Native AOT in .NET 10 produces self-contained executables that start in milliseconds and consume far less memory than JIT-based deployments. For API services and background workers this means lower cold-start latency and simpler container images.

The compiler trims unused code at publish time, so applications must be written with static analysis in mind. Most ASP.NET Core features now work under AOT, but reflection-heavy libraries still require explicit configuration.

#Enabling AOT in an ASP.NET Core Project

Add the following property to your project file and publish with the standard dotnet publish command.

xml 
<PublishAot>true</PublishAot>

#Handling Trimming and Reflection

  • Annotate types used via reflection with [DynamicallyAccessedMembers] attributes.
  • Replace dynamic JSON serialization with source-generated contracts.
  • Test the published binary early; trimming warnings surface at publish time.

#Deployment Considerations

The resulting executable runs on the target OS without the .NET runtime installed. Container images shrink from hundreds of megabytes to under 20 MB for typical API projects.

Use the linux-x64 or win-x64 RID explicitly during publish to produce the correct binary. Health-check endpoints and OpenAPI generation continue to function without additional changes.

Test thoroughly with your dependency graph. Libraries that rely on runtime code generation must be replaced or configured with AOT-compatible alternatives before you can ship.