---
title: The Cratis Aspire template
description: The full-stack Cratis web application composed with .NET Aspire — the same vertical slices with an orchestrated development topology.
---


The `cratis-aspire` template is the [Cratis Web Application](/templates/cratis-web/) composed with [.NET Aspire](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/aspire/): the same vertical slices, the same Arc conventions, with the development topology — Chronicle, MongoDB, and your services — orchestrated by an Aspire app host.

```bash
dotnet new cratis-aspire -n MyStore
```

MongoDB is the default database. Pass `--Database` to scaffold against PostgreSQL, MsSql, or SQLite instead — the app host then provisions the matching database resource and wires the Chronicle container to it (`WithPostgreSql`, `WithMsSql`, or `WithSqlite`), and the backend reads its read models through Entity Framework Core:

```bash
dotnet new cratis-aspire -n MyStore --Database PostgreSQL
```

## What you get

A solution with three projects instead of one:

| Project | Role |
| --- | --- |
| `<App>` | The full-stack web application — Arc backend, Chronicle client, React frontend, the same `SomeModule/SomeFeature` slices |
| `<App>.Composition` | The Aspire app host: starts a Chronicle container with `AddCratisChronicle()`, launches the backend, and wires the references |
| `<App>.Infrastructure` | Shared service defaults: OpenTelemetry, resilience, service discovery |

Run the composition and Aspire starts the rest:

```bash
dotnet run --project MyStore.Composition
```

The Aspire dashboard opens with all services, their logs, and their telemetry in one place.

## What it is for

Use this template when your team already runs on Aspire, or when you want the local development topology — multiple services, dashboards, resilient HTTP — managed for you from day one. If you want the same application without the orchestration layer, use the plain [Cratis Web Application](/templates/cratis-web/) template.

## AI assistance

The scaffolded solution includes a `.cratis/ai.json` with the Cratis AI profiles, languages, and coding agent harnesses for this template — the full-stack selection covering Arc, Chronicle, Components, C#, and TypeScript. Make sure the [Cratis CLI](/cli/) is installed, then run:

```bash
cratis ai update
```

That installs the AI rules, skills, and harness integration for the coding agents you selected — `AGENTS.md` instructions plus `.claude/`, `.cursor/`, `.github/`, `.opencode/`, and `.pi/` integration — and records what it installed in `.cratis/ai.manifest.json`. `dotnet new` prints this reminder after scaffolding, and re-running the command only refreshes Cratis-managed files, never yours. See the [CLI AI documentation](/cli/ai/) for the full command reference.