Integrating Azure Key Vault with a .NET 7 Web Application

using Azure.Identity;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Add Azure Key Vault configuration
builder.Configuration.AddAzureKeyVault(
    new Uri("https://<Your-Key-Vault-Name>.vault.azure.net/"),
    new DefaultAzureCredential());

// Add services to the container.
builder.Services.AddControllersWithViews();

var app = builder.Build();

// Configure the HTTP request pipeline.
if (app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
}
else
{
    app.UseExceptionHandler("/Home/Error");
    app.UseHsts();
}

app.UseHttpsRedirection();
app.UseStaticFiles();

app.UseRouting();

app.UseAuthorization();

app.MapControllerRoute(
    name: "default",
    pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");

app.Run();

Make sure to replace <Your-Key-Vault-Name> with the actual name of your Key Vault.

Step 6. Access the Secret in the .NET 7 Web Application

To access the secret in your application, update the HomeController.cs as follows.

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using AzureKeyVaultDemo.Models;

namespace AzureKeyVaultDemo.Controllers 
{
  public class HomeController: Controller 
  {
    private readonly ILogger < HomeController > _logger;
    private readonly IConfiguration _configuration;
    
    public HomeController(ILogger < HomeController > logger, IConfiguration configuration) 
    {
      _logger = logger;
      _configuration = configuration;
    }

    public IActionResult Index() {
      // Read the secret from the Azure Key Vault
      string secretValue = _configuration["YourSecretName"];

      // Pass the secret value to the view
      ViewBag.SecretValue = secretValue;

      return View();
    }

    // Other action methods and methods of HomeController
  }
}

Replace `YourSecretName` with the actual name of your secret in Azure Key Vault.

Step 7. Display the Secret Value in the View

Update the `Index.cshtml` file in the `Views/Home` folder to display the secret value.

@{
    ViewData["Title"] = "Home Page";
}

<div class="text-center">
    <h1 class="display-4">Welcome</h1>
    <p>Secret value from Azure Key Vault: @ViewBag.SecretValue</p>
</div>

Step 8. Test the Application

Now, run the application using the following command.

dotnet run

Navigate to the URL displayed in the terminal (usually https://localhost:5001/) and verify that the secret value from Azure Key Vault is displayed on the home page.

Summary

the article provides a step-by-step guide for developers looking to perform CRUD operations using ASP.NET Core and .NET 7.