The deprecation of the Runtime Package Store feature is not mentioned in the documentation

[yodasad]

Description

The Runtime Package Store is deprecated (see the docs).
It will be useful to mention this when describing the hosting startup assembly's activation options or simply remove all mentions of the Runtime Store activation option.

Page URL

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration?view=aspnetcore-10.0

Content source URL

https://github.com/dotnet/AspNetCore.Docs/blob/main/aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md

Document ID

aabbbc32-3237-5ef9-c422-892dc6884a22

Platform Id

05640375-1d25-ced1-02cd-fcb2f5bb082f

Article author

@tdykstra

Metadata

• ID: 613ad64e-bc62-edf7-2e86-42210de718f4
• PlatformId: 05640375-1d25-ced1-02cd-fcb2f5bb082f
• Service: aspnet-core
• Sub-service: fundamentals

Related Issues

[wadepickett]

@yodasad, thanks for pointing this out!

@tdykstra, assigned to you since it looks like it is your article, plus a deprecation item.

[wadepickett]

🤖 AI Triage Summary

📌 Note to community: This is an automated preliminary analysis to help our documentation team quickly review, determine scope and prioritize this issue. This report is not a resolution and does not represent a final decision. A member of the documentation team will review this analysis and the issue before any action is taken. Please feel free to add your own comments, corrections, or additional context.

---

This preliminary assessment report was run by: @wadepickett
Date: 2026-07-03
Issue: 37301
Model: GitHub Copilot

---

Issue Analysis: Runtime Package Store deprecation not mentioned in hosting startup docs

✅ Issue Validation

Status: Valid and actionable

📋 Issue Summary

The article Use hosting startup assemblies in ASP.NET Core documents the Runtime store (a.k.a. Runtime Package Store) as one of the activation options for a hosting startup assembly, and it links to the runtime package store topic in several places.

The runtime package store feature is deprecated. Per the Runtime package store documentation, the feature is "no longer supported or under active development," the dotnet store command has "known issues with .NET 6 and later versions," it is "not recommended for use," and the .NET team plans to eventually stop shipping the command.

The ASP.NET Core article presents the Runtime store option (including the dotnet store command and the RID win7-x64) as a first-class, recommended activation path without any deprecation notice. This can lead readers to adopt a deprecated feature. The issue is a valid documentation accuracy/currency problem: add a deprecation notice (and/or de-emphasize the option), rather than presenting it as an equally valid choice.

📁 Potentially Affected Files

These files have been identified as possibly related to this issue and may need review.

File	Path	Lines	Section
Main article (>= 3.0 moniker) — Activation list	aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md	235-243	"Activation"
Main article (>= 3.0 moniker) — Runtime store section	aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md	244-352	"Runtime store"
Main article (>= 3.0 moniker) — Console app note	aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md	133-145	"Console app without an entry point"
Main article (>= 3.0 moniker) — NuGet package "For more information"	aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md	361-365	"NuGet package"
Main article (< 3.0 moniker) — Activation list	aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md	624-631	"Activation"
Main article (< 3.0 moniker) — Runtime store section	aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md	633-741	"Runtime store"
Main article (< 3.0 moniker) — Console app note	aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md	536-548	"Console app without an entry point"

Note: There are two moniker blocks in this file (>= aspnetcore-3.0 and < aspnetcore-3.0). Any change should be applied consistently to both blocks where the runtime store is discussed.

📝 Preliminary Change Assessment

The following are initial observations for the documentation team to evaluate—not final decisions.

Potential documentation Updates

Option A (recommended for review): Add a deprecation warning at the top of the "Runtime store" section.

File: aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md
Location: Lines 244-246 (start of the ### Runtime store section in the >= 3.0 block; mirror at lines 633-635 for the < 3.0 block)
Type: Note/Warning block

Current content (lines 244-246):

### Runtime store

The hosting startup implementation is placed in the [runtime store](/dotnet/core/deploying/runtime-store). A compile-time reference to the assembly isn't required by the enhanced app.

Suggested direction:

### Runtime store

> [!WARNING]
> The runtime package store is deprecated. It's no longer supported or under active development, and the `dotnet store` command has known issues with .NET 6 and later. It isn't recommended for use. For hosting startup activation, use a [NuGet package](#nuget-package) or the [project bin folder](#project-bin-folder) instead. For more information, see [Runtime package store](/dotnet/core/deploying/runtime-store).

The hosting startup implementation is placed in the [runtime store](/dotnet/core/deploying/runtime-store). A compile-time reference to the assembly isn't required by the enhanced app.

Option B (also worth considering): Flag the option in the "Activation" list.

File: aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md
Location: Lines 235-243 (the ## Activation list; mirror at lines 624-631)
Type: Inline notice within the bullet list

Current content (lines 237-242):

Options for hosting startup activation are:

* [Runtime store](#runtime-store): Activation doesn't require a compile-time reference for activation. The sample app places the hosting startup assembly and dependencies files into a folder, *deployment*, in the published output.
* Compile-time reference required for activation
  * [NuGet package](#nuget-package)
  * [Project bin folder](#project-bin-folder)

Suggested direction:

Options for hosting startup activation are:

* [Runtime store](#runtime-store) (**deprecated**): Activation doesn't require a compile-time reference for activation. The sample app places the hosting startup assembly and dependencies files into a folder, *deployment*, in the published output. The runtime package store is [deprecated](/dotnet/core/deploying/runtime-store); prefer the compile-time reference options below.
* Compile-time reference required for activation
  * [NuGet package](#nuget-package)
  * [Project bin folder](#project-bin-folder)

The documentation team should decide whether to (1) simply add the deprecation notice(s) above, or (2) more substantially remove/relocate the Runtime store content and its sample steps. The issue author explicitly offers both paths: "mention this ... or simply remove all mentions of the Runtime Store activation option." Given the volume of runtime-store–specific sample content (the RuntimeStore project, dotnet store, additionalDeps, DOTNET_SHARED_STORE), a full removal is a larger effort and may affect the linked sample; adding a clear deprecation warning is the lower-risk first step.

Potential Code Sample Updates (if applicable)

No inline C# code sample changes are strictly required to address the deprecation notice. However, if the team chooses to remove the Runtime store option entirely, the following would also need review:

• The RuntimeStore / StartupDiagnostics sample project and the dotnet store / build.ps1 / deploy.ps1 steps (lines 433-446 and 822-835).
• The "Activation from a runtime store-deployed assembly" run steps in the Sample code section.

🎯 Suggested Action Plan

For documentation team review

1. Review file: aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md

   • Navigate to: Line 244 (### Runtime store, >= 3.0) and Line 633 (### Runtime store, < 3.0)
   • Section: "Runtime store"
   • Consider: [!WARNING] block noting the runtime package store deprecation and pointing to the NuGet package / project bin folder options.

2. Review the Activation lists:

   • Navigate to: Lines 235-243 (>= 3.0) and Lines 624-631 (< 3.0)
   • Consider: Marking the Runtime store bullet as (deprecated) and steering readers to the compile-time options.

3. Decide scope: Add deprecation notices only, or additionally remove/trim the Runtime store activation content and its sample steps (133-145, 244-352, 433-446) and the corresponding < 3.0 sections.

⚠️ Review Considerations

• The dotnet store sample uses the outdated RID win7-x64 (line 257 and 646); if the section is retained, this may also be worth noting, though it's secondary to the deprecation.
• Apply changes consistently to both moniker blocks (>= aspnetcore-3.0 and < aspnetcore-3.0).
• The file's ms.date (currently 09/04/2025) should be updated when edited.
• Confirm the exact deprecation wording against the current Runtime package store page so the ASP.NET Core note stays consistent with the .NET docs.
• This article is the specific page called out in the issue; a targeted docs search for other ASP.NET Core pages mentioning "runtime store" could confirm whether any sibling articles need the same note.

🔗 References

• Published article: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration?view=aspnetcore-10.0
• Source file: https://github.com/dotnet/AspNetCore.Docs/blob/main/aspnetcore/fundamentals/host/platform-specific-configuration.md
• Related issue: The deprecation of the Runtime Package Store feature is not mentioned in the documentation #37301
• Microsoft Learn docs (deprecation source): Runtime package store — states the feature is "no longer supported or under active development," with dotnet store having "known issues with .NET 6 and later versions" and being "not recommended for use."