Visual Studio: Changing the Port Number

Visual Studio is a powerful development environment that offers a multitude of features geared towards creating high-quality applications. One such feature includes the ability to alter the port number on which the development server runs.

Why Should You Change the Port Number?

Before delving into the details of changing the port number in Visual Studio, it is crucial to understand why it’s necessary. By default, the development server runs on port 5000. Although it works fine for most applications, in some instances, you might want to use a different port number:

• Your PC runs multiple applications, and you need to prevent port conflicts.
• You operate in a corporate environment, which may restrict specific ports using firewalls.
• You test your application on a server with a port restriction.

Now that we have that figured out, let’s look at how to change the port number in Visual Studio, irrespective of whether you’re using the Community Edition or the full version.

Changing the Port Number in Visual Studio

Changing the Port Number in the Full Version of Visual Studio

1. Open your project in Visual Studio.
2. Click on the “Project” option available in the top menu bar.
3. Select “Properties” in the dropdown menu.
4. On the resulting “Properties” window, click on the “Debug” tab.
5. In the “Debug” tab, locate the section labeled “App URL.” By default, it reads “http://localhost:5000.” Change the port number to the desired value (e.g., http://localhost:8000).
6. Save the changes and exit the “Properties” window.
7. Run your application in Debug mode. Visual Studio will now use the new port number specified above.

Changing the Port Number in Visual Studio Community Edition

1. Open your project in Visual Studio Community Edition.
2. From the “Solution Explorer,” select the project you intend to configure.
3. Right-click on the project and select “Properties.”
4. On the resulting “Properties” window, click on the “Debug” tab.
5. In the “Debug” tab, locate and change the port number in both settings labeled “Launch URL” and “App URL” (e.g., http://localhost:8000).
6. Save the changes and exit the “Properties” window.
7. Run your application in Debug mode, and Visual Studio Community Edition will now use the new port number specified.

Conclusion

Changing the port number in Visual Studio is a simple process that can make a huge difference in avoiding conflicts and streamlining your development workflow. Whether you’re using the full version or the Community Edition, the aforementioned steps outline an easy way to change the port number and test your application on the desired port.