ASP NetMVC Core Secure App Use Identity Login

Screenshot from the tutorial

Building a Secure ASP.NET Core MVC Application with Identity Login

In this blog post, we'll explore how to create a secure ASP.NET Core MVC application that utilizes Identity for user authentication. This guide is targeted towards developers who want to implement user login functionality within a short timeframe, as demonstrated in the YouTube video titled "ASP NetMVC Core Secure App Use Identity Login".

What is ASP.NET Core Identity?

ASP.NET Core Identity is a membership system that adds login functionality to your application. It provides a robust set of features, including:

• User registration and login
• Password recovery
• User roles
• Two-factor authentication
• External login providers (like Google or Facebook)

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• .NET SDK
• Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code
• Basic understanding of C# and MVC

Setting Up Your ASP.NET Core MVC Project

Step 1: Create a New Project

1. Open Visual Studio.
2. Click on "Create a new project".
3. Select "ASP.NET Core Web Application" and click "Next".
4. Name your project (e.g., SecureApp) and click "Create".
5. Choose the "Web Application (Model-View-Controller)" template and ensure that "Enable Authentication" is set to "Individual User Accounts".

Step 2: Configure Identity in Startup.cs

In the Startup.cs file, ensure that Identity services are configured. You'll find the configuration in the ConfigureServices method:

public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
    services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
        options.UseSqlServer(Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection")));

    services.AddDefaultIdentity<IdentityUser>()
        .AddEntityFrameworkStores<ApplicationDbContext>();

    services.AddControllersWithViews();
}

Make sure you have the necessary packages installed, especially for Entity Framework Core and Identity. You can install them via NuGet Package Manager or the command line:

dotnet add package Microsoft.AspNetCore.Identity.EntityFrameworkCore
dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer

Step 3: Update the Database

Next, we need to create a database to store our user data. Run the following commands in the Package Manager Console:

Add-Migration InitialCreate
Update-Database

This will create the necessary database tables for Identity.

Building the Login Functionality

Step 4: Create the Login View

In the Views/Account folder, create a new file named Login.cshtml and add the following code:

@model LoginViewModel

<h2>Login</h2>

<form asp-action="Login" method="post">
    <div class="form-group">
        <label asp-for="Email"></label>
        <input asp-for="Email" class="form-control" />
        <span asp-validation-for="Email" class="text-danger"></span>
    </div>
    <div class="form-group">
        <label asp-for="Password"></label>
        <input asp-for="Password" class="form-control" />
        <span asp-validation-for="Password" class="text-danger"></span>
    </div>
    <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Login</button>
</form>

Step 5: Create the Login Action

In the AccountController, implement the login action method:

[HttpPost]
[AllowAnonymous]
[ValidateAntiForgeryToken]
public async Task<IActionResult> Login(LoginViewModel model)
{
    if (ModelState.IsValid)
    {
        var result = await _signInManager.PasswordSignInAsync(model.Email, model.Password, model.RememberMe, lockoutOnFailure: false);
        if (result.Succeeded)
        {
            return RedirectToAction("Index", "Home");
        }
        ModelState.AddModelError(string.Empty, "Invalid login attempt.");
    }
    return View(model);
}

Step 6: Create the Login ViewModel

Create a LoginViewModel class in the Models folder:

public class LoginViewModel
{
    [Required]
    [EmailAddress]
    public string Email { get; set; }

    [Required]
    [DataType(DataType.Password)]
    public string Password { get; set; }

    public bool RememberMe { get; set; }
}

Finalizing the Setup

Step 7: Configure Authentication

In the Configure method of Startup.cs, make sure to add authentication:

public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
{
    if (env.IsDevelopment())
    {
        app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
    }
    else
    {
        app.UseExceptionHandler("/Home/Error");
        app.UseHsts();
    }

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

    app.UseRouting();

    app.UseAuthentication(); // Add this line
    app.UseAuthorization();

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

Testing Your Application

Now that you have set up the login functionality, run your application:

1. Press F5 to start debugging.
2. Navigate to /Account/Login to access the login page.
3. Register a new user and then try logging in with the credentials.

Conclusion

You have successfully created a secure ASP.NET Core MVC application with Identity Login in a matter of minutes. By following the steps outlined above, you can implement user authentication in your applications, providing a secure experience for your users.

For more advanced features like role management or two-factor authentication, you can refer to the official ASP.NET Core documentation for additional guidance. Happy coding!

Another view from the tutorial

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