I'm doing an Azure App Service Deploy (ASP.NET Core 2.0 Web Api) in Visual Studio Team Services and want to replace some values in the appsettings.json so I read https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/vsts/build-release/tasks/transforms-variable-substitution#jsonvarsubs, but they talk about substituting values in nested levels of the file, by concatenate the names with a period (.).
Problem is that you can't use periods (.) in an Azure Key Vault.
Does anyone know how to substitute variables with nested levels in an appsettings.json file using Secrets from the Azure Key Vault?
I ended up using 'ConnectionStrings--Database' as Secret key in Azure Key Vault.
Then adding a 'Variable Group' in VSTS (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/vsts/build-release/concepts/library/variable-groups) linking to the Azure Key Vault.
And add a 'Process Variable' called ConnectionStrings.Database with a value of '$(ConnectionStrings--Database).
That way it replaces the value of your 'Process Variable' with the value from the Azure Key Vault and it uses the name of the 'Process Variable' to replace in the appsettings.json.
[moved from comment to answer] I used an ARM template for setting appsettings from the keyvault. Create an ARM template which provisions the web app and read the values from the keyvault and uses the values for setting the appsettings. You can read them from the keyvault via the .parameters.json file or use a nested template. In this way you can keep using periods (.) In the appsettings and have a different keyname in the keyvault.
Related
I am trying to create and manage Azure Keyvault Secrets using the Azure Service Operators.
I can see the options to create and manage the Keyvault certificate using the kind: KeyVaultKey. However, I am wondering how I can create and manage secrets using the Azure Service Operators.
Is there any lead on this?
Appreciate the help..!
The Azure Key Vault operator suite consists of the following operators:
• KeyVault - Deploys an Azure Key Vault given the location and resource group
• KeyVaultKey - Deploys an Azure Key Vault key given the location and resource group
The KeyVaultKey operator serves as an operator that allows for declarative management of Key Vault keys - one of the three resources available for storage and management in Key Vault; keys, secrets, and certificates. Keys can be leveraged for various use cases.
You can find sample code Here
Reference for Azure service operator
Note: Azure service operator is still under development
I see that in Azure release pipelines, we can read secrets either by creating a key vault based variable group in library or by using the task "Azure Key vault" in pipeline. Both of them do the same thing i.e. reading the secret value from the key vault, with a difference that we can link variable group with multiple pipelines, and the "Azure Key vault" task would remain confined to one pipeline.
I want to understand what is the best practice while reading secrets from Azure key vault in release pipelines. Which of the two approaches is recommended here and why?
Which of the two approaches is recommended here and why?
Reusability is the biggest difference between them, and it is also the basis for you to decide which way to choose.
If you confirm that your job is a one-time job, then you can choose Azure key vault task. In this case, you do not need to configure the variable group in library and link the library to the release pipeline.
But if you need to reuse it or plan to reuse it in the future, then choose variable group in library, so that you do not need to add the Azure key vault task in each pipeline.
But would you recommend going with pipeline variables when we already
have these secrets in Azure key vault. Will that not duplicate these
secrets in Azure Key Vault and pipeline variables in that case.
I do not recommend that you use those variables that have been set in Azure key vault in pipeline variables. Because the variable in the pipeline will overwrite the value of the variable you set in Azure key vault.
I am trying to fetch secret values from azure key vault in Azure App Service.
My App Service has a managed identity
In the Azure Key vault, this managed identity is added under 'Role assignments' as 'Key vault contributor'
Also access policies has been added in azure key vault to give 'Get' permission to the AppServices's managed identity
Now in my c# code, I am trying to get the value of the AppSetting element using the code
ConfigurationManager.AppSettings['something'];
In my azure app service, under app settings, I have added the a key with name 'something' and it has the value pointing to the reference of the Key Vault as below:
#Microsoft.KeyVault(SecretUri=https://myvault.vault.azure.net/secrets/mysecret/ec96f02080254f109c51a1f14cdb1931)
Now I am able to retrieve the value from the appsettings, but instead of the actual value, it is pulling the output as #Microsoft.KeyVault(SecretUri=https://myvault.vault.azure.net/secrets/mysecret/c96f02080254f109c51a1f1cdb1931)
I am expecting the output to be value that I have set, not the keyvault reference string itself.
I am using .Net MVC 4.7 web app
As junnas said, you just add webapp's MSI in key vault Access policy.
1.Turn on webapp System-assign managed identity.
2.Add the identity into keyvault Access policy with secret Get permission.
3.Add the reference of the Key Vault into webapp Application settings.
4.Use Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AppsettingName"); to get the secret vaule.
Here is the output:
Actually i figured out that even using ConfiguraionManager.AppSettings["keyname"] also works fine. In my case, i had done everything as listed above , but had enabled "Slot Deployment" option in Connection string configuration in App Service. Once i enabled, now i am able to access my key vault secrets.
I am trying to do an ARM deployment in Azure Devops whereby I add a key vault access policy to an existing key vault in Azure.
I want to use the following ARM template which adds an access policy to an existing Key Vault: https://github.com/Azure/azure-quickstart-templates/tree/master/101-keyvault-add-access-policy
I have a separate template that deploys an App service and creates a system assigned managed identity.
What is the best way to link the two templates? how do i reference the System Assigned identity of the app service in the 'Add Key Vault Policy' ARM template if I dont know what the object ID of the service Principle is yet?
here's a sample how you would retrieve the managed identity Id in your other template:
"[reference(concat(resourceId('Microsoft.Web/sites/', %wep_app_name%), '/providers/Microsoft.ManagedIdentity/Identities/default'), '2015-08-31-PREVIEW').principalId]"
https://github.com/Azure/azure-quickstart-templates/blob/master/101-functions-managed-identity/azuredeploy.json#L295
I am following directions here for learning the AzureKeyVault config settings
Key Vault Configuration Provider sample application (ASP.NET Core 2.x)
This sample illustrates the use of the Azure Key Vault Configuration
Provider for ASP.NET Core 2.x. For the ASP.NET Core 1.x sample, see
Key Vault Configuration Provider sample application (ASP.NET Core
1.x).
For more information on how the sample works, see the Azure Key Vault
configuration provider topic.
Using the sample
Create a key vault and set up Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) for the application following the guidance in Get started with Azure Key
Vault.
Add secrets to the key vault using the AzureRM Key Vault PowerShell Module available from the
PowerShell
Gallery,
the Azure Key Vault REST API, or the Azure
Portal. Secrets are created as either
Manual or Certificate secrets. Certificate secrets are certificates for use by apps and services but are not supported by the
configuration provider. You should use the Manual option to create
name-value pair secrets for use with the configuration provider.
Simple secrets are created as name-value pairs. Azure Key Vault secret names are limited to alphanumeric characters and dashes.
Hierarchical values (configuration sections) use -- (two dashes) as a separator in the sample. Colons, which are normally used
to delimit a section from a subkey in ASP.NET Core
configuration, aren't allowed
in secret names. Therefore, two dashes are used and swapped for a
colon when the secrets are loaded into the app's configuration.
Create two Manual secrets with the following name-value pairs. The first secret is a simple name and value, and the second
secret creates a secret value with a section and subkey in the secret
name:
SecretName: secret_value_1
Section--SecretName: secret_value_2
Register the sample app with Azure Active Directory.
Authorize the app to
access the key vault. When you use the
Set-AzureRmKeyVaultAccessPolicy PowerShell cmdlet to authorize the
app to access the key vault, provide List and Get access to
secrets with -PermissionsToSecrets list,get.
Update the app's appsettings.json file with the values of Vault, ClientId, and ClientSecret.
Run the sample app, which obtains its configuration values from IConfigurationRoot with the same name as the secret name. *
Non-hierarchical values: The value for SecretName is obtained with
config["SecretName"]. * Hierarchical values (sections): Use :
(colon) notation or the GetSection extension method. Use either of
these approaches to obtain the configuration value:
config["Section:SecretName"]
config.GetSection("Section")["SecretName"]
Okay so I have copied the name of my application into Azure Active Directory as an 'Enterprise Application'. And I have added 'Access policies' for 'get' and 'list' in Azure for my ADD object I just created. Yet I get this error in the program when attempting to start the application:
Exception: {"error":"unauthorized_client","error_description":"AADSTS70001:
Application with identifier '(guid)' was not found in the directory ...(continues)
Update 8-4-18
Okay I found out that Azure uses the 'ClientId' and 'ClientSecret' in the local appsettings.json to connect to what Azure registers in this tutorial: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-create-service-principal-portal#log-in-as-the-application
I get the clientId in appsettings.json from the applicationId on ADD I create with ADD>App Registrations>New
I click settings in ADD on the app I just created and create a key with an expiration to store as ClientSecret in appsettings.json.
I change my 'Vault' in appsettings to my named vault.
I run the powershell above to give access or else do it in ADD.
So now I am getting a simpler error:
'Microsoft.Azure.KeyVault.Models.KeyVaultErrorException: 'Access denied''
I have tried running as Administrator in Visual Studio. I went under Subscriptions in Azure>Access Control>(IAM)>set my new apps to Reader.
So the reason your powershell is failing is because you are trying to assign a User Principal - a user - when actually you want a Service Principal.
I can’t see your C# to support more there than saying when you use the SDK to log in as the Service Principal you use the application id of the Application/Service Principal (its the same id).
The service principal acts like a user in the local directory but you log in as the application.
Edit:
I looked at the example you posted and ran it myself and had very similar problems. However I have got it working. Here's the steps:
Creating the Application
Create the Registered Application. I do this through the Azure Portal so
a Service Principal is created automatically. Make a note of the ApplicationId.
Generate a key credential on the created application and make a note of it.
In the Application click on the link to the Managed app in local directory. This is the Service Principal, make a note of the ObjectId
Creating the Key Vault
Create KeyVault - I used PowerShell to do this. New-AzureRmKeyVault
Apply the Service Principal to the Key Vault.
Set-AzureRmKeyVaultAccessPolicy -VaultName <vault> -ResourceGroupName <ResourceGroupName> -ObjectId <Object Id of the Created Service Principal> -PermissionsToSecrets Get,List
Running the Sample App
In your application settings follow this format:
{
"Vault": <the name of your vault>,
"ClientId": <ApplicationId of the Registered Application>,
"ClientSecret": <Credential generated from the Registered Application>
}
This worked for me and allowed me to run the sample and retrieve the secrets from the vault.
The ultimate problem for me became that running 'Set-AzureRmKeyVaultAccessPolicy' was not needed and for whatever reason it was easier to just ignore it and follow this subsection: https://azure.microsoft.com/documentation/articles/key-vault-get-started/#authorize
I kept trying to set up Object Id and Keys and really I had just overlooked a section mentioning a 'ServerPrincipalName'
They set one commandlet for keys
Set-AzureRmKeyVaultAccessPolicy -VaultName '<vaultName>' -ServicePrincipalName <ApplicationIdGuid> -PermissionsToKeys decrypt,sign
They set one commandlet for secrets
Set-AzureRmKeyVaultAccessPolicy -VaultName '<vaultName>' -ServicePrincipalName <ApplicationIdGuid> -PermissionsToSecrets Get, List
But I decided to follow the immediate proceeding section on doing it all in the Portal. The key take away for me was that the instructions were not wrong. Just vague when it says: "Register a sample app" then "Authorize the App". Really they should be saying
Register a sample app (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/key-vault-get-started#register)
Authorize the app with Key Vault (https://azure.microsoft.com/documentation/articles/key-vault-get-started/#authorize)
Ultimately all the information is there it was just confusing if you happen to already have a vault and an application and don't understand the prerequisite is that really you need to have a 1. A Vault, 2. An ADD Web Application, 3. Associate permissions for 2 in 1.