David Fowler

Feature: WithDockerContainer() for isolated terminal testing · Issue #214 · mitchdenny/hex1b Problem When using Hex1b for CLI end-to-end testing (e.g. the Aspire CLI E2E tests), tests run directly on the host via WithPtyProcess("/bin/bash", ...). This means tests share the host filesystem,...

Just shipped an update to #hex1b today which adds a `WithDockerContainer` API to Hex1bTerminaBuilder. The idea is that you attach a running container to your terminal to help with test isolation. Works fairly well although not very visual. Was @davidfowl.com's idea.

github.com/mitchdenny/h...

Aspire—Your Stack, Streamlined Aspire streamlines your development workflow with code-first control, modularity, and observability for distributed applications.

Aspire Conf - March 23, 2026 aspire.dev/aspireconf/

#aspire #dotnet

You can use any model you like, it’s not built into the tool.

I built a thing: tallyai.money

I wanted a fully offline way to track spending. Mint was fine, but categorizing transactions was always the worst part.

There are really two problems:

1. Getting transaction data (hard)
2. Categorizing it the way you actually think about money (medium)

Aspire Conf Save the Date poster - March 23, 9:00 PST. Learn how Aspire can transform the way you build and deploy your distributed apps and agents. Free, livestream event on YouTube & Twitch

📣 It's happening! 📣 Come meet the new Aspire at #AspireConf on March 23. Join our livestream at 9am PT for a packed day of sessions for all developers, no matter your skill, language, or stack.

Save the date: aspire.dev/aspireconf?c...

#Python #TypeScript #JavaScript #dotnet #AI #AspireDev

Aspire

if you aren’t subscribed to youtube.com/@aspiredotdev, now would be a good time, because @davidfowl.com is on vacation so @damianedwards.com and @maddymontaquila.net will be going rogue in a little bit 😈

I just shared with the rest of the @aspire.dev team a proof of concept for a TUI interface in the Aspire CLI. It is built with #Hex1b using a few features that I've been cooking over the weekend. This specific UX might not make it but it shows you what is possible.

You can use WithEnvironment to set configuration values using the format expected for IConfiguration (Prefix___Value)

After 7 years, my time at Microsoft has come to a close.

I grew from a green dev into a bonafide engineer, shipped work I’m proud of, and learned what it takes to build software that lasts from amazing people.

Taking a short breather then on to the next adventure! 🚀

File an issue I’ll do it

Tally - AI-Powered Transaction Classification Tool Automatically categorize bank transactions with AI. Works with Claude, Copilot, and Codex. Open source, local-first, no cloud required.

shout out to @davidfowl.com who gave me the idea of tallyai.money but for blood sugar!

back on our bullshit 🫶🏼 @davidfowl.com @damianedwards.com

Funny initially it was just bank and credit card but then @damianedwards.com put everything in there (brokerage, mortgage etc) and pushed it to the limit!

This is peak AI and peak tech bro. The comments on this hacker news thread about distinguished engineer David Fowler's excellent tool for classifying bank transactions. "I could do this with a fifty line Python script." or...

Taken to the logical conclusion we should not build any software that can’t run on corp machines

Personal projects don’t need to run in corp

Check it out!

This is built for agents, not humans. It’s meant to live inside an agent loop and grind through transaction categories.

Give it a shot if the problem speaks to you! This is a fully vibe coded christmas project 😅.

LLMs finally make the second problem tractable. I could use the them to facilitate the manual steps I had been doing before, it just needed a way to represent the rules that I cared about.

I built a thing: tallyai.money

I wanted a fully offline way to track spending. Mint was fine, but categorizing transactions was always the worst part.

There are really two problems:

1. Getting transaction data (hard)
2. Categorizing it the way you actually think about money (medium)

separate parameters tab onn the aspire dashboard

day 2 of vacation but had to sneak this in for 13.1 - parameters finally will have their own page 😈 #aspire assuming @james.newtonking.com doesnt find a million things wrong with it when he wakes up LOL

Aspire

When you’re done binging Stranger Things this holiday season🎄
Watch nerds struggle to build and deploy modern apps - live.

It’s long. It’s uncut.
Sometimes it’s a little unhinged.

And there’s always something to learn.
📺 AspiriFridays
👉 www.youtube.com/@aspiredotde...

We make breaking changes every release, but there are mostly related to preview APIs.

🎁 Aspire 13.1 just dropped… and it quietly fixes a lot of stuff:

• Real HTTPS in local dev
• Built-in AI agent support
• New ASP.NET + React starter
• Dashboard finally shows what you need

Holiday shipping, but make it better 👀
devblogs.microsoft.com/aspire/aspir...

#aspire #devtools #ai

Aspire for AI Applications YouTube video by Microsoft Developer

The session @davidfowl.com & I gave today on @aspire.dev & AI is now available to watch!
youtu.be/7nQCRRYp44k

AspiriFridays - Hanselman's Return YouTube video by Aspire

He's BAAAACK! We have a couple #AspiriFridays left in the tank this year, so we bribed @scott.hanselman.com to come see if we fixed any of his gripes from our first Aspirification attempt. See you tomorrow at 12p EST!!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=del9...

Aspire—Your Stack, Streamlined Aspire streamlines your development workflow with code-first control, modularity, and observability for distributed applications.

Aspire has evolved a ton since I initially saw it demoed years ago. Even though it was initially made for the .NET ecosystem, it's expanded to everything from MongoDB, to Deno, to Rust, to Node.js. You can define your local dev setup in code and deploy it without changing anything.

aspire.dev

GitHub - davidfowl/aspire-docker-ssh-template: A starter template for deploying Aspire applications with Docker over SSH. A starter template for deploying Aspire applications with Docker over SSH. - davidfowl/aspire-docker-ssh-template

Weekend project:

Deploy your Aspire app to any Linux server with Docker using SSH + Docker Compose, with HTTPS!

→ builds
→ pushes images to ghcr
→ SSHes into your box
→ runs docker compose up

Perfect for small teams and VPS deployments.

#aspire @aspire.dev

Simplifying Distributed Systems: Jason Taylor Shows How .NET Aspire Makes the Complex Feel Effortless | The .NET Tools Blog At JetBrains .NET Days Online 2025, Jason Taylor, Microsoft MVP and Solutions Architect at Particular Software, delivered an engaging presentation that transforms how we think about building distribut

Really appreciate @jetbrains.com featuring my Effortless Distributed Systems with .NET Aspire talk from .NET Days Online. They put together a great write-up that captures the flow of the session.

blog.jetbrains.com/dotnet/2025/...

#dotnet #aspire #nservicebus #azuredevelopercli

Microsoft steers Aspire to a polyglot future Microsoft’s cloud-native, distributed application development tool kit drops .NET from its name and embraces, well, everything.

Microsoft’s Aspire development framework has dropped .NET from its name and moved to a new website, as it is now becoming a general-purpose environment for building, testing, and deploying scalable cross-cloud applications. www.infoworld.com/article/4085...