Unhandled exception. Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos.Table.StorageException: Server failed to authenticate the request.

Question

I am using a C# console app to send data to Azure table storage. The app works fine in some of the systems but gives following error in a few identical systems. Any clue what is the issue?

Unhandled exception. Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos.Table.StorageException: Server failed to authenticate the request. Make sure the value of Authorization header is formed correctly including the signature.

at Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos.Table.RestExecutor.TableCommand.Executor.ExecuteAsyncT

at Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos.Table.CloudTable.CreateIfNotExistsAsync(TableRequestOptions requestOptions, OperationContext operationContext, String serializedIndexingPolicy, Nullable1 throughput, Nullable1 defaultTimeToLive, CancellationToken cancellationToken)

at Program.Main(String[] args) in C:\dotnetSend2TableStorage\ConsoleApp1\Program.cs:line 67

at Program.<Main>(String[] args)

Request Information

RequestID:72d677d8-6002-001b-57a3-c4165d000000

RequestDate:Wed, 14 May 2025 06:39:02 GMT

StatusMessage:Server failed to authenticate the request. Make sure the value of Authorization header is formed correctly including the signature.

ErrorCode:AuthenticationFailed

ErrorMessage:Server failed to authenticate the request. Make sure the value of Authorization header is formed correctly including the signature.

RequestId:72d677d8-6002-001b-57a3-c4165d000000

Time:2025-05-14T07:40:41.0519972Z

Answer 1

Hi Zahra Ghadyani
It sounds like you're running into an authentication issue when trying to access Azure Table Storage from your C# console app. This error message, "Server failed to authenticate the request," typically indicates that there’s a problem with the Authorization header in your request.

Here are a few things you can try:

1. Check the Account Key or Connection String: Ensure that you are using the correct account key or connection string in all the systems. If there's a mismatch, it can lead to authentication failures.
2. SDK Version: Make sure that all systems have the same version of the Azure SDK installed. Sometimes different versions can behave differently or handle authentication differently.
3. System Time: Ensure that the system time on the machines is correctly synchronized with an NTP server. If the clock skew is too significant, Azure might reject the requests.
4. Network Issues: Check if there are any network restrictions, proxies, or firewalls on the systems that work compared to the ones that don’t. They may be blocking certain requests.
5. Code Check: Review your code to ensure that the Authorization header is being formed correctly when sending requests. If you're constructing it manually, make sure that the signature is generated accurately.

If you've tried these steps and are still having issues, it might help to check the specifics of your implementation or environment. Here are a few follow-up questions to gather more details:

• What version of the Azure SDK are you using across the different systems?
• Is the connection string or account key the same on all systems?
• Are there any differences in the system configurations where the app works versus where it doesn't?
• Have you checked the system clock on the machines that are failing?
• Can you provide a snippet of the code where you’re constructing the connection to Azure Table Storage?

Hope this helps, and let me know if you need more assistance!