This article explains encryption and decryption of Connection
String section of the Web.Config file using aspnet_regiis.exe Command Line
Utility of the Visual Studio.
Encrypting the Connection Strings section in Web.Config file
You need to follow the following steps for encrypting the
Connection Strings section in the Web.Config file
2. Encrypting the Connection Strings section in Web.Config using aspnet_regiis.exe tool
In order to encrypt the ConnectionString section in the Web.Config file, we will need to use the aspnet_regiis.exe tool.
The Plain Connection Strings section in the Web.Config file
The below screenshot shows the Plain Connection Strings section
in the Web.Config file before encryption.
Encrypting the Connection Strings section in Web.Config file
1. Open Visual Studio Command Prompt
You will need to open the Visual Studio Command Prompt
from the Start Menu => Programs => Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 =>
Visual Studio Tools => Visual Studio Command Prompt.
Note: You must be log in as
Administrator and right click Visual Studio Command Prompt and select Run as
Administrator.
Note: In this tutorial, I am
explaining the process using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010. The same
process will be applicable for the other versions. The only difference will be
that you need to open Visual Studio Command Prompt from the folder of the
respective version of Visual Studio installed on your machine.
2. Encrypting the Connection Strings section in Web.Config using aspnet_regiis.exe tool
In order to encrypt the ConnectionString section in the Web.Config file, we will need to use the aspnet_regiis.exe tool.
Parameters
Action –
It notifies the action to be performed. In order to perform Encryption,
the parameter value is -pef.
Section Name – The name of the section of the Web.Config file to be
encrypted. For this case, the value will be connectionStrings.
Path of the folder – Here we need to specify the path of the folder containing the
Web.Config file.
Syntax
aspnet_regiis.exe -pef
"connectionStrings" "<Path of the Folder containing the
Web.Config file>"
Example
aspnet_regiis.exe -pef
"connectionStrings" "D:\Sai\Projects\MyTestWebsite"
Note: The above command will encrypt
all the Connection Strings present in the ConnectionStrings section of
the Web.Config file.
Encrypted Connection Strings section in the Web.Config file
You can see Encrypted Connection Strings section in the Web.Config file after encryption.
You can see Encrypted Connection Strings section in the Web.Config file after encryption.
Accessing the Encrypted Connection String value in ASP.Net Code
behind
ASP.Net will automatically decrypt the Connection String when it is fetched in the code behind and hence in code behind you need to access the Connection String in the same way as you would do normally.
ASP.Net will automatically decrypt the Connection String when it is fetched in the code behind and hence in code behind you need to access the Connection String in the same way as you would do normally.
Decrypting the Connection Strings section in Web.Config using
aspnet_regiis.exe tool
In order to decrypt the ConnectionString section in the Web.Config file, we will need to use the same aspnet_regiis.exe tool that was used for encryption.
In order to decrypt the ConnectionString section in the Web.Config file, we will need to use the same aspnet_regiis.exe tool that was used for encryption.
Parameters
Action –
It notifies the action to be performed. In order to perform Decryption,
the parameter value is -pdf.
Section Name – The name of the section of the Web.Config file to be
decrypted. For this case the value will be connectionStrings.
Path of the folder – Here we need to specify the path of the folder containing the
Web.Config file.
Syntax
aspnet_regiis.exe -pdf
"connectionStrings" "<Path of the Folder containing the
Web.Config file>"
Example
aspnet_regiis.exe -pdf
"connectionStrings" "D:\Sai\Projects\MyTestWebsite"
Note: The above command will decrypt
all the Connection Strings present in the ConnectionStrings section of
the Web.Config file.
