Loading dependencies from Microsoft.AspNetCore.App fails

Describe the bug Loading and executing a minimal web app as a plugin fail to resolve reference to Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting.Abstractions

To Reproduce (-- Repro code provided below further down --)

1. Create a new web app, i.e. dotnet new web and build it.
2. Load the web app using PluginLoader.CreateFromAssemblyFile(pathToWebApp).LoadDefaultAssembly();
3. Execute the web app entrypoint: app.EntryPoint.Invoke(null, new object[] { new string[] { } });

Expected behavior The application load and execute properly.

Additional context Repro provided:

1. Clone https://github.com/per-samuelsson/ReproPluginsIssue
2. CD src
3. Run Run2.bat

[natemcmaster]

Sorry for delayed responses. Been swamped at work. I’ll investigate more and see if there is a good solution here. I should have more time now that it is holiday season.

[natemcmaster]

I had a conversation with the .NET Core team. At the moment, there is no plan to support dynamically loading shared frameworks. There isn’t anything my library can do to workaround this, so I’m going to close this as ‘wontfix’. If .NET changes in the future and adds this capability, we can revisit.

The workaround is to have the host application have a reference to Microsoft.AspNetCore.App, even if the host app isn’t using aspnetcore directly. Plugins can’t use AspNetCore unless the app loading the plugin does, too.