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Secrets is a robust, totally capable storage medium for your passwords, account information, credit card info, etc. Secrets is purposed dead-center, without the added fluff. It’s extensions work seamlessly with Safari, both on the OS version and iOS version, SYNCing is seamless and is easy to set-up.
-->By Rick Anderson, Kirk Larkin, Daniel Roth, and Scott Addie
View or download sample code (how to download)
This document explains techniques for storing and retrieving sensitive data during development of an ASP.NET Core app on a development machine. Never store passwords or other sensitive data in source code. Production secrets shouldn't be used for development or test. Secrets shouldn't be deployed with the app. Instead, secrets should be made available in the production environment through a controlled means like environment variables, Azure Key Vault, etc. You can store and protect Azure test and production secrets with the Azure Key Vault configuration provider.
Environment variables
Environment variables are used to avoid storage of app secrets in code or in local configuration files. Environment variables override configuration values for all previously specified configuration sources.
Consider an ASP.NET Core web app in which Individual User Accounts security is enabled. A default database connection string is included in the project's appsettings.json file with the key DefaultConnection
. The default connection string is for LocalDB, which runs in user mode and doesn't require a password. During app deployment, the DefaultConnection
key value can be overridden with an environment variable's value. The environment variable may store the complete connection string with sensitive credentials.
Warning
Environment variables are generally stored in plain, unencrypted text. If the machine or process is compromised, environment variables can be accessed by untrusted parties. Additional measures to prevent disclosure of user secrets may be required.
The :
separator doesn't work with environment variable hierarchical keys on all platforms. __
, the double underscore, is:
- Supported by all platforms. For example, the
:
separator is not supported by Bash, but__
is. - Automatically replaced by a
:
Secret Manager
The Secret Manager tool stores sensitive data during the development of an ASP.NET Core project. In this context, a piece of sensitive data is an app secret. App secrets are stored in a separate location from the project tree. The app secrets are associated with a specific project or shared across several projects. The app secrets aren't checked into source control.
Warning
The Secret Manager tool doesn't encrypt the stored secrets and shouldn't be treated as a trusted store. It's for development purposes only. The keys and values are stored in a JSON configuration file in the user profile directory.
How the Secret Manager tool works
The Secret Manager tool abstracts away the implementation details, such as where and how the values are stored. You can use the tool without knowing these implementation details. The values are stored in a JSON configuration file in a system-protected user profile folder on the local machine:
File system path:
%APPDATA%MicrosoftUserSecrets<user_secrets_id>secrets.json
File system path:
~/.microsoft/usersecrets/<user_secrets_id>/secrets.json
In the preceding file paths, replace <user_secrets_id>
with the UserSecretsId
value specified in the .csproj file.
Don't write code that depends on the location or format of data saved with the Secret Manager tool. These implementation details may change. For example, the secret values aren't encrypted, but could be in the future.
Enable secret storage
The Secret Manager tool operates on project-specific configuration settings stored in your user profile.
The Secret Manager tool includes an init
command in .NET Core SDK 3.0.100 or later. To use user secrets, run the following command in the project directory:
The preceding command adds a UserSecretsId
element within a PropertyGroup
of the .csproj file. By default, the inner text of UserSecretsId
is a GUID. The inner text is arbitrary, but is unique to the project.
In Visual Studio, right-click the project in Solution Explorer, and select Manage User Secrets from the context menu. This gesture adds a UserSecretsId
element, populated with a GUID, to the .csproj file.
Set a secret
Define an app secret consisting of a key and its value. The secret is associated with the project's UserSecretsId
value. For example, run the following command from the directory in which the .csproj file exists:
In the preceding example, the colon denotes that Movies
is an object literal with a ServiceApiKey
property.
The Secret Manager tool can be used from other directories too. Use the --project
option to supply the file system path at which the .csproj file exists. For example:
JSON structure flattening in Visual Studio
Visual Studio's Manage User Secrets gesture opens a secrets.json file in the text editor. Replace the contents of secrets.json with the key-value pairs to be stored. For example:
The JSON structure is flattened after modifications via dotnet user-secrets remove
or dotnet user-secrets set
. For example, running dotnet user-secrets remove 'Movies:ConnectionString'
collapses the Movies
object literal. The modified file resembles the following:
Set multiple secrets
A batch of secrets can be set by piping JSON to the set
command. In the following example, the input.json file's contents are piped to the set
command.
Open a command shell, and execute the following command:
Open a command shell, and execute the following command:
Access a secret
The ASP.NET Core Configuration API provides access to Secret Manager secrets.
The user secrets configuration source is automatically added in development mode when the project calls CreateDefaultBuilder to initialize a new instance of the host with preconfigured defaults. CreateDefaultBuilder
calls AddUserSecrets when the EnvironmentName is Development:
When CreateDefaultBuilder
isn't called, add the user secrets configuration source explicitly by calling AddUserSecrets. Call AddUserSecrets
only when the app runs in the Development environment, as shown in the following example:
User secrets can be retrieved via the Configuration
API:
Map secrets to a POCO
What Is Secrets App Mac Free
Mapping an entire object literal to a POCO (a simple .NET class with properties) is useful for aggregating related properties.
Assume the app's secrets.json file contains the following two secrets:
To map the preceding secrets to a POCO, use the Configuration
API's object graph binding feature. The following code binds to a custom MovieSettings
POCO and accesses the ServiceApiKey
property value:
The Movies:ConnectionString
and Movies:ServiceApiKey
secrets are mapped to the respective properties in MovieSettings
:
String replacement with secrets
Storing passwords in plain text is insecure. For example, a database connection string stored in appsettings.json may include a password for the specified user:
A more secure approach is to store the password as a secret. For example:
Remove the Password
key-value pair from the connection string in appsettings.json. For example:
The secret's value can be set on a SqlConnectionStringBuilder object's Password property to complete the connection string:
List the secrets
Assume the app's secrets.json file contains the following two secrets:
Run the following command from the directory in which the .csproj file exists:
The following output appears:
In the preceding example, a colon in the key names denotes the object hierarchy within secrets.json.
Remove a single secret

Assume the app's secrets.json file contains the following two secrets:
Run the following command from the directory in which the .csproj file exists:
The app's secrets.json file was modified to remove the key-value pair associated with the MoviesConnectionString
key:
dotnet user-secrets list
displays the following message:
Remove all secrets
Assume the app's secrets.json file contains the following two secrets:
Run the following command from the directory in which the .csproj file exists:
All user secrets for the app have been deleted from the secrets.json file:
Running dotnet user-secrets list
displays the following message:
Additional resources
- See this issue for information on accessing Secret Manager from IIS.
By Rick Anderson, Daniel Roth, and Scott Addie
View or download sample code (how to download)
This document explains techniques for storing and retrieving sensitive data during development of an ASP.NET Core app on a development machine. Never store passwords or other sensitive data in source code. Production secrets shouldn't be used for development or test. Secrets shouldn't be deployed with the app. Instead, secrets should be made available in the production environment through a controlled means like environment variables, Azure Key Vault, etc. You can store and protect Azure test and production secrets with the Azure Key Vault configuration provider.
Environment variables
Environment variables are used to avoid storage of app secrets in code or in local configuration files. Environment variables override configuration values for all previously specified configuration sources.
Consider an ASP.NET Core web app in which Individual User Accounts security is enabled. A default database connection string is included in the project's appsettings.json file with the key DefaultConnection
. The default connection string is for LocalDB, which runs in user mode and doesn't require a password. During app deployment, the DefaultConnection
key value can be overridden with an environment variable's value. The environment variable may store the complete connection string with sensitive credentials.
Warning
Environment variables are generally stored in plain, unencrypted text. If the machine or process is compromised, environment variables can be accessed by untrusted parties. Additional measures to prevent disclosure of user secrets may be required.
The :
separator doesn't work with environment variable hierarchical keys on all platforms. __
, the double underscore, is:
- Supported by all platforms. For example, the
:
separator is not supported by Bash, but__
is. - Automatically replaced by a
:
Secret Manager
The Secret Manager tool stores sensitive data during the development of an ASP.NET Core project. In this context, a piece of sensitive data is an app secret. App secrets are stored in a separate location from the project tree. The app secrets are associated with a specific project or shared across several projects. The app secrets aren't checked into source control.
Warning
The Secret Manager tool doesn't encrypt the stored secrets and shouldn't be treated as a trusted store. It's for development purposes only. The keys and values are stored in a JSON configuration file in the user profile directory.
How the Secret Manager tool works
The Secret Manager tool abstracts away the implementation details, such as where and how the values are stored. You can use the tool without knowing these implementation details. The values are stored in a JSON configuration file in a system-protected user profile folder on the local machine:
File system path:
%APPDATA%MicrosoftUserSecrets<user_secrets_id>secrets.json
File system path:
~/.microsoft/usersecrets/<user_secrets_id>/secrets.json
In the preceding file paths, replace <user_secrets_id>
with the UserSecretsId
value specified in the .csproj file.
Don't write code that depends on the location or format of data saved with the Secret Manager tool. These implementation details may change. For example, the secret values aren't encrypted, but could be in the future.
Enable secret storage
The Secret Manager tool operates on project-specific configuration settings stored in your user profile.
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To use user secrets, define a UserSecretsId
element within a PropertyGroup
of the .csproj file. The inner text of UserSecretsId
is arbitrary, but is unique to the project. Developers typically generate a GUID for the UserSecretsId
.
Tip
What Is Secrets App Mac Download
In Visual Studio, right-click the project in Solution Explorer, and select Manage User Secrets from the context menu. This gesture adds a UserSecretsId
element, populated with a GUID, to the .csproj file.
Set a secret
Define an app secret consisting of a key and its value. The secret is associated with the project's UserSecretsId
value. For example, run the following command from the directory in which the .csproj file exists:
In the preceding example, the colon denotes that Movies
is an object literal with a ServiceApiKey
property.
The Secret Manager tool can be used from other directories too. Use the --project
option to supply the file system path at which the .csproj file exists. For example:
JSON structure flattening in Visual Studio
Visual Studio's Manage User Secrets gesture opens a secrets.json file in the text editor. Replace the contents of secrets.json with the key-value pairs to be stored. For example:
The JSON structure is flattened after modifications via dotnet user-secrets remove
or dotnet user-secrets set
. For example, running dotnet user-secrets remove 'Movies:ConnectionString'
collapses the Movies
object literal. The modified file resembles the following:
Set multiple secrets
A batch of secrets can be set by piping JSON to the set
command. In the following example, the input.json file's contents are piped to the set
command.
Open a command shell, and execute the following command:
Open a command shell, and execute the following command:
Access a secret
The ASP.NET Core Configuration API provides access to Secret Manager secrets.
If your project targets .NET Framework, install the Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.UserSecrets NuGet package.
In ASP.NET Core 2.0 or later, the user secrets configuration source is automatically added in development mode when the project calls CreateDefaultBuilder to initialize a new instance of the host with preconfigured defaults. CreateDefaultBuilder
calls AddUserSecrets when the EnvironmentName is Development:
When CreateDefaultBuilder
isn't called, add the user secrets configuration source explicitly by calling AddUserSecrets in the Startup
constructor. Call AddUserSecrets
only when the app runs in the Development environment, as shown in the following example:
User secrets can be retrieved via the Configuration
API:
Map secrets to a POCO
Mapping an entire object literal to a POCO (a simple .NET class with properties) is useful for aggregating related properties.
Assume the app's secrets.json file contains the following two secrets:
To map the preceding secrets to a POCO, use the Configuration
API's object graph binding feature. The following code binds to a custom MovieSettings
POCO and accesses the ServiceApiKey
property value:
The Movies:ConnectionString
and Movies:ServiceApiKey
secrets are mapped to the respective properties in MovieSettings
:
String replacement with secrets
Storing passwords in plain text is insecure. For example, a database connection string stored in appsettings.json may include a password for the specified user:

A more secure approach is to store the password as a secret. For example:
Remove the Password
key-value pair from the connection string in appsettings.json. For example:
The secret's value can be set on a SqlConnectionStringBuilder object's Password property to complete the connection string:
List the secrets
Assume the app's secrets.json file contains the following two secrets:
Run the following command from the directory in which the .csproj file exists:
The following output appears:
In the preceding example, a colon in the key names denotes the object hierarchy within secrets.json.
Remove a single secret
Assume the app's secrets.json file contains the following two secrets:
Run the following command from the directory in which the .csproj file exists:
The app's secrets.json file was modified to remove the key-value pair associated with the MoviesConnectionString
key:
Running dotnet user-secrets list
displays the following message:
Remove all secrets
Assume the app's secrets.json file contains the following two secrets:
Run the following command from the directory in which the .csproj file exists:
All user secrets for the app have been deleted from the secrets.json file:
Running dotnet user-secrets list
displays the following message:
Additional resources
- See this issue for information on accessing Secret Manager from IIS.
Sounds good? Well it looks good too.
Secrets features
Safe and sound storage
Access all your passwords and other personal information in a straightforward and consolidated digital password storage space with just one secure passphrase, which only the main app has access to. Secrets also backs your account with a recovery key and an automatic locking feature, just in case you forget your passphrase or lose your laptop.
Strong password generator
Register for new services without having to think of a password ever again — Secrets will create strong passwords automatically when you add new login items, following their requirements to a T. Secrets also allows you to import passwords from other managers, like LastPass and 1Password, with its built-in filters helping you weed out old, weak, or vulnerable passwords.
Best Apps For Mac
Powerful interface
Organize your information in Secrets for easy retrieval. Mark certain items as favorites to keep them handy at all times or create custom filters to group related notes as you see fit. All of your sensitive information in the Secrets library is instantly accessible via search and, in case you need some assistance, there is an in-app helper to guide you.
Keep bank details in a vault
Store not only passwords safe and out of reach with Secrets but also your other private information, such as credit card credentials and confidential notes of all kinds. Think of Secrets not so much as a password manager, but as the most secure digital vault there can be.
Autofill logins in Chrome and Safari
Enter your login credentials instantly by using Google Chrome or Safari browser integrations to log in to websites or web apps. Sounds easy enough. But on the background, you can also let Secrets continuously perform vulnerability scans and look for breached accounts and passwords that are flagged immediately.
Access from anywhere
Use Secrets across your Apple devices to always have the information you need on hand. The iCloud sync means that your passwords and other private information stay secure, updated, and available whether you’re at your desk or on the go.