Get started

There are a number of ways to get started to develop with ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET. If you are new, follow the steps below to get started with .NET and Visual Studio.

1. Sign up for an account

To use ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET to access content Content is a collection of items in a portal that belong to a user, group, or organization. Learn more , services A service, also known as an ArcGIS service, is software that supports an ArcGIS REST API and provides geospatial functionality or data. A service can be hosted by Esri or in ArcGIS Enterprise. Learn more , or an organization, you need an ArcGIS Location Platform account An ArcGIS Location Platform account, formerly known as an ArcGIS Developer account, is an identity associated with an ArcGIS Location Platform subscription. Learn more , ArcGIS Online account An ArcGIS Online account, also known as an ArcGIS Organization account, is an identity associated with an ArcGIS Online subscription. It can be used to access ArcGIS tools and develop applications with ArcGIS location services for an organization. Learn more , or ArcGIS Enterprise account An ArcGIS Enterprise account is an identity for an instance of ArcGIS Enterprise. It can be used to access ArcGIS Enterprise tools, applications, and services, and to develop applications. Learn more . The type of account, user type, and role you need depends on the resource you need to access and the operations you wish to undertake.

If you do not have an account, select one of the options below:

2. Get the SDK and dependencies

To develop apps using ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET, you need to:

1. Ensure that your development environment meets the system requirements.

2. Install the SDK and its dependencies. ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET NuGet packages are hosted on NuGet.org. To get started using NuGet to consume packages in Visual Studio, see Install and use a package in Visual Studio (Windows) or NuGet in Visual Studio Code in the Microsoft documentation.

3. Optionally, install the toolkit and project templates.

   ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET Toolkit

   ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET Toolkit contains user interface (UI) controls and components to use out-of-the-box or customize for your apps. You can include the Toolkit in your project as a NuGet package or get the source code from the GitHub repository and build the Toolkit yourself.

   Visual Studio project templates

   The ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET Project Templates extension for Visual Studio (Windows) provides application project templates for Android, iOS, and Windows. The project templates reference the appropriate NuGet packages for each platform and use a Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) design pattern. For more information about working with extensions see the topic Manage extensions for Visual Studio in the Microsoft documentation.

   The Esri.ArcGISRuntime.ProjectTemplates NuGet package published on nuget.org provides application project templates for .NET MAUI (iOS, Android, WinUI), WPF, and WinUI. Since the Visual Studio extension described above is only for Windows operating system, you can use this method to make templates available in Visual Studio for Mac.

See the Install and set up topic for more information.

3. Implement authentication

To access secure ArcGIS services and resources, you need to implement authentication. The easiest way to get started is to obtain an access token An access token is an authorization string that provides access to secure ArcGIS content, data, and services. Its capabilities are determined by the privileges it supports. It is obtained by implementing API key authentication, User authentication, or App authentication. Learn more from an API Key An API key is a long-lived access token created using API key credentials. They are valid for up to one year and are typically embedded directly into client applications. Learn more and implement API key authentication API key authentication is a type of authentication that uses an API key to authenticate requests to ArcGIS services and secure portal items. Learn more . If you want to build an app that requires users to sign in with their ArcGIS account, implement user authentication User authentication is a type of authentication that allows users with an ArcGIS account to sign into an application and allow it to access ArcGIS content, services, and resources on their behalf. The typical authorization protocol used is OAuth2.0. Learn more .

4. Create your first mapping application

Follow the step-by-step instructions in the Display a map tutorial to create your first mapping application. The following code shows how you can create and display a map.

// Provide an access token for your app (usually when the app starts).
Esri.ArcGISRuntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.ApiKey = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

// Create a map with an ArcGIS basemap.
var map = new Map(BasemapStyle.ArcGISNavigation);

// Add the map to a map view control defined on the page.
MyMapView.Map = map;

Once you are done building your application, make sure to license it before deploying to production. For more information, see License and deployment topic for details.

5. Follow the tutorials

Go to the tutorials to create and run applications to perform different operations.

Display a web map

Display a preauthored map stored as an ArcGIS Online portal item.

Add a point, line, and polygon

Learn how to display a point, line, and polygon graphic in a map.

Access services with OAuth credentials

OAuth credentials

6. Explore the samples

Go to the samples to learn how to perform more tasks with the API.

Display a map

Display a map with an imagery basemap.

Open a web scene

Open a web scene from a portal item.

Display device location

Display your current position on the map, as well as switch between different types of auto pan modes.

Find an address

Find the location for an address.

Find route

Display directions for a route between two points.