Migrating Mvc Configuration

ASP.NET Web.config Configuration Migration

Migrate Web.config XML configuration to ASP.NET Core's appsettings.json and IConfiguration system. The new configuration model is fundamentally different: it uses layered JSON files instead of XML transforms, environment variables override file values, and strongly-typed access replaces string-keyed lookups. Secrets must move out of config files entirely.

Workflow

Track progress across these steps:

Migration Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Inventory configuration usage
- [ ] Step 2: Create appsettings.json structure
- [ ] Step 3: Migrate appSettings and connectionStrings
- [ ] Step 4: Convert custom config sections to IOptions<T>
- [ ] Step 5: Replace config transforms with environment files
- [ ] Step 6: Migrate secrets to secure storage
- [ ] Step 7: Remove Web.config configuration code

Step 1: Inventory Configuration Usage

Search the project for all configuration access patterns and record what exists:

• ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["key"] calls
• ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["name"] calls
• Custom <configSections> declarations in Web.config
• ConfigurationElementCollection or IConfigurationSectionHandler implementations
• Web.Debug.config, Web.Release.config, or other transform files
• <EncryptedData> blocks or aspnet_regiis -pe usage
• <machineKey> elements

Classify each item by assessment signal: UsesWebConfigAppSettings, UsesConnectionStrings, UsesCustomConfigSections, UsesConfigTransforms, UsesEncryptedConfig.

Step 2: Create appsettings.json Structure

Create appsettings.json at the project root. Transfer key-value pairs from <appSettings> and connection strings from <connectionStrings> into a structured JSON format.

Before (Web.config):

<configuration>
  <appSettings>
    <add key="SiteTitle" value="My Application" />
    <add key="MaxRetries" value="3" />
    <add key="FeatureFlags:EnableNewUI" value="true" />
  </appSettings>
  <connectionStrings>
    <add name="DefaultConnection"
         connectionString="Server=.;Database=MyDb;Integrated Security=True"
         providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
  </connectionStrings>
</configuration>

After (appsettings.json):

{
  "SiteTitle": "My Application",
  "MaxRetries": 3,
  "FeatureFlags": {
    "EnableNewUI": true
  },
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Server=.;Database=MyDb;Integrated Security=True"
  }
}

Group related flat keys into nested objects where the original key used colon or dot separators. Place connection strings under the ConnectionStrings section because GetConnectionString() expects that location.

Step 3: Migrate AppSettings and ConnectionStrings Access

Replace all ConfigurationManager calls with IConfiguration equivalents. Inject IConfiguration via constructor injection where needed.

Before:

using System.Configuration;

public class MyService
{
    public string GetTitle()
    {
        return ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["SiteTitle"];
    }

    public string GetConnectionString()
    {
        return ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["DefaultConnection"].ConnectionString;
    }
}

After:

using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;

public class MyService
{
    private readonly IConfiguration _configuration;

    public MyService(IConfiguration configuration)
    {
        _configuration = configuration;
    }

    public string GetTitle()
    {
        return _configuration["SiteTitle"];
    }

    public string GetConnectionString()
    {
        return _configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");
    }
}

For classes that read many related settings, prefer the strongly-typed IOptions<T> pattern over individual key lookups — see Step 4.

⚠️ AttachDbFilename and |DataDirectory| Are Not Supported

If the original Web.config uses AttachDbFilename with the |DataDirectory| substitution token, the connection string must be rewritten for ASP.NET Core.

Why it fails:

• The |DataDirectory| token is not supported (no AppDomain.SetData in ASP.NET Core)
• Attached database file patterns cause authentication and connection pooling issues with EF Core

Original pattern (will fail):

<!-- Web.config -->
<connectionStrings>
  <add name="DefaultConnection" 
       connectionString="Data Source=(LocalDB)\MSSQLLocalDB;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\MyApp.mdf;Integrated Security=True"
       providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
</connectionStrings>

Required changes:

• Remove AttachDbFilename=... from the connection string
• Remove the |DataDirectory| token
• Specify the database using Initial Catalog or Database instead

Migration options (choose based on the original application's database setup):

• If the app used LocalDB with an attached file, either:
• Switch to LocalDB without file attachment: Data Source=(LocalDB)\\MSSQLLocalDB;Initial Catalog=MyApp;Integrated Security=True
• Or switch to a full SQL Server instance: Server=localhost;Database=MyApp;Integrated Security=True;TrustServerCertificate=True

• If the app deployed with SQL Server Express or full SQL Server, use the explicit server and database name pattern

The key decision is whether to continue using LocalDB (typically development scenarios) or switch to SQL Server (typically required for production, load balancing, or multi-user scenarios). This choice should match the deployment model of the original application.

Step 4: Convert Custom Config Sections to IOptions<T>

Custom config sections (IConfigurationSectionHandler, ConfigurationSection, ConfigurationElementCollection) have no direct equivalent. Convert them to POCO classes bound from JSON via IOptions<T>.

Before (Web.config + custom section class):

<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="mailSettings" type="MyApp.MailConfigSection, MyApp" />
  </configSections>
  <mailSettings smtpServer="mail.example.com" port="587" enableSsl="true">
    <recipients>
      <add address="[email protected]" />
      <add address="[email protected]" />
    </recipients>
  </mailSettings>
</configuration>

After (appsettings.json + POCO + registration):

{
  "MailSettings": {
    "SmtpServer": "mail.example.com",
    "Port": 587,
    "EnableSsl": true,
    "Recipients": [
      "[email protected]",
      "[email protected]"
    ]
  }
}

public class MailSettings
{
    public string SmtpServer { get; set; }
    public int Port { get; set; }
    public bool EnableSsl { get; set; }
    public List<string> Recipients { get; set; } = new();
}

Register in Program.cs:

builder.Services.Configure<MailSettings>(
    builder.Configuration.GetSection("MailSettings"));

Inject as IOptions<MailSettings> (singleton snapshot), IOptionsSnapshot<MailSettings> (scoped, reloads per request), or IOptionsMonitor<MailSettings> (live reload with change notifications). Use IOptions<T> as the default unless the application needs runtime config reload.

Delete the old ConfigurationSection, ConfigurationElement, and ConfigurationElementCollection classes after migration. Convert ConfigurationElementCollection patterns (XML element lists) to JSON arrays bound to List<T> or array properties.

Step 5: Replace Config Transforms with Environment Files

ASP.NET Core has no equivalent to xdt:Transform syntax. Instead, it layers environment-specific JSON files over the base file. The environment name comes from the ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT variable, not from build configuration.

Before (transform files):

Web.config                 ← base
Web.Debug.config           ← xdt:Transform for Debug builds
Web.Release.config         ← xdt:Transform for Release builds
Web.Staging.config         ← xdt:Transform for Staging

After (environment files):

appsettings.json                  ← base (all environments)
appsettings.Development.json      ← overrides for local dev
appsettings.Staging.json          ← overrides for staging
appsettings.Production.json       ← overrides for production

Later files override earlier ones. appsettings.{Environment}.json values replace matching keys from appsettings.json. Environment variables override both. This means the loading order is:

• appsettings.json
• appsettings.{Environment}.json
• Environment variables
• Command-line arguments

Move transform-specific values into the appropriate environment file. Do not replicate the full base config in each environment file — include only the keys that differ.

Step 6: Migrate Secrets to Secure Storage

This step is critical for security. Connection strings with passwords, API keys, and any sensitive values must not remain in appsettings.json or be committed to source control.

Development environment — use User Secrets:

dotnet user-secrets init
dotnet user-secrets set "ConnectionStrings:DefaultConnection" "Server=.;Database=MyDb;User=sa;Password=secret"

User Secrets are stored outside the project directory and override appsettings.json in development.

Production environment — use environment variables or a secrets manager:

• Environment variables: set ConnectionStrings__DefaultConnection (double underscore replaces colon for hierarchical keys)
• Azure Key Vault: add Azure.Extensions.AspNetCore.Configuration.Secrets package and call builder.Configuration.AddAzureKeyVault()
• AWS Secrets Manager or similar vault services

machineKey migration: ASP.NET Core replaces <machineKey> with the Data Protection API. The key management model is completely different — keys are auto-rotated and stored per-application by default. If multiple applications share a machineKey for cookie or token validation, configure a shared Data Protection key ring:

builder.Services.AddDataProtection()
    .PersistKeysToFileSystem(new DirectoryInfo(@"\\server\share\keys"))
    .SetApplicationName("SharedAppName");

Encrypted config sections: If Web.config contains <EncryptedData> blocks (from aspnet_regiis -pe), decrypt the values first, then migrate them to User Secrets or a vault. There is no equivalent to aspnet_regiis in ASP.NET Core.

Step 7: Remove Web.config Configuration Code

After all configuration has been migrated:

• Remove using System.Configuration statements from all files
• Remove ConfigurationManager references (search for ConfigurationManager.AppSettings and ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings)
• Delete custom ConfigurationSection, ConfigurationElement, and ConfigurationElementCollection classes
• Delete Web.Debug.config, Web.Release.config, and other transform files
• Remove the System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager NuGet package reference if present
• Remove <configSections> declarations from Web.config (or the entire Web.config if no other sections remain that IIS requires)

Verify the project builds and all configuration values load correctly at runtime.

Configuration Source Ordering Differences

The config source priority is opposite to Web.config intuition. In ASP.NET Framework, Web.config is the final authority. In ASP.NET Core, environment variables and command-line arguments override JSON files. Account for this when migrating code that assumes Web.config values cannot be overridden.

> Related skill: For migrating Global.asax startup code that initializes configuration, see migrating-global-asax.

Success Criteria

• appsettings.json contains all non-secret settings from Web.config
• Environment-specific files replace all config transforms
• No ConfigurationManager.AppSettings or ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings calls remain
• Custom config section classes replaced with POCOs and IOptions<T> registration
• Secrets stored in User Secrets (dev) or environment variables/vault (prod) — not in committed files
• machineKey replaced with Data Protection API configuration
• No System.Configuration using statements remain
• Project builds without errors