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A Complete Practical Guide for Memory Profiling Using Command Line

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1. 🔍 What is dotMemory Console?

dotMemory Console (also called dotMemory Command-Line Profiler) is the free, headless version of JetBrains dotMemory that allows you to:

• Start .NET processes under memory profiling
• Attach to a running .NET process
• Automatically capture memory snapshots
• Trigger snapshots based on conditions (timer, memory growth, process start)
• Profile desktop apps, web apps, Windows services, IIS, WCF services
• Capture snapshots on servers, CI pipelines, or production-like environments

The console profiler produces snapshot (.dmw) files that can later be opened in the dotMemory GUI (paid), but everything up to taking snapshots is 100% free.

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2. 🎯 Why Use dotMemory Console?

Because GUI profilers cannot run in many real scenarios.

dotMemory Console is perfect for:

✔ Profiling on servers
✔ Profiling CI/CD pipelines
✔ Profiling performance test environments
✔ Profiling apps running under service accounts
✔ Profiling IIS, Kestrel, Windows services
✔ Capturing snapshots automatically during load tests
✔ Capturing leaks in production-like staging

In short:

You use dotMemory Console when you need real-world profiling without installing heavy GUI tools.

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3. 🧠 Why Memory Profiling Matters

Memory issues cause:

• High GC (Garbage Collection) → CPU spikes
• Slow response times
• Server crashes
• Out-of-memory exceptions
• Leaks (objects never collected)
• Long-lived objects blocking GC
• LOH (Large Object Heap) fragmentation

dotMemory Console helps you capture snapshots at the EXACT moment the issue happens, which is not possible with GUI tools.

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4. 🧭 Where dotMemory Console Can Be Used

Environment	Supported?
Windows Desktop	✔
Windows Server	✔
Linux (.NET Core)	✔
macOS (.NET Core)	✔
Docker	✔
Remote servers	✔
CI pipelines	✔
IIS / IIS Express	✔
Windows Services	✔
Console apps	✔
ASP.NET Core apps (Kestrel)	✔
Worker Services	✔

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5. 🏗 How dotMemory Console Works (Internals)

1. You start profiling using commands like:
   • dotMemory start
   • dotMemory get-snapshot
2. The profiler injects into the CLR runtime.
3. It records allocation stacks, object references, and GC behavior.
4. When a snapshot is triggered:
   • It dumps the entire managed heap.
   • It saves it into a .dmw workspace file.
5. You later open .dmw in GUI (optional) to see:
   • Objects
   • Leaks
   • GC roots
   • Retained memory
   • Allocation hot paths

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6. 📦 Installation (FREE)

Option 1: Global Install (Recommended)

dotnet tool install --global JetBrains.dotMemory.Console
Code language: CSS (css)

Check version:

dotmemory --version

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Option 2: Local Install (Project-based CI)

dotnet new tool-manifest
dotnet tool install JetBrains.dotMemory.Console
Code language: CSS (css)

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Option 3: Manual Download ZIP

Download from JetBrains (no account needed):
Search “JetBrains dotMemory Console download”

Extract to:

C:\tools\dotmemory\

Run:

dotMemory.exe
Code language: CSS (css)

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7. 🧰 Features of dotMemory Console (FREE)

✔ Attach to running processes
✔ Profile apps as they start
✔ Support for .NET Framework and .NET Core
✔ Automatic triggers
✔ No GUI needed
✔ Zero license cost
✔ Works on servers
✔ Snapshot packaging
✔ Works with IIS / Kiestrel / Windows Services
✔ Suitable for CI/CD
✔ Very low overhead

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8. ⚡ Advantages

Advantage	Explanation
✔ Free	The full command-line profiler is FREE
✔ Works on Servers	No need to install big GUI tools
✔ Automation	Perfect for CI, load tests
✔ No IDE dependency	Works with any environment
✔ Supports all .NET apps	Desktop, web, service
✔ Trigger-based profiling	Catch leaks automatically
✔ Lightweight	Low overhead vs GUI

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9. ⚠ Limitations

Limitation	Explanation
❌ No visual interface	Must open snapshots in GUI (paid)
❌ Cannot analyze snapshots in CLI	You only collect snapshots
❌ No real-time object graph	GUI required to view
❌ Not ideal for beginners	Requires understanding of profiling
❌ Some runtime-specific features require GUI	E.g., graph-based navigation

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10. 🚀 How To Use dotMemory Console (Hands-On)

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✔ 10.1 Take Snapshot of Running Process

By process name:

dotMemory get-snapshot MyApp.exe --save-to-dir=C:\snaps
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

By PID:

dotMemory get-snapshot 12564 --save-to-dir=C:\snaps
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

dotMemory chooses highest-memory instance if multiple processes exist.

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✔ 10.2 Start App Under Profiling

dotMemory start --save-to-dir=C:\snaps C:\MyApp\MyApp.exe

While app runs, you can manually trigger snapshot:

get-snapshot
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

OR:

Ctrl + Enter

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✔ 10.3 Start .NET Core App (Kestrel)

dotMemory start-net-core --save-to-dir=C:\snaps -- MyApp.dll

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✔ 10.4 Automatic Snapshots (Memory Increase Trigger)

Example: snapshot when memory increases by 40%

dotMemory start --trigger-mem-inc=40% --save-to-dir=C:\snaps MyApp.exe

Perfect for:

✔ Memory leaks
✔ Load-test environments

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✔ 10.5 Snapshots Every X Seconds

Every 30 seconds:

dotMemory start --trigger-timer=30s --save-to-dir=C:\snaps MyApp.exe

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✔ 10.6 At App Startup

dotMemory start --trigger-start --save-to-dir=C:\snaps MyApp.exe

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✔ 10.7 Profile IIS

Restart IIS under profiler:

dotMemory start-iis --save-to-dir=C:\snaps

Attach:

dotMemory get-snapshot w3wp --save-to-dir=C:\snaps
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

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✔ 10.8 Profile Windows Service

Start profiling:

dotMemory start-windows-service MyServiceName --save-to-dir=C:\snaps

Take snapshot:

dotMemory get-snapshot MyServiceName --save-to-dir=C:\snaps
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

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✔ 10.9 Profile Any Process Started Later

Use this for “capture everything that starts now”:

dotMemory profile-new-processes --save-to-dir=C:\snaps
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

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11. 📊 What To See Inside Snapshots (When Opened in GUI)

Once you import .dmw file into dotMemory GUI, analyze:

1. Overview Page
   • Total objects
   • Object count growth
   • Retained memory
2. Inspections
   • Potential leaks
   • Types that increase
   • Long-lived objects
3. Object Sets
   • Group by type
   • Size and count per type
4. Retention Paths
   • Why object is not collected
   • GC roots
5. Allocations
   • Methods causing heavy memory traffic
6. Compare Snapshots
   • Before & after requests
   • Leak tracking

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12. 🧪 Real Use Cases

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✔ 12.1 Detect Memory Leak in ASP.NET Core Under Load

Run:

dotMemory start --trigger-mem-inc=20% --save-to-dir=C:\snaps -- dotnet MyApp.dll

Start JMeter / k6 load test
→ Snapshots collected → Analyze retained size differences.

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✔ 12.2 Catch Leak in Windows Service

dotMemory get-snapshot MyServiceName --save-to-dir=C:\snaps
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Restart service → reproduce issue → compare snapshots.

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✔ 12.3 CI/CD Pipeline Memory Regression Check

In Jenkins/GitHub Actions:

dotMemory start-net-core --trigger-mem-inc=30% --save-to-dir=snaps -- MyApp.dll

Upload snaps to artifacts.

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✔ 12.4 Taking a Snapshot Right Before Crash

Use trigger:

dotMemory start --trigger-mem-inc=80% --save-to-dir=C:\snaps MyApp.exe

If memory shoots up (OOM), you get snapshot automatically.

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✔ 12.5 Auto Snapshots Every X Minutes During Long-Running Tests

dotMemory start --trigger-timer=120s --save-to-dir=C:\snaps MyApp.exe

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13. 📁 Snapshot Storage and Recovery

Save snapshots:

--save-to-dir=C:\snaps

If profiling crashed:

dotMemory recover C:\snaps

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14. 🧾 Important Commands Cheat Sheet

Purpose	Command
Start app under profiling	start
Start .NET Core app	start-net-core
Attach to process	get-snapshot <PID>
Auto snapshot on memory growth	--trigger-mem-inc=30%
Auto snapshot every X seconds	--trigger-timer=20s
Profile IIS	start-iis
Profile Windows Service	start-windows-service
Profile processes started later	profile-new-processes
Save snapshots	--save-to-dir=snaps
Recover workspace	recover

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15. 🎯 Best Practices for Performance Engineers

✔ Always save snapshots to a separate folder

✔ Take a baseline snapshot

✔ Take snapshot after load scenario

✔ Always compare snapshots

✔ Use memory-increase triggers for leaks

✔ Do not profile production unless necessary

✔ Automate snapshot collection in CI/CD

✔ Keep snapshots small by recording at correct moments

✔ Use GUI only for deep analysis

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🎉 FINAL SUMMARY

dotMemory Console = Free, powerful, server-ready memory profiler for .NET
It gives you:

• Automatic snapshots
• Profiling of server apps
• Integration with performance testing
• 100% automation via command line
• Ability to capture leaks exactly when they happen
• No need for GUI installation

To analyze snapshots → you need dotMemory GUI (paid), but all profiling and snapshot generation is free.

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