Release Mode vs Debug = "false"

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I'm trying to find a definite explanation of what effect compiling in release mode has on a .Net 3.5 web application versus debug="false". So far it looks like setting debug="false" has the same effect and compiling in release mode has been depreciated but I can't find any firm evidence this is the case.

This question looked promising but seems to be answering what's the difference between debug and release builds rather than release mode and debug="true": What's the difference between compilation debug="false" and Release mode?

However it does link to this article: http://odetocode.com/blogs/scott/archive/2005/11/15/debug-and-release-builds-in-asp-net-2-0.aspx

"This new compilation model makes the Configuration Manager for a web site obsolete. The only option appearing in a Visual Studio 2005 web site “project” is a Debug configuration. Don’t fret – it means nothing. The web.config file now rules the school."

Now that is the closest I've had to an answer and it does seem to imply that release mode has been depreciated in favor of debug="false" but I can't find any confirmation of this on MSDN or any other source.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Update

Sorry; to clarify this is a "Web Application Project" I am referring to.

To rephrase my question slightly, if I have the following setting in web.config:

<compilation defaultLanguage="c#" debug="false">

What effect (if any) does release and debug mode compile have?

release build asp.net debugging
4 Answers

Here is the difference. If you have this in your web.config file:

<system.web>
    <compilation debug="true" .../>

And you select Release from the dropdown in Visual Studio (note they are conflicting), would everything be compiled in debug mode or release mode?

Visual Studio knows nothing about compiling a web application. Build a web application and check the bin folder and you will notice it is empty. That is because ASP.NET compiles it. ASP.NET will use the compilation debug flag from the config file to figure out how to compile the .cs files, build forms and user controls etc. It will also use this flag to decide if it should perform bundling and minification.

This article sums it up pretty nicely:

In conclusion, you control debug and release builds using the debug attribute of the compilation section in web.config – unless you are precompiling the website with the Publish command or the Web Site Deployment tool. The WSD will let you select Debug or Release builds, precompiles the site, and modifies web.config appropriately.

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