Authentication and authorization in ASP.NET Core SignalR

Authenticate users connecting to a SignalR hub

SignalR can be used with ASP.NET Core authentication to associate a user with each connection. In a hub, authentication data can be accessed from the HubConnectionContext.User property. Authentication allows the hub to call methods on all connections associated with a user. For more information, see Manage users and groups in SignalR. Multiple connections may be associated with a single user.

The following code is an example that uses SignalR and ASP.NET Core authentication:

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Identity;
using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample.Data;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample.Hubs;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

var connectionString = builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");
builder.Services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(connectionString));
builder.Services.AddDatabaseDeveloperPageExceptionFilter();

builder.Services.AddDefaultIdentity<IdentityUser>(options => options.SignIn.RequireConfirmedAccount = true)
    .AddEntityFrameworkStores<ApplicationDbContext>();
builder.Services.AddRazorPages();

var app = builder.Build();

if (app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseMigrationsEndPoint();
}
else
{
    app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
    app.UseHsts();
}

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

app.UseRouting();

app.UseAuthentication();
app.UseAuthorization();

app.MapRazorPages();
app.MapHub<ChatHub>("/chat");

app.Run();

Note

If a token expires during the lifetime of a connection, by default the connection continues to work. LongPolling and ServerSentEvent connections fail on subsequent requests if they don't send new access tokens. For connections to close when the authentication token expires, set CloseOnAuthenticationExpiration.

Cookie authentication

In a browser-based app, cookie authentication allows existing user credentials to automatically flow to SignalR connections. When using the browser client, no extra configuration is needed. If the user is logged in to an app, the SignalR connection automatically inherits this authentication.

Cookies are a browser-specific way to send access tokens, but non-browser clients can send them. When using the .NET Client, the Cookies property can be configured in the .WithUrl call to provide a cookie. However, using cookie authentication from the .NET client requires the app to provide an API to exchange authentication data for a cookie.

Bearer token authentication

The client can provide an access token instead of using a cookie. The server validates the token and uses it to identify the user. This validation is done only when the connection is established. During the life of the connection, the server doesn't automatically revalidate to check for token revocation.

In the JavaScript client, the token can be provided using the accessTokenFactory option.

// Connect, using the token we got.
this.connection = new signalR.HubConnectionBuilder()
    .withUrl("/hubs/chat", { accessTokenFactory: () => this.loginToken })
    .build();

In the .NET client, there's a similar AccessTokenProvider property that can be used to configure the token:

var connection = new HubConnectionBuilder()
    .WithUrl("https://example.com/chathub", options =>
    { 
        options.AccessTokenProvider = () => Task.FromResult(_myAccessToken);
    })
    .Build();

Note

The access token function provided is called before every HTTP request made by SignalR. If the token needs to be renewed in order to keep the connection active, do so from within this function and return the updated token. The token may need to be renewed so it doesn't expire during the connection.

In standard web APIs, bearer tokens are sent in an HTTP header. However, SignalR is unable to set these headers in browsers when using some transports. When using WebSockets and Server-Sent Events, the token is transmitted as a query string parameter.

Built-in JWT authentication

On the server, bearer token authentication is configured using the JWT Bearer middleware:

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Identity;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR;
using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample.Data;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample.Hubs;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.JwtBearer;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

var connectionString = builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");
builder.Services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(connectionString));
builder.Services.AddDatabaseDeveloperPageExceptionFilter();

builder.Services.AddDefaultIdentity<IdentityUser>(options => options.SignIn.RequireConfirmedAccount = true)
    .AddEntityFrameworkStores<ApplicationDbContext>();

builder.Services.AddAuthentication(options =>
{
    // Identity made Cookie authentication the default.
    // However, we want JWT Bearer Auth to be the default.
    options.DefaultAuthenticateScheme = JwtBearerDefaults.AuthenticationScheme;
    options.DefaultChallengeScheme = JwtBearerDefaults.AuthenticationScheme;
}).AddJwtBearer(options =>
  {
      // Configure the Authority to the expected value for
      // the authentication provider. This ensures the token
      // is appropriately validated.
      options.Authority = "Authority URL"; // TODO: Update URL

      // We have to hook the OnMessageReceived event in order to
      // allow the JWT authentication handler to read the access
      // token from the query string when a WebSocket or 
      // Server-Sent Events request comes in.

      // Sending the access token in the query string is required when using WebSockets or ServerSentEvents
      // due to a limitation in Browser APIs. We restrict it to only calls to the
      // SignalR hub in this code.
      // See https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/core/signalr/security#access-token-logging
      // for more information about security considerations when using
      // the query string to transmit the access token.
      options.Events = new JwtBearerEvents
      {
          OnMessageReceived = context =>
          {
              var accessToken = context.Request.Query["access_token"];

              // If the request is for our hub...
              var path = context.HttpContext.Request.Path;
              if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(accessToken) &&
                  (path.StartsWithSegments("/hubs/chat")))
              {
                  // Read the token out of the query string
                  context.Token = accessToken;
              }
              return Task.CompletedTask;
          }
      };
  });

builder.Services.AddRazorPages();
builder.Services.AddSignalR();

// Change to use Name as the user identifier for SignalR
// WARNING: This requires that the source of your JWT token 
// ensures that the Name claim is unique!
// If the Name claim isn't unique, users could receive messages 
// intended for a different user!
builder.Services.AddSingleton<IUserIdProvider, NameUserIdProvider>();

// Change to use email as the user identifier for SignalR
// builder.Services.AddSingleton<IUserIdProvider, EmailBasedUserIdProvider>();

// WARNING: use *either* the NameUserIdProvider *or* the 
// EmailBasedUserIdProvider, but do not use both. 

var app = builder.Build();

if (app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseMigrationsEndPoint();
}
else
{
    app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
    app.UseHsts();
}

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

app.UseRouting();

app.UseAuthentication();
app.UseAuthorization();

app.MapRazorPages();
app.MapHub<ChatHub>("/chatHub");

app.Run();

Note

The query string is used on browsers when connecting with WebSockets and Server-Sent Events due to browser API limitations. When using HTTPS, query string values are secured by the TLS connection. However, many servers log query string values. For more information, see Security considerations in ASP.NET Core SignalR. SignalR uses headers to transmit tokens in environments which support them (such as the .NET and Java clients).

Identity Server JWT authentication

When using Duende IdentityServer add a PostConfigureOptions<TOptions> service to the project:

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.JwtBearer;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Options;
public class ConfigureJwtBearerOptions : IPostConfigureOptions<JwtBearerOptions>
{
    public void PostConfigure(string name, JwtBearerOptions options)
    {
        var originalOnMessageReceived = options.Events.OnMessageReceived;
        options.Events.OnMessageReceived = async context =>
        {
            await originalOnMessageReceived(context);

            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(context.Token))
            {
                var accessToken = context.Request.Query["access_token"];
                var path = context.HttpContext.Request.Path;

                if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(accessToken) &&
                    path.StartsWithSegments("/hubs"))
                {
                    context.Token = accessToken;
                }
            }
        };
    }
}

Register the service after adding services for authentication (AddAuthentication) and the authentication handler for Identity Server (AddIdentityServerJwt):

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.JwtBearer;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection.Extensions;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample.Hubs;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddAuthentication()
    .AddIdentityServerJwt();
builder.Services.TryAddEnumerable(
    ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IPostConfigureOptions<JwtBearerOptions>,
        ConfigureJwtBearerOptions>());

builder.Services.AddRazorPages();

var app = builder.Build();

// Code removed for brevity.

Cookies vs. bearer tokens

Cookies are specific to browsers. Sending them from other kinds of clients adds complexity compared to sending bearer tokens. Cookie authentication isn't recommended unless the app only needs to authenticate users from the browser client. Bearer token authentication is the recommended approach when using clients other than the browser client.

Windows authentication

If Windows authentication is configured in the app, SignalR can use that identity to secure hubs. However, to send messages to individual users, add a custom User ID provider. The Windows authentication system doesn't provide the "Name Identifier" claim. SignalR uses the claim to determine the user name.

Add a new class that implements IUserIdProvider and retrieve one of the claims from the user to use as the identifier. For example, to use the "Name" claim (which is the Windows username in the form [Domain]/[Username]), create the following class:

public class NameUserIdProvider : IUserIdProvider
{
    public string GetUserId(HubConnectionContext connection)
    {
        return connection.User?.Identity?.Name;
    }
}

Rather than ClaimTypes.Name, use any value from the User, such as the Windows SID identifier, etc.

Note

The value chosen must be unique among all the users in the system. Otherwise, a message intended for one user could end up going to a different user.

Register this component in Program.cs:

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.Negotiate;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
var services = builder.Services;

services.AddAuthentication(NegotiateDefaults.AuthenticationScheme)
   .AddNegotiate();

services.AddAuthorization(options =>
{
    options.FallbackPolicy = options.DefaultPolicy;
});
services.AddRazorPages();

services.AddSignalR();
services.AddSingleton<IUserIdProvider, NameUserIdProvider>();

var app = builder.Build();

// Code removed for brevity.

In the .NET Client, Windows Authentication must be enabled by setting the UseDefaultCredentials property:

var connection = new HubConnectionBuilder()
    .WithUrl("https://example.com/chathub", options =>
    {
        options.UseDefaultCredentials = true;
    })
    .Build();

Windows authentication is supported in Microsoft Edge, but not in all browsers. For example, in Chrome and Safari, attempting to use Windows authentication and WebSockets fails. When Windows authentication fails, the client attempts to fall back to other transports which might work.

Use claims to customize identity handling

An app that authenticates users can derive SignalR user IDs from user claims. To specify how SignalR creates user IDs, implement IUserIdProvider and register the implementation.

The sample code demonstrates how to use claims to select the user's email address as the identifying property.

Note

The value chosen must be unique among all the users in the system. Otherwise, a message intended for one user could end up going to a different user.

public class EmailBasedUserIdProvider : IUserIdProvider
{
    public virtual string GetUserId(HubConnectionContext connection)
    {
        return connection.User?.FindFirst(ClaimTypes.Email)?.Value!;
    }
}

The account registration adds a claim with type ClaimsTypes.Email to the ASP.NET identity database.

public async Task<IActionResult> OnPostAsync(string returnUrl = null)
{
    returnUrl ??= Url.Content("~/");
    ExternalLogins = (await _signInManager.GetExternalAuthenticationSchemesAsync())
                                                                          .ToList();
    if (ModelState.IsValid)
    {
        var user = CreateUser();

        await _userStore.SetUserNameAsync(user, Input.Email, CancellationToken.None);
        await _emailStore.SetEmailAsync(user, Input.Email, CancellationToken.None);
        var result = await _userManager.CreateAsync(user, Input.Password);

        // Add the email claim and value for this user.
        await _userManager.AddClaimAsync(user, new Claim(ClaimTypes.Email, Input.Email));

        // Remaining code removed for brevity.

Register this component in Program.cs:

builder.Services.AddSingleton<IUserIdProvider, EmailBasedUserIdProvider>();

Authorize users to access hubs and hub methods

By default, all methods in a hub can be called by an unauthenticated user. To require authentication, apply the AuthorizeAttribute attribute to the hub:

[Authorize]
public class ChatHub: Hub
{
}

The constructor arguments and properties of the [Authorize] attribute can be used to restrict access to only users matching specific authorization policies. For example, with the custom authorization policy called MyAuthorizationPolicy, only users matching that policy can access the hub using the following code:

[Authorize("MyAuthorizationPolicy")]
public class ChatPolicyHub : Hub
{
    public override async Task OnConnectedAsync()
    {
        await Clients.All.SendAsync("ReceiveSystemMessage", 
                                    $"{Context.UserIdentifier} joined.");
        await base.OnConnectedAsync();
    }
    // Code removed for brevity.

The [Authorize] attribute can be applied to individual hub methods. If the current user doesn't match the policy applied to the method, an error is returned to the caller:

[Authorize]
public class ChatHub : Hub
{
    public async Task Send(string message)
    {
        // ... send a message to all users ...
    }

    [Authorize("Administrators")]
    public void BanUser(string userName)
    {
        // ... ban a user from the chat room (something only Administrators can do) ...
    }
}

Use authorization handlers to customize hub method authorization

SignalR provides a custom resource to authorization handlers when a hub method requires authorization. The resource is an instance of HubInvocationContext. The HubInvocationContext includes the HubCallerContext, the name of the hub method being invoked, and the arguments to the hub method.

Consider the example of a chat room allowing multiple organization sign-in via Microsoft Entra ID. Anyone with a Microsoft account can sign in to chat, but only members of the owning organization should be able to ban users or view users' chat histories. Furthermore, we might want to restrict some functionality from specific users. Note how the DomainRestrictedRequirement serves as a custom IAuthorizationRequirement. Now that the HubInvocationContext resource parameter is being passed in, the internal logic can inspect the context in which the Hub is being called and make decisions on allowing the user to execute individual Hub methods:

[Authorize]
public class ChatHub : Hub
{
    public void SendMessage(string message)
    {
    }

    [Authorize("DomainRestricted")]
    public void BanUser(string username)
    {
    }

    [Authorize("DomainRestricted")]
    public void ViewUserHistory(string username)
    {
    }
}

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR;

namespace SignalRAuthenticationSample;

public class DomainRestrictedRequirement :
    AuthorizationHandler<DomainRestrictedRequirement, HubInvocationContext>,
    IAuthorizationRequirement
{
    protected override Task HandleRequirementAsync(AuthorizationHandlerContext context,
        DomainRestrictedRequirement requirement,
        HubInvocationContext resource)
    {
        if (context.User.Identity != null &&
          !string.IsNullOrEmpty(context.User.Identity.Name) && 
          IsUserAllowedToDoThis(resource.HubMethodName,
                               context.User.Identity.Name) &&
          context.User.Identity.Name.EndsWith("@microsoft.com"))
        {
                context.Succeed(requirement);
            
        }
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }

    private bool IsUserAllowedToDoThis(string hubMethodName,
        string currentUsername)
    {
        return !(currentUsername.Equals("asdf42@microsoft.com") &&
            hubMethodName.Equals("banUser", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));
    }
}

In Program.cs, add the new policy, providing the custom DomainRestrictedRequirement requirement as a parameter to create the DomainRestricted policy:

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Identity;
using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample.Data;
using SignalRAuthenticationSample.Hubs;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

var connectionString = builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");
var services = builder.Services;

services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(connectionString));
services.AddDatabaseDeveloperPageExceptionFilter();

services.AddDefaultIdentity<IdentityUser>(options => options.SignIn.RequireConfirmedAccount = true)
    .AddEntityFrameworkStores<ApplicationDbContext>();

services.AddAuthorization(options =>
   {
       options.AddPolicy("DomainRestricted", policy =>
       {
           policy.Requirements.Add(new DomainRestrictedRequirement());
       });
   });

services.AddRazorPages();

var app = builder.Build();

// Code removed for brevity.

In the preceding example, the DomainRestrictedRequirement class is both an IAuthorizationRequirement and its own AuthorizationHandler for that requirement. It's acceptable to split these two components into separate classes to separate concerns. A benefit of the example's approach is there's no need to inject the AuthorizationHandler during startup, as the requirement and the handler are the same thing.

Additional resources

• Bearer Token Authentication in ASP.NET Core
• Resource-based Authorization
• View or download sample code (how to download)