Storing Database Connection Strings

Nearly all Application interact with a database at some point. Therefore a database connection string is needed, that typically includes details such as the server or host name, database name, authentication credentials (such as username and password), and other parameters necessary for establishing a connection to the database. Properly configuring the connection string is crucial to ensure that the application can access and interact with the database effectively and securely.

Hardcoded

In Entity Framework Core, you can specify the database connection configuration in the OnConfiguring method of your DbContext class:

protected override void OnConfiguring(DbContextOptionsBuilder optionsBuilder) {
    if (!optionsBuilder.IsConfigured) {
        optionsBuilder.UseFirebird("User=SYSDBA;Password=pwpwpw;Database=C:\\DB\\STORAGE.FDB;DataSource=localhost;Port=3050;Dialect=3;Charset=NONE;Connection lifetime=15;Pooling=true;MinPoolSize=0;MaxPoolSize=50;Packet Size=8192;");
    }
}

Or maybe store it in the appsettings.json file:

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
      "FirebirdConnection": "User=SYSDBA;Password=pwpwpw;Database=C:\\DB\\STORAGE.FDB;DataSource=localhost;Port=3050;Dialect=3;Charset=NONE;Connection lifetime=15;Pooling=true;MinPoolSize=0;MaxPoolSize=50;Packet Size=8192;"
  },
  // Other application settings
}

and the it can be retrieved by:

protected override void OnConfiguring(DbContextOptionsBuilder optionsBuilder) {
    if (!optionsBuilder.IsConfigured) {
        var connectionString = Configuration.GetConnectionString("FirebirdConnection");
        optionsBuilder.UseFirebird(connectionString);
    }
}

Hardcoding the connection string with sensitive information, such as the username and password, directly in the code, is not recommended for security reasons, yet in an development environment this is a flexible approach, it is simple and has ease of use, so it is fully acceptable. For production there are better ways:

Environment Variables

You can store the connection string as an environment variable on the server. This approach is useful for keeping sensitive data separate from your code and configuration files.

Advantages

Enhanced security: Environment variables are typically more secure than hardcoding sensitive information directly in your code or configuration files.
Separation of concerns: Sensitive information is managed at the system level, making it easier to change or update without modifying application code.

Considerations

Setting up and managing environment variables may vary depending on your development environment and hosting platform.
For production, ensure that you have appropriate access controls and monitoring in place to protect the environment variables.

Azure Key Vault or Other Secret Management Services

Using Azure Key Vault: Azure Key Vault is a cloud-based service provided by Microsoft that offers a secure and scalable way to store and manage sensitive information, such as connection strings and cryptographic keys. This approach involves integrating your .NET application with Azure Key Vault to retrieve sensitive data when needed.

Advantages

High security: Azure Key Vault provides a high level of security with features like hardware security modules (HSMs) and access controls.
Centralized management: You can centrally manage secrets and access policies for multiple applications.
Version control and auditing: Key Vault often includes features for tracking changes and auditing access to secrets.

Using Other Secret Management Services Beyond Azure Key Vault, there are other secret management services, such as HashiCorp Vault, that offer similar capabilities for securely managing sensitive information.

Considerations

Effort: Using secret management services may require some additional knowledge and configuration.
Cost: Depending on the service and the scale of usage, there may be associated costs.
Dependency: On third party service