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External parameters
Learn how to express parameters such as secrets, connection strings, and other configuration values that might vary between environments.
how-to
09/27/2024

External parameters

Environments provide context for the application to run in. Parameters express the ability to ask for an external value when running the app. Parameters can be used to provide values to the app when running locally, or to prompt for values when deploying. They can be used to model a wide range of scenarios including secrets, connection strings, and other configuration values that might vary between environments.

Parameter values

Parameter values are read from the Parameters section of the app host's configuration and are used to provide values to the app while running locally. When you publish the app, if the value isn't available you're prompted to provide it.

Consider the following app host :::no-loc text="Program.cs"::: example file:

var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Add a parameter
var value = builder.AddParameter("value");

builder.AddProject<Projects.ApiService>("api")
       .WithEnvironment("EXAMPLE_VALUE", value);

Now consider the following app host configuration file :::no-loc text="appsettings.json"::::

{
    "Parameters": {
        "value": "local-value"
    }
}

Parameters are represented in the manifest as a new primitive called parameter.v0:

{
  "resources": {
    "value": {
      "type": "parameter.v0",
      "value": "{value.inputs.value}",
      "inputs": {
        "value": {
          "type": "string"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Secret values

Parameters can be used to model secrets. When a parameter is marked as a secret, it serves as a hint to the manifest that the value should be treated as a secret. When you publish the app, the value is prompted for and stored in a secure location. When you run the app locally, the value is read from the Parameters section of the app host configuration.

Consider the following app host :::no-loc text="Program.cs"::: example file:

var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Add a secret parameter
var secret = builder.AddParameter("secret", secret: true);

builder.AddProject<Projects.ApiService>("api")
       .WithEnvironment("SECRET", secret);

builder.Build().Run();

Now consider the following app host configuration file :::no-loc text="appsettings.json"::::

{
    "Parameters": {
        "secret": "local-secret"
    }
}

The manifest representation is as follows:

{
  "resources": {
    "value": {
      "type": "parameter.v0",
      "value": "{value.inputs.value}",
      "inputs": {
        "value": {
          "type": "string",
          "secret": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Connection string values

Parameters can be used to model connection strings. When you publish the app, the value is prompted for and stored in a secure location. When you run the app locally, the value is read from the ConnectionStrings section of the app host configuration.

Note

Connection strings are used to represent a wide range of connection information including database connections, message brokers, and other services. In .NET Aspire nomenclature, the term "connection string" is used to represent any kind of connection information.

Consider the following app host :::no-loc text="Program.cs"::: example file:

var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

var redis = builder.AddConnectionString("redis");

builder.AddProject<Projects.WebApplication>("api")
       .WithReference(redis);

builder.Build().Run();

Now consider the following app host configuration file :::no-loc text="appsettings.json"::::

{
    "ConnectionStrings": {
        "redis": "local-connection-string"
    }
}

For more information pertaining to connection strings and their representation in the deployment manifest, seeConnection string and binding references.

Parameter example

To express a parameter, consider the following example code:

:::code source="snippets/params/Parameters.AppHost/Program.cs":::

The following steps are performed:

  • Adds a SQL Server resource named sql and publishes it as a connection string.
  • Adds a database named db.
  • Adds a parameter named insertionRows.
  • Adds a project named api and associates it with the Projects.Parameters_ApiService project resource type-parameter.
  • Passes the insertionRows parameter to the api project.
  • References the db database.

The value for the insertionRows parameter is read from the Parameters section of the app host configuration file :::no-loc text="appsettings.json"::::

:::code language="json" source="snippets/params/Parameters.AppHost/appsettings.json":::

The Parameters_ApiService project consumes the insertionRows parameter. Consider the :::no-loc text="Program.cs"::: example file:

:::code source="snippets/params/Parameters.ApiService/Program.cs":::

See also