How To Implement Azure Key Vault In .NET Core?

Keeping important information like API keys and passwords safe is crucial to ensure application security. Azure Key Vault offers a robust solution for storing and accessing secrets securely.

To start the process, you’ll need:

• Azure Subscription
• Azure Key Vault
• .NET Core SDK

Step-by-Step Process for Implementing Azure Key Vault in a .NET Core Application

Step 1: Create an Azure Key Vault

• Go to the Azure Portal. Then, click on Create a Resource> Security + Identity > Key Vault.
• Fill in the necessary details.
• Click Review + Create and then Create.
• Add secrets to the Key Vault.

Step 2: Set Up Your .NET Core Application

Create a .NET Core Project:

dotnet new console -n KeyVaultDemo
cd KeyVaultDemo

Add necessary NuGet Packages:

dotnet add package Azure.Identity
dotnet add package Azure.Security.KeyVault.Secrets

Step 3: Configure Key Vault Access in Startup.cs

In your Startup.cs file, add configuration to use Azure Key Vault:

using Azure.Identity;
using Azure.Security.KeyVault.Secrets;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;
public class Startup
{
    public Startup(IConfiguration configuration)
    {
        Configuration = configuration;
    }
    public IConfiguration Configuration { get; }
    public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
    {
        // Add Azure Key Vault Configuration
        var keyVaultUrl = Configuration["KeyVaultUrl"];
        var secretClient = new SecretClient(new Uri(keyVaultUrl), new DefaultAzureCredential());
        // Example: Retrieve a secret
        KeyVaultSecret secret = secretClient.GetSecret("your-secret-name");
        services.AddControllers();
    }

Step 4: Store Key Vault URL and Secrets in appsettings.json

Add your Key Vault URL and secrets in appsettings.json:

{
  "KeyVaultUrl": "https://your-key-vault-name.vault.azure.net/",
  "AllowedHosts": "*"
}

Step 5: Accessing Secrets in Your Controller

You can now inject SecretClient into your controllers or services to access secrets programmatically. Here’s an example:

public class ValuesController : ControllerBase
{
    private readonly SecretClient _secretClient;
    public ValuesController(SecretClient secretClient)
    {
        _secretClient = secretClient;
    }
    [HttpGet("secret")]
    public async Task<ActionResult<string>> GetSecret()
    {
        KeyVaultSecret secret = await _secretClient.GetSecretAsync("your-secret-name");
        return secret.Value;
    }
}

Step 5: Run your .NET Core Web API Project.

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