Requirements
Before installing BlazorForge, make sure your computer meets the following requirements.
Required Software
Section titled “Required Software”The only required software is the .NET 9 SDK, available from Microsoft at no cost. The SDK includes the runtime, the compiler, and the command-line tools needed to build and run BlazorForge.
Download the .NET 9 SDK from the official Microsoft .NET download page. Choose the installer for your operating system and follow the installation instructions.
After installation, open a terminal and run dotnet --version. You should see a version number that starts with 9.0. If you see an error message, restart your terminal and try again.
Code Editor
Section titled “Code Editor”You need a code editor to modify the source code. Any of the following work well.
Visual Studio 2022 is the official Microsoft IDE. The Community edition is free and includes full support for Blazor projects.
JetBrains Rider is a paid alternative with excellent .NET support.
Visual Studio Code is a lightweight, free editor. Install the C# Dev Kit extension for Blazor support.
If you only want to run BlazorForge without modifying it, you do not need a code editor. A terminal is enough.
Operating System
Section titled “Operating System”BlazorForge works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The .NET SDK is available for all three platforms.
Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019 and later are supported.
macOS 11 and later are supported on both Intel and Apple Silicon.
Most modern Linux distributions are supported, including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch.
Web Browser
Section titled “Web Browser”You need a modern browser to view the running application. BlazorForge supports the last two versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.
On mobile, the theme supports the last two versions of Safari on iOS and Chrome on Android.
Hardware
Section titled “Hardware”BlazorForge runs on any computer that supports .NET 9. This includes most machines made in the last ten years.
For the best development experience, we recommend at least eight gigabytes of RAM and a solid-state drive.
Optional Software
Section titled “Optional Software”The following software is optional. You only need it if you use the related feature.
Node.js is required if you want to run Decap CMS in local mode. Download it from the official Node.js website. Version 18 or later is recommended.
Git is required if you want to version-control your project or deploy to Netlify or Cloudflare. Download it from the official Git website.
A GitHub account is required if you want to deploy to Netlify with online CMS, or if you want to host your repository on GitHub.
Disk Space
Section titled “Disk Space”The full BlazorForge project takes about fifty megabytes of disk space after extraction. After the first build, it grows to about two hundred megabytes due to the compiled binaries and NuGet cache.
You need at least five hundred megabytes of free disk space.
Internet Connection
Section titled “Internet Connection”You need an internet connection for the initial installation, since the .NET SDK download and NuGet package restore require network access.
After installation, you can work offline. The theme does not require any external services to run locally.
What About Visual Studio vs VS Code?
Section titled “What About Visual Studio vs VS Code?”Both work. Visual Studio has better built-in Blazor support, including a component designer and integrated debugging. VS Code is lighter and faster but requires extensions.
If you are new to .NET, Visual Studio Community is the recommended choice. If you are comfortable with VS Code and want a lighter experience, VS Code with the C# Dev Kit works well.
Next Steps
Section titled “Next Steps”If your computer meets these requirements, continue to Download and Install.
If you need to install the .NET SDK, follow the link on this page before continuing.