tsbindgen

tsbindgen generates TypeScript declaration packages from .NET assemblies and frameworks.

Role in the stack

tsbindgen is the generator for CLR binding packages. It is not the source-of-truth for first-party authored packages like @tsonic/js, @tsonic/nodejs, or @tsonic/express.

Output families

Generated package families include:

@tsonic/dotnet
@tsonic/aspnetcore
@tsonic/microsoft-extensions
@tsonic/efcore
@tsonic/efcore-sqlite
@tsonic/efcore-sqlserver
@tsonic/efcore-npgsql

How to use generated binding packages

Use generated packages when you need CLR libraries that are not part of the ambient surface or first-party authored source packages.

ASP.NET Core

tsonic add framework Microsoft.AspNetCore.App @tsonic/aspnetcore
tsonic restore

import { WebApplication } from "@tsonic/aspnetcore/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder.js";
import type { ExtensionMethods } from "@tsonic/aspnetcore/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder.js";

export function main(): void {
  const builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder();
  const app = builder.Build() as ExtensionMethods<WebApplication>;
  app.MapGet("/", () => "Hello");
  app.Run("http://localhost:8080");
}

EF Core

tsonic add nuget Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite 10.0.0
tsonic add npm @tsonic/efcore
tsonic add npm @tsonic/efcore-sqlite
tsonic restore

import { DbContext } from "@tsonic/efcore/Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.js";
import { SqliteDbContextOptionsBuilderExtensions } from "@tsonic/efcore-sqlite/Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.js";

export class AppDbContext extends DbContext {
}

export function configure(builder: any): void {
  SqliteDbContextOptionsBuilderExtensions.UseSqlite(builder, "Data Source=app.db");
}

These repos are generated binding packages, not first-party authored source packages, so the docs focus on installation, import shape, and usage patterns rather than package-by-package API narration.

What makes it important

tsbindgen sits at the boundary between CLR ecosystems and Tsonic authoring. It is responsible for:

reflecting CLR assemblies and frameworks
generating TypeScript declarations and binding metadata
maintaining publishable package structure for binding repos
participating in release-wave preflight and publish discipline

Ownership boundary

Authored first-party source packages and generated CLR binding packages have different owners, inputs, package metadata, and validation gates. This section keeps that distinction explicit.