most recent versions.
Do not use authentication methods other than the methods documented here. Undocumented authentication methods might be removed in the future.
Add the package registry as a source for NuGet packages
To publish and install packages to the package registry, you must add the package registry as a source for your packages.
Prerequisites:
- Your GitLab username.
- A personal access token or deploy token. For repository authentication:
- You can generate a personal access token
with the scope set to
api
. - You can generate a deploy token
with the scope set to
read_package_registry
,write_package_registry
, or both.
- You can generate a personal access token
with the scope set to
- A name for your source.
- Depending on the endpoint level you use, either:
- Your project ID, which is found on your project’s home page.
- Your group ID, which is found on your group’s home page.
You can now add a new source to NuGet with:
Add a source with the NuGet CLI
Project-level endpoint
A project-level endpoint is required to publish NuGet packages to the package registry. A project-level endpoint is also required to install NuGet packages from a project.
To use the project-level NuGet endpoint, add the package registry as a source with nuget
:
nuget source Add -Name <source_name> -Source "https://gitlab.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>
-
<source_name>
is the desired source name.
For example:
nuget source Add -Name "GitLab" -Source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/10/packages/nuget/index.json" -UserName carol -Password 12345678asdf
Group-level endpoint
To install a NuGet package from a group, use a group-level endpoint.
To use the group-level NuGet endpoint, add the package registry as a source with nuget
:
nuget source Add -Name <source_name> -Source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/<your_group_id>/-/packages/nuget/index.json" -UserName <gitlab_username or deploy_token_username> -Password <gitlab_personal_access_token or deploy_token>
-
<source_name>
is the desired source name.
For example:
nuget source Add -Name "GitLab" -Source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/23/-/packages/nuget/index.json" -UserName carol -Password 12345678asdf
Add a source with Visual Studio
Project-level endpoint
A project-level endpoint is required to publish NuGet packages to the package registry. A project-level endpoint is also required to install NuGet packages from a project.
To use the project-level NuGet endpoint, add the package registry as a source with Visual Studio:
- Open Visual Studio.
- In Windows, select Tools > Options. On macOS, select Visual Studio > Preferences.
- In the NuGet section, select Sources to view a list of all your NuGet sources.
- Select Add.
-
Complete the following fields:
- Name: Name for the source.
-
Source:
https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/index.json
, where<your_project_id>
is your project ID, andgitlab.example.com
is your domain name.
- Select Save.
-
When you access the package, you must enter your Username and Password:
- Username: Your GitLab username or deploy token username.
- Password: Your personal access token or deploy token.
The source is displayed in your list.
If you get a warning, ensure that the Source, Username, and Password are correct.
Group-level endpoint
To install a package from a group, use a group-level endpoint.
To use the group-level NuGet endpoint, add the package registry as a source with Visual Studio:
- Open Visual Studio.
- In Windows, select Tools > Options. On macOS, select Visual Studio > Preferences.
- In the NuGet section, select Sources to view a list of all your NuGet sources.
- Select Add.
-
Complete the following fields:
- Name: Name for the source.
-
Source:
https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/<your_group_id>/-/packages/nuget/index.json
, where<your_group_id>
is your group ID, andgitlab.example.com
is your domain name.
- Select Save.
-
When you access the package, you must enter your Username and Password.
- Username: Your GitLab username or deploy token username.
- Password: Your personal access token or deploy token.
The source is displayed in your list.
If you get a warning, ensure that the Source, Username, and Password are correct.
Add a source with the .NET CLI
Project-level endpoint
A project-level endpoint is required to publish NuGet packages to the package registry. A project-level endpoint is also required to install NuGet packages from a project.
To use the project-level
NuGet endpoint, add the package registry as a source with nuget
:
dotnet nuget add source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/index.json" --name <source_name> --username <gitlab_username or deploy_token_username> --password <gitlab_personal_access_token or deploy_token>
-
<source_name>
is the desired source name. -
--store-password-in-clear-text
might be necessary depending on your operating system.
For example:
dotnet nuget add source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/10/packages/nuget/index.json" --name gitlab --username carol --password 12345678asdf
Group-level endpoint
To install a NuGet package from a group, use a group-level endpoint.
To use the group-level
NuGet endpoint, add the package registry as a source with nuget
:
dotnet nuget add source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/<your_group_id>/-/packages/nuget/index.json" --name <source_name> --username <gitlab_username or deploy_token_username> --password <gitlab_personal_access_token or deploy_token>
-
<source_name>
is the desired source name. -
--store-password-in-clear-text
might be necessary depending on your operating system.
For example:
dotnet nuget add source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/23/-/packages/nuget/index.json" --name gitlab --username carol --password 12345678asdf
Add a source with a configuration file
Project-level endpoint
A project-level endpoint is required to:
- Publish NuGet packages to the package registry.
- Install NuGet packages from a project.
To use the project-level package registry as a source for .NET:
- In the root of your project, create a file named
nuget.config
. -
Add this content:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <configuration> <packageSources> <clear /> <add key="gitlab" value="https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/index.json" /> </packageSources> <packageSourceCredentials> <gitlab> <add key="Username" value="%GITLAB_PACKAGE_REGISTRY_USERNAME%" /> <add key="ClearTextPassword" value="%GITLAB_PACKAGE_REGISTRY_PASSWORD%" /> </gitlab> </packageSourceCredentials> </configuration>
-
Configure the necessary environment variables:
export GITLAB_PACKAGE_REGISTRY_USERNAME=<gitlab_username or deploy_token_username> export GITLAB_PACKAGE_REGISTRY_PASSWORD=<gitlab_personal_access_token or deploy_token>
Group-level endpoint
To install a package from a group, use a group-level endpoint.
To use the group-level package registry as a source for .NET:
- In the root of your project, create a file named
nuget.config
. -
Add this content:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <configuration> <packageSources> <clear /> <add key="gitlab" value="https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/<your_group_id>/-/packages/nuget/index.json" /> </packageSources> <packageSourceCredentials> <gitlab> <add key="Username" value="%GITLAB_PACKAGE_REGISTRY_USERNAME%" /> <add key="ClearTextPassword" value="%GITLAB_PACKAGE_REGISTRY_PASSWORD%" /> </gitlab> </packageSourceCredentials> </configuration>
-
Configure the necessary environment variables:
export GITLAB_PACKAGE_REGISTRY_USERNAME=<gitlab_username or deploy_token_username> export GITLAB_PACKAGE_REGISTRY_PASSWORD=<gitlab_personal_access_token or deploy_token>
Add a source with Chocolatey CLI
You can add a source feed with the Chocolatey CLI. If you use Chocolatey CLI v1.x, you can add only a NuGet v2 source feed.
Configure a project-level endpoint
You need a project-level endpoint to publish NuGet packages to the package registry.
To use the project-level package registry as a source for Chocolatey:
-
Add the package registry as a source with
choco
:choco source add -n=gitlab -s "'https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/v2'" -u=<gitlab_username or deploy_token_username> -p=<gitlab_personal_access_token or deploy_token>
Publish a NuGet package
Prerequisites:
- Set up the source with a project-level endpoint.
When publishing packages:
- The package registry on GitLab.com can store up to 5 GB of content. This limit is configurable for self-managed GitLab instances.
- If you publish 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 publishing packages to GitLab, they aren’t displayed in the packages user interface of your project immediately. It can take up to 10 minutes to process a package.
Publish a package with the NuGet CLI
Prerequisites:
Publish a package by running this command:
nuget push <package_file> -Source <source_name>
-
<package_file>
is your package filename, ending in.nupkg
. -
<source_name>
is the source name used during setup.
Publish a package with the .NET CLI
Publishing a package with --api-key
introduced in GitLab 16.1.
Prerequisites:
Publish a package by running this command:
dotnet nuget push <package_file> --source <source_name>
-
<package_file>
is your package filename, ending in.nupkg
. -
<source_name>
is the source name used during setup.
For example:
dotnet nuget push MyPackage.1.0.0.nupkg --source gitlab
You can publish a package using the --api-key
option instead of username
and password
:
dotnet nuget push <package_file> --source <source_url> --api-key <gitlab_personal_access_token, deploy_token or job token>
-
<package_file>
is your package filename, ending in.nupkg
. -
<source_url>
is the URL of the NuGet package registry.
For example:
dotnet nuget push MyPackage.1.0.0.nupkg --source https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/index.json --api-key <gitlab_personal_access_token, deploy_token or job token>
Publish a NuGet package by using CI/CD
Introduced 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 main
branch is
updated:
-
Add a
deploy
job to your.gitlab-ci.yml
file:image: mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/sdk:3.1 stages: - deploy deploy: stage: deploy script: - dotnet pack -c Release - dotnet nuget add source "${CI_API_V4_URL}/projects/${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: - main environment: production
-
Commit the changes and push it to your GitLab repository to trigger a new CI/CD build.
Publish a NuGet package with Chocolatey CLI
Introduced in GitLab 16.2.
Prerequisites:
- The project-level package registry is a source for Chocolatey.
To publish a package with the Chocolatey CLI:
choco push <package_file> --source <source_url> --api-key <gitlab_personal_access_token, deploy_token or job token>
In this command:
-
<package_file>
is your package filename and ends with.nupkg
. -
<source_url>
is the URL of the NuGet v2 feed package registry.
For example:
choco push MyPackage.1.0.0.nupkg --source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/v2" --api-key <gitlab_personal_access_token, deploy_token or job token>
Publishing a package with the same name or version
When you publish a package with the same name or version as an existing package, the existing package is overwritten.
Do not allow duplicate NuGet packages
-
Introduced in GitLab 16.3 with a flag named
nuget_duplicates_option
. Disabled by default. -
Generally available in GitLab 16.6. Feature flag
nuget_duplicates_option
removed.
To prevent users from publishing duplicate NuGet packages, you can use the GraphQl API or the UI.
In the UI:
- On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your group.
- Select Settings > Packages and registries.
- In the NuGet row of the Duplicate packages table, turn off the Allow duplicates toggle.
- Optional. In the Exceptions text box, enter a regular expression that matches the names and versions of packages to allow.
Your changes are automatically saved.
Install packages
If multiple packages have the same name and version, when you install a package, the most recently-published package is retrieved.
To install a NuGet package from the package registry, you must first add a project-level or group-level endpoint.
Install a package with the NuGet CLI
nuget
checks the official source at nuget.org
first. If you have
a NuGet package in the package registry 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 by running this command:
nuget install <package_id> -OutputDirectory <output_directory> \
-Version <package_version> \
-Source <source_name>
-
<package_id>
is the package ID. -
<output_directory>
is the output directory, where the package is installed. -
<package_version>
The package version. Optional. -
<source_name>
The source name. Optional.
Install a package with the .NET CLI
dotnet
checks sources during
install. This is defined in the nuget.config
file.Install the latest version of a package by running this command:
dotnet add package <package_id> \
-v <package_version>
-
<package_id>
is the package ID. -
<package_version>
is the package version. Optional.
Install a package using NuGet v2 feed
Introduced in GitLab 16.5.
Prerequisites:
- The project-level package registry is a v2 feed source for Chocolatey.
- A version must be provided when installing or upgrading a package using NuGet v2 feed.
To install a package with the Chocolatey CLI:
choco install <package_id> -Source <source_url> -Version <package_version>
In this command:
-
<package_id>
is the package ID. -
<source_url>
is the URL or name of the NuGet v2 feed package registry. -
<package_version>
is the package version.
For example:
choco install MyPackage -Source gitlab -Version 1.0.2
# or
choco install MyPackage -Source "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/v2" -u <username> -p <gitlab_personal_access_token, deploy_token or job token> -Version 1.0.2
To upgrade a package with the Chocolatey CLI:
choco upgrade <package_id> -Source <source_url> -Version <package_version>
In this command:
-
<package_id>
is the package ID. -
<source_url>
is the URL or name of the NuGet v2 feed package registry. -
<package_version>
is the package version.
For example:
choco upgrade MyPackage -Source gitlab -Version 1.0.3
Delete a package
Introduced in GitLab 16.5.
Prerequisites:
- You must have the Maintainer role or higher in the project.
- You must have both the package name and version.
To delete a package with the NuGet CLI:
nuget delete <package_id> <package_version> -Source <source_name> -ApiKey <gitlab_personal_access_token, deploy_token or job token>
In this command:
-
<package_id>
is the package ID. -
<package_version>
is the package version. -
<source_name>
is the source name.
For example:
nuget delete MyPackage 1.0.0 -Source gitlab -ApiKey <gitlab_personal_access_token, deploy_token or job token>
Symbol packages
Introduced in GitLab 14.1.
If you push a .nupkg
, symbol package files in the .snupkg
format are uploaded automatically. You
can also push them manually:
nuget push My.Package.snupkg -Source <source_name>
Use the package registry as a symbol server
Introduced in GitLab 16.7.
GitLab can consume symbol files from the NuGet package registry, so you can use the package registry as a symbol server.
To use the symbol server:
- Enable the
nuget_symbol_server_enabled
namespace setting with the GraphQl API. -
Configure your debugger to use the symbol server. For example, to configure Visual Studio:
- Open Tools > Preferences.
- Select Debugger > Symbol sources.
- Select Add.
-
Fill in the required fields. The URL for the symbol server is:
https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<your_project_id>/packages/nuget/symbolfiles -- or -- https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/<your_group_id>/-/packages/nuget/symbolfiles
- Select Add Source.
After you configure the debugger, you can debug your application as usual. The debugger automatically downloads the symbol PDB files from the package registry as long as they’re available.
Consuming symbol packages
When the debugger is configured to consume symbol packages, the debugger sends the following in a request:
-
Symbolchecksum
header: The SHA-256 checksum of the symbol file. -
file_name
request parameter: The name of the symbol file. For example,mypackage.pdb
. -
signature
request parameter: The GUID and age of the PDB file.
The GitLab server matches this information to a symbol file and returns it.
Note that:
- Only portable PDB files are supported.
- Because debuggers can’t provide authentication tokens, the symbol server endpoint doesn’t support the usual authentication methods.
The GitLab server requires the
signature
andSymbolchecksum
to return the correct symbol file.
Supported CLI commands
nuget delete
and dotnet nuget delete
commands introduced in GitLab 16.5.
The GitLab NuGet repository supports the following commands for the NuGet CLI (nuget
) and the .NET
CLI (dotnet
):
-
nuget push
: Upload a package to the registry. -
dotnet nuget push
: Upload a package to the registry. -
nuget install
: Install a package from the registry. -
dotnet add
: Install a package from the registry. -
nuget delete
: Delete a package from the registry. -
dotnet nuget delete
: Delete a package from the registry.
Example project
For an example, see the Guided Exploration project Utterly Automated Software and Artifact Versioning with GitVersion. This project:
- Generates NuGet packages by the
msbuild
method. - Generates NuGet packages by the
nuget.exe
method. - Uses GitLab releases and
release-cli
in connection with NuGet packaging. - Uses a tool called GitVersion to automatically determine and increment versions for the NuGet package in complex repositories.
You can copy this example project to your own group or instance for testing. See the project page for more details on what other GitLab CI patterns are demonstrated.
Troubleshooting
Clear NuGet cache
To improve performance, NuGet caches files related to a package. If you encounter issues, clear the cache with this command:
nuget locals all -clear
Error publishing
or Invalid Package: Failed metadata extraction error
messages when trying to publish NuGet packages in a Docker-based GitLab installation
Webhook requests to local network addresses are blocked to prevent exploitation of internal web services. If you get Error publishing
or Invalid Package
messages when you try to publish NuGet packages, change your network settings to allow webhook and integration requests to the local network.