.NET Rocks! Cake.SDK with Mattias Karlsson
Nov 6, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Mattias Karlsson, a Senior Architect and Microsoft MVP, delves into the innovative Cake.SDK, enhancing the integration of build automation into .NET applications. He highlights the evolution of Cake since 2014 and contrasts its C# scripting advantages over YAML pipelines. Topics like container builds, extensibility with community add-ins, and the importance of dependency visibility are explored. Mattias also shares insights on AI-assisted script generation and invites developers to provide feedback on the SDK for future improvements.
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Build Scripts As Real C# Programs
- Cake is a cross-platform build orchestration framework that treats build workflows as C# programs.
- Moving Cake into an SDK lets developers reuse familiar language features and tooling for builds.
Strong Typing Beats Fragile YAML
- Cake provides strongly typed aliases for common build tasks, avoiding YAML's fragile syntax.
- Strong typing and IntelliSense reduce lookup time and prevent parameter mistakes in build steps.
Run Build Workflows Locally First
- Use Cake when your build needs more than just dotnet pack or when YAML lacks discoverability.
- Run and test your build scripts locally to shorten feedback cycles before pushing to CI.