How to exclude auto generated web.config file when doing web deploy ASP.NET Core API (.NET 5)

Question

I have ASP.NET Core (.NET 5) API and want to deploy use web deploy visual studio.
Also on the windows server, I configured HTTPS in web.config file. So after publishing a new version of API, web.config file updating and I'm losing my configuration.

Can you please recommend a solution for avoiding this situation?

Put the web.config file in your project so it is version controlled and published with your app? — Martin Costello, Oct 07 '21 at 09:05
@MartinCostello thank you for your comment, yes it solves my problem but I want to get a solution without **physical web.config** file. — Vanik Hakobyan, Oct 07 '21 at 09:10

Milad Dastan Zand · Answer 1 · 2021-10-07T09:43:04.123

1

Use different web configs for development and release environments. or you can exclude it from the building. For this purpose in the web.config properties and change 'Build Action' to 'None' and 'Copy To Output Directory' to 'Do Not copy'

edited Oct 07 '21 at 09:43

answered Oct 07 '21 at 09:21

Milad Dastan Zand

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Thank you for your answer but I want to get a solution without a physical web.config file. – Vanik Hakobyan Oct 07 '21 at 09:26
1

@VanikHakobyan if you are using CI/CD tools you can exclude config files in build and release artefacts. – Milad Dastan Zand Oct 07 '21 at 09:28
No I'm using web deploy – Vanik Hakobyan Oct 07 '21 at 09:34
@VanikHakobyan I updated my answer. in your case that uses web deploy, you can use the second approach. – Milad Dastan Zand Oct 07 '21 at 09:44
Web config file auto-generated. So that file I don't have in my project. – Vanik Hakobyan Oct 07 '21 at 10:10

lorsabyan · Accepted Answer · 2021-10-07T16:31:49.153

You can use web.config custom transformation as described here

Custom transformations are run last, after Build configuration, Profile, and Environment transforms.

Include a {CUSTOM_NAME}.transform file for each custom configuration requiring a web.config transformation.

In the following example, a custom transform environment variable is set in custom.transform:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration xmlns:xdt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/XML-Document-Transform">
  <location>
    <system.webServer>
      <aspNetCore>
        <environmentVariables xdt:Transform="InsertIfMissing">
          <environmentVariable name="Custom_Specific" 
                               value="Custom_Specific_Value" 
                               xdt:Locator="Match(name)" 
                               xdt:Transform="InsertIfMissing" />
        </environmentVariables>
      </aspNetCore>
    </system.webServer>
  </location>
</configuration>

The transform is applied when the CustomTransformFileName property is passed to the dotnet publish command:

dotnet publish --configuration Release /p:CustomTransformFileName=custom.transform

The MSBuild property for the profile name is $(CustomTransformFileName).

Similar question has been posted before: Can I override a connection string in the web.config for local development?

I think the best suggested solution is the following:

Web.config

<configuration>
  <connectionStrings configSource="connectionstrings.config">
  </connectionStrings>
</configuration>

connectionstrings.config (not in source control)

<connectionStrings>
  <add name="cs" connectionString="server=.;database=whatever;"/>
</connectionStrings>

Each developer can choose which database their local machine points to, and as long as the connectionstrings.config file is not in source control (add it to the ignore list), nobody will step on each other's feet.

How to exclude auto generated web.config file when doing web deploy ASP.NET Core API (.NET 5)

2 Answers2