DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider Class
.NET Framework Class Library
DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider Class

Provides a ProtectedConfigurationProvider object that uses the Windows data protection API (DPAPI) to encrypt and decrypt configuration data.

Namespace:  System.Configuration
Assembly:  System.Configuration (in System.Configuration.dll)
Visual Basic (Declaration)
<PermissionSetAttribute(SecurityAction.Demand, Name := "FullTrust")> _
Public NotInheritable Class DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider _
    Inherits ProtectedConfigurationProvider
Visual Basic (Usage)
Dim instance As DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider
C#
[PermissionSetAttribute(SecurityAction.Demand, Name = "FullTrust")]
public sealed class DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider : ProtectedConfigurationProvider
Visual C++
[PermissionSetAttribute(SecurityAction::Demand, Name = L"FullTrust")]
public ref class DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider sealed : public ProtectedConfigurationProvider
JScript
public final class DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider extends ProtectedConfigurationProvider

The DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider allows you to protect sensitive information stored in a configuration file from unauthorized access.

You use the standard DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider by declaring the provider and appropriate settings in the configuration file rather than creating an instance of this class. Refer to the next example.

For more information about Protected Configuration, see Encrypting Configuration Information Using Protected Configuration.

The DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider uses the Windows built-in cryptographic services and can be configured for either machine-specific or user-account-specific protection. Machine-specific protection is useful for anonymous services but provides less security. User-account-specific protection can be used with services that run with a specific user identity.

The following example shows how to use the standard DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider to protect or unprotect a configuration section.

The following configuration excerpts show the configuration section before and after the protection has been applied.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
  <connectionStrings>
    <add name="NorthwindConnectionString" 
      connectionString="Data Source=webnetue2;Initial Catalog=Northwind;User ID=aspnet_test;Password=test"
      providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
  </connectionStrings>
</configuration>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <connectionStrings>
    <EncryptedData>
      <CipherData>                <CipherValue>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</CipherValue>
      </CipherData>
    </EncryptedData>
  </connectionStrings>
  <configProtectedData defaultProvider="RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider">
    <providers>
      <clear />
      <add keyContainerName="NetFrameworkConfigurationKey" cspProviderName=""
        useMachineContainer="true" useOAEP="false" description="Uses RsaCryptoServiceProvider to encrypt and decrypt"
        name="RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider" type="System.Configuration.RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider,System.Configuration, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a" />
      <add useMachineProtection="true" description="Uses CryptProtectData and CryptUnProtectData Windows APIs to encrypt and decrypt"
        keyEntropy="" name="DataProtectionConfigurationProvider" type="System.Configuration.DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider,System.Configuration, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a" />
    </providers>
  </configProtectedData>
</configuration>
System..::.Object
  System.Configuration.Provider..::.ProviderBase
    System.Configuration..::.ProtectedConfigurationProvider
      System.Configuration..::.DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0
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