Create your first project

Create and run your first Avalonia application using the MVVM template in your preferred IDE or from the command line.

This guide walks you through creating a new Avalonia app from a template and running it. By the end, you will have a working Avalonia window on screen.

Create the project

For your first project, use the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) template. This template sets up a project with the MVVM pattern, which is the recommended way to structure Avalonia applications.

Visual Studio

1. In Visual Studio, click File → New → Project/Solution.
2. In the search box, input "Avalonia".
3. Select Avalonia .NET MVVM App from the search results. If Visual Studio offers multiple options, select the one for C#. Then, click Next.
4. Name your project "GetStartedApp".
5. Change the target directory if desired. Then, click Next.
6. Select your preferred version of .NET as the framework.
7. If given the option to choose target platforms, select Desktop.
8. Click Create.

Visual Studio Code

1. In Visual Studio Code, bring up the command palette. This is Ctrl + Shift + P on Windows, or ⌘ + Shift + P on macOS.
2. Input ".NET" into the search.
3. From the search results, select .NET: New Project...
4. From the list of project templates, select Avalonia MVVM App.
5. Specify a directory on your device for the project.
6. Name your project "GetStartedApp".
7. Click Create project.

Rider

1. On the Rider startup screen, select New Solution.
2. In the sidebar, scroll down to "Custom Templates". Select Avalonia .NET MVVM App.
3. Name your solution "GetStartedApp".
4. Click Create.

Command line

Run this command:

dotnet new avalonia.mvvm -o GetStartedApp

Check your device for a new folder named GetStartedApp, containing the new project files.

Run the project

Visual Studio

In the top toolbar, select "GetStartedApp" next to the Run button. Then, click Run.

The solution builds and runs your app in a new window. By default, this displays the string, "Welcome to Avalonia!"

Visual Studio Code

1. Select Run and Debug in the side navigation bar.
2. If prompted to select a debugger, choose C#.
3. Click Run and Debug.

The solution builds and runs your app in a new window. By default, this displays the string, "Welcome to Avalonia!"

Rider

Click Run in the top toolbar.

The solution builds and runs your app in a new window. By default, this displays the string, "Welcome to Avalonia!"

Command line

Navigate to the directory containing your GetStartedApp project and run:

dotnet run

The solution builds and runs your app in a new window. By default, this displays the string, "Welcome to Avalonia!"

What's in the project?

The MVVM template creates a project with the following structure:

File/Folder	Purpose
App.axaml	Application-level resources and styles. The .axaml extension is short for Avalonia XAML.
ViewModels/	Contains MainWindowViewModel, which holds data and logic for the main window.
Views/MainWindow.axaml	The XAML markup that defines the main window's appearance.
Views/MainWindow.axaml.cs	The code-behind file for the main window.
Program.cs	The application entry point that configures and launches Avalonia.

Next steps

You have a working Avalonia app. Continue with the starter tutorial to build a temperature converter and learn core Avalonia concepts: