ASP.NET Core application deploy to own server error

Question

After publishing the application using Visual Studio 2019, I got an error when switching to the index page of my application.

I had this exception: InvalidOperationException: Cannot find compilation library location for package 'Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Client'

There is stacktrace of exception:

Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyModel.CompilationLibrary.ResolveReferencePaths(ICompilationAssemblyResolver resolver, List assemblies) Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyModel.CompilationLibrary.ResolveReferencePaths() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ApplicationParts.AssemblyPart+<>c.b__8_0(CompilationLibrary library) System.Linq.Enumerable+SelectManySingleSelectorIterator.MoveNext() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.Compilation.MetadataReferenceFeatureProvider.PopulateFeature(IEnumerable parts, MetadataReferenceFeature feature) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ApplicationParts.ApplicationPartManager.PopulateFeature(TFeature feature) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.Internal.DefaultRazorReferenceManager.GetCompilationReferences() System.Threading.LazyInitializer.EnsureInitializedCore(ref T target, ref bool initialized, ref object syncLock, Func valueFactory) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.Internal.DefaultRazorReferenceManager.get_CompilationReferences() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.Internal.LazyMetadataReferenceFeature.get_References() Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.Razor.CompilationTagHelperFeature.GetDescriptors() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Language.DefaultRazorTagHelperBinderPhase.ExecuteCore(RazorCodeDocument codeDocument) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Language.RazorEnginePhaseBase.Execute(RazorCodeDocument codeDocument) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Language.DefaultRazorEngine.Process(RazorCodeDocument document) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Language.DefaultRazorProjectEngine.ProcessCore(RazorCodeDocument codeDocument) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Language.RazorProjectEngine.Process(RazorProjectItem projectItem) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.Internal.RazorViewCompiler.CompileAndEmit(string relativePath) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.Internal.RazorViewCompiler.OnCacheMiss(string normalizedPath) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.Internal.DefaultRazorPageFactoryProvider.CreateFactory(string relativePath) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.RazorViewEngine.CreateCacheResult(HashSet expirationTokens, string relativePath, bool isMainPage) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.RazorViewEngine.OnCacheMiss(ViewLocationExpanderContext expanderContext, ViewLocationCacheKey cacheKey) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.RazorViewEngine.LocatePageFromViewLocations(ActionContext actionContext, string pageName, bool isMainPage) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.RazorViewEngine.FindView(ActionContext context, string viewName, bool isMainPage) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ViewEngines.CompositeViewEngine.FindView(ActionContext context, string viewName, bool isMainPage) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ViewFeatures.ViewResultExecutor.FindView(ActionContext actionContext, ViewResult viewResult) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ViewFeatures.ViewResultExecutor.ExecuteAsync(ActionContext context, ViewResult result) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ViewResult.ExecuteResultAsync(ActionContext context) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.InvokeResultAsync(IActionResult result) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.InvokeNextResultFilterAsync() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.Rethrow(ResultExecutedContext context) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.ResultNext(ref State next, ref Scope scope, ref object state, ref bool isCompleted) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.InvokeResultFilters() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.InvokeNextResourceFilter() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.Rethrow(ResourceExecutedContext context) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.Next(ref State next, ref Scope scope, ref object state, ref bool isCompleted) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.InvokeFilterPipelineAsync() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Internal.ResourceInvoker.InvokeAsync() Microsoft.AspNetCore.Routing.EndpointMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext httpContext) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Routing.EndpointRoutingMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext httpContext) Microsoft.AspNetCore.StaticFiles.StaticFileMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context) Microsoft.AspNetCore.Diagnostics.DeveloperExceptionPageMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)

I tried all the ways in which it was written about writing a new configuration, with changing the csproj file, but nothing helped.

There is web.config file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <system.webServer>
    <handlers>
      <add name="aspNetCore" path="*" verb="*" modules="AspNetCoreModuleV2" resourceType="Unspecified" />
    </handlers>
    <aspNetCore processPath="%LAUNCHER_PATH%" arguments="%LAUNCHER_ARGS%" stdoutLogEnabled="false" stdoutLogFile=".\logs\stdout" forwardWindowsAuthToken="false">
      <environmentVariables>
        <environmentVariable name="ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT" value="Production" />
      </environmentVariables>
    </aspNetCore>
  </system.webServer>
</configuration>

There is my csproj file:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web">

<PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>netcoreapp2.2</TargetFramework>
    <AspNetCoreHostingModel>InProcess</AspNetCoreHostingModel>
    <DockerDefaultTargetOS>Linux</DockerDefaultTargetOS>
    <GeneratePackageOnBuild>false</GeneratePackageOnBuild> 
    <!-- Fix for"System.InvalidOperationException: Cannot find compilation library location for package 'Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Client'" -->
    <MvcRazorExcludeRefAssembliesFromPublish>false</MvcRazorExcludeRefAssembliesFromPublish>
</PropertyGroup>

<ItemGroup>
    <Compile Remove="Migrations\***.cs" />
    <Compile Remove="Migrations\***.cs" />
</ItemGroup>

<ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Client" Version="5.2.7" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.App">
        <PrivateAssets Condition="'%(PackageReference.Version)' == ''">all</PrivateAssets>
        <Publish Condition="'%(PackageReference.Version)' == ''">true</Publish>
    </PackageReference>
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.Razor.Design" Version="2.2.0" PrivateAssets="All" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyModel" Version="3.1.1" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Azure.Containers.Tools.Targets" Version="1.7.9" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer" Version="2.2.6" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Web.CodeGeneration.Design" Version="2.2.4" />
</ItemGroup>

</Project>

Please help, I don't know what to do to solve this exception.

scgough scgough · Accepted Answer · 2020-02-04T13:38:13

I believe this is to do with your Publish settings. The file in question isn't making it to the server. You could do the following:

In Publish window under Settings you can select Deployment Mode = Self contained

Alternative solution - if this is a site upgrade to .NET Core 2 from 1

(source: Error on published ASP.NET core site: Cannot find compilation library location for package 'Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Client')

You may need to stop the app
Clear out the wwwroot folder - old DLLs can be left behind from old versions.
re-upload/deploy

ASP.NET Core application deploy to own server error

2 Answers