{"id":409,"date":"2024-07-22T12:16:34","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T02:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cloudproinc.com.au\/?p=409"},"modified":"2024-07-22T14:21:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T04:21:09","slug":"understanding-appsettings-json-in-net-and-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cloudproinc.com.au\/index.php\/2024\/07\/22\/understanding-appsettings-json-in-net-and-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding ‘appsettings.json’ in .NET and C#"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Microsoft .NET article will explain what appsettings.json is in .NET and C# and how to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The ‘appsettings.json’ file allows us to manage an application configuration securely and efficiently and easily transition between development and production. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding ‘appsettings.json’ in .NET and C#<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First introduced in ASP.NET and later in C#, the appsettings.json configuration file uses JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) syntax and holds the application’s configuration. The file’s structure is made of key-value pairs, as shown below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

{\n  \"Logging\": {\n    \"LogLevel\": {\n      \"Default\": \"Information\",\n      \"Microsoft\": \"Warning\",\n      \"Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime\": \"Information\"\n    }\n  },\n  \"ConnectionStrings\": {\n    \"DefaultConnection\": \"Server=localhost;Database=mydatabase;User Id=myusername;Password=mypassword;\"\n  },\n  \"AppSettings\": {\n    \"ApplicationName\": \"MyApp\",\n    \"Version\": \"1.0.0\"\n  }\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
 In the above example, the configuration is divided into three main sections, Logging<\/code>, ConnectionStrings<\/code>, and AppSettings<\/code>. Each section contains specific settings relevant to different aspects of the application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Use appsettings.json in C#<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To use an appsettings.json file in C#, we first need to declare in our Program.cs that we are using the file to read the application’s configuration, as shown in the example below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \/\/ Get config settings from AppSettings\n        IConfigurationBuilder builder = new ConfigurationBuilder().AddJsonFile(\"appsettings.json\");\n        IConfigurationRoot configuration = builder.Build();\n        string aiSvcEndpoint = configuration[\"AIServicesEndpoint\"];\n        string aiSvcKey = configuration[\"AIServicesKey\"];\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In the example code, we use the configuration builder class and reference the file name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Add a reference to Project File (.csproj)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For an application to read the configuration from the file, add a reference inside your .csproj file, as shown below to make the file available during runtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
  <!-- Add this ItemGroup to ensure appsettings.json is copied to the output directory -->\n  <ItemGroup>\n    <None Update=\"appsettings.json\">\n      <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest<\/CopyToOutputDirectory>\n    <\/None>\n  <\/ItemGroup><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Below is an example of a project file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"C#<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Packages <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Depending on your .NET version, you might need to install the following packages and the using statements below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
dotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration\ndotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.Json\ndotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.Binder\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In your Program.cs file, add the following statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
using System.Text.Json;\nusing Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Summary <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In this post, we explained and showed what ‘appsettings.json’ is and how to use it with a C# application. For more articles about .NET visit our technical blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n