.Net/C# Build Tool - Is NAnt a preferred tool?

Question

I'm about to set up an automatic build of a .net/C# project.

I've searched the net quite a bit, and there are a lot of references to this tool called 'NAnt'.

My questions are:

• Is NAnt considered a good tool for this, is it still used?
• Are there other toos that are the de facto standard for such a task?

From the information on the projects's sourceforge page, it doesn't seem to have been much development going on the lates years. The same applies to the NAntContrib project.

Thanks!

Answer 1

MS Build Tasks is another option to automate the build processes.

Answer 2

NAnt is widely used and has good support.

Visual studio comes with its own build tool - MSBuild, that is built into visual studio (project and solution files are MSBuild scripts). It has a large support base and multiple extensions with community build tasks.

Answer 3

Speaking for myself, yes NAnt is still used. I have a standard build script that I can easily add to any new project. I do this for any new code that I am planning on keeping around for a while.

NAnt is mature and widely used in many projects. A big part of its appeal is its extensibility via custom tasks.

The project does seem to have stalled, but apparently it is still alive and kicking, according to this post. There is some talk of a roadmap for the fuuture, and a new version as well.

Answer 4

• Is NAnt considered a good tool for this, is it still used?

NAnt is still used. I have used it for automated deployment of an ASP.NET web application and related services and database.

• Are there other tools that are the de facto standard for such a task?

MSBuild is widely used. An advantage over NAnt is that it is included in .NET 2.0+. I also like the array-like features and batching: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms171473%28VS.80%29.aspx.

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See also this related question: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/476163/nant-or-msbuild-which-one-to-choose-and-when.