Integrate OWIN with Microsoft.Identity.Web

Add modern authentication to your ASP.NET MVC and Web API applications on .NET Framework 4.7.2+ by using the Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN package.

Understand OWIN integration

The Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN package brings the power of Microsoft.Identity.Web to ASP.NET MVC and Web API applications that use OWIN middleware with Microsoft Entra ID.

Review key benefits

The following table summarizes the key features and benefits of the package.

Feature Benefit
TokenAcquirerFactory Automatic token acquisition with caching
Controller Extensions Easy access to GraphServiceClient and IDownstreamApi
Distributed Token Cache Built-in support for SQL Server, Redis, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL
Automatic Token Refresh Handles token refresh transparently
Incremental Consent Seamless consent flow integration

Review supported scenarios

Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN supports the following application types and scenarios.

  • ASP.NET MVC Web Applications (.NET Framework 4.7.2+)
  • ASP.NET Web API (.NET Framework 4.7.2+)
  • Hybrid Apps (MVC + Web API)
  • Calling Microsoft Graph from controllers
  • Calling Downstream APIs with automatic authentication

Install the package

Install the Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN NuGet package using your preferred method.

Run the following command in the Package Manager Console:

Install-Package Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN

Alternatively, run the following command with the .NET CLI:

dotnet add package Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN

Dependencies automatically included:

  • Microsoft.Identity.Web.TokenAcquisition
  • Microsoft.Identity.Web.TokenCache
  • Microsoft.Owin
  • System.Web

Configure the application

Configure your application settings to connect to Microsoft Entra and downstream APIs.

Configure Web.config

Add the following Microsoft Entra and downstream API settings to your Web.config file.

<configuration>
  <appSettings>
    <!-- Microsoft Entra ID Configuration -->
    <add key="AzureAd:Instance" value="https://login.microsoftonline.com/" />
    <add key="AzureAd:TenantId" value="your-tenant-id" />
    <add key="AzureAd:ClientId" value="your-client-id" />
    <add key="AzureAd:ClientSecret" value="your-client-secret" />
    <add key="AzureAd:RedirectUri" value="https://localhost:44368/" />
    <add key="AzureAd:PostLogoutRedirectUri" value="https://localhost:44368/" />

    <!-- Microsoft Graph Configuration -->
    <add key="DownstreamApi:MicrosoftGraph:BaseUrl" value="https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0" />
    <add key="DownstreamApi:MicrosoftGraph:Scopes" value="user.read" />

    <!-- Custom Downstream API Configuration -->
    <add key="DownstreamApi:TodoListService:BaseUrl" value="https://localhost:44351" />
    <add key="DownstreamApi:TodoListService:Scopes" value="api://todo-api-client-id/.default" />
  </appSettings>

  <connectionStrings>
    <!-- Optional: SQL Server Token Cache -->
    <add name="TokenCache"
         connectionString="Data Source=(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB;Initial Catalog=TokenCache;Integrated Security=True;" />
  </connectionStrings>
</configuration>

Configure appsettings.json (alternative)

You can also store settings in an appsettings.json file as shown in the following example.

{
  "AzureAd": {
    "Instance": "https://login.microsoftonline.com/",
    "TenantId": "your-tenant-id",
    "ClientId": "your-client-id",
    "ClientSecret": "your-client-secret",
    "RedirectUri": "https://localhost:44368/",
    "PostLogoutRedirectUri": "https://localhost:44368/"
  },
  "DownstreamApi": {
    "MicrosoftGraph": {
      "BaseUrl": "https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0",
      "Scopes": "user.read"
    },
    "TodoListService": {
      "BaseUrl": "https://localhost:44351",
      "Scopes": "api://todo-api-client-id/.default"
    }
  }
}

Set up the startup class

Register authentication middleware, token acquisition, and downstream API services in your startup class.

Configure App_Start/Startup.Auth.cs

The following code shows a complete setup with Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN:

using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
using Microsoft.Identity.Web;
using Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN;
using Microsoft.Identity.Web.TokenCacheProviders.Distributed;
using Microsoft.Owin.Security;
using Microsoft.Owin.Security.Cookies;
using Microsoft.Owin.Security.OpenIdConnect;
using Owin;
using System;
using System.Configuration;
using System.Web;

namespace MyMvcApp
{
    public partial class Startup
    {
        public void ConfigureAuth(IAppBuilder app)
        {
            // Set default authentication type
            app.SetDefaultSignInAsAuthenticationType(CookieAuthenticationDefaults.AuthenticationType);

            // Configure cookie authentication
            app.UseCookieAuthentication(new CookieAuthenticationOptions
            {
                CookieName = "MyApp.Auth",
                ExpireTimeSpan = TimeSpan.FromHours(1),
                SlidingExpiration = true
            });

            // Configure OpenID Connect authentication
            app.UseOpenIdConnectAuthentication(
                new OpenIdConnectAuthenticationOptions
                {
                    ClientId = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:ClientId"],
                    Authority = $"https://login.microsoftonline.com/{ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:TenantId"]}",
                    RedirectUri = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:RedirectUri"],
                    PostLogoutRedirectUri = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:PostLogoutRedirectUri"],

                    Scope = "openid profile email offline_access",
                    ResponseType = "code id_token",

                    TokenValidationParameters = new TokenValidationParameters
                    {
                        ValidateIssuer = true,
                        NameClaimType = "preferred_username"
                    },

                    Notifications = new OpenIdConnectAuthenticationNotifications
                    {
                        AuthenticationFailed = context =>
                        {
                            context.HandleResponse();
                            context.Response.Redirect("/Error?message=" + context.Exception.Message);
                            return Task.FromResult(0);
                        }
                    }
                });

            // Configure Microsoft Identity Web services
            var services = CreateOwinServiceCollection();

            // Add token acquisition
            services.AddTokenAcquisition();

            // Add Microsoft Graph support
            services.AddMicrosoftGraph();

            // Add downstream API support
            services.AddDownstreamApi("MicrosoftGraph", services.BuildServiceProvider()
                .GetRequiredService<IConfiguration>().GetSection("DownstreamApi:MicrosoftGraph"));

            services.AddDownstreamApi("TodoListService", services.BuildServiceProvider()
                .GetRequiredService<IConfiguration>().GetSection("DownstreamApi:TodoListService"));

            // Configure token cache (choose one option)
            ConfigureTokenCache(services);

            // Build service provider
            var serviceProvider = services.BuildServiceProvider();

            // Create and register token acquirer factory
            var tokenAcquirerFactory = TokenAcquirerFactory.GetDefaultInstance();
            tokenAcquirerFactory.Build(serviceProvider);

            // Add OWIN token acquisition middleware
            app.Use<OwinTokenAcquisitionMiddleware>(tokenAcquirerFactory);
        }

        private IServiceCollection CreateOwinServiceCollection()
        {
            var services = new ServiceCollection();

            // Add configuration from appsettings.json and/or Web.config
            IConfiguration configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder()
                .AddJsonFile("appsettings.json", optional: true)
                .AddInMemoryCollection(new Dictionary<string, string>
                {
                    ["AzureAd:Instance"] = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:Instance"],
                    ["AzureAd:TenantId"] = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:TenantId"],
                    ["AzureAd:ClientId"] = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:ClientId"],
                    ["AzureAd:ClientSecret"] = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:ClientSecret"],
                    ["DownstreamApi:MicrosoftGraph:BaseUrl"] = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["DownstreamApi:MicrosoftGraph:BaseUrl"],
                    ["DownstreamApi:MicrosoftGraph:Scopes"] = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["DownstreamApi:MicrosoftGraph:Scopes"],
                })
                .Build();

            services.AddSingleton(configuration);

            return services;
        }

        private void ConfigureTokenCache(IServiceCollection services)
        {
            // Option 1: In-memory cache (development)
            services.AddDistributedTokenCaches(cacheServices =>
            {
                cacheServices.AddDistributedMemoryCache();
            });

            // Option 2: SQL Server cache (production)
            /*
            services.AddDistributedTokenCaches(cacheServices =>
            {
                cacheServices.AddDistributedSqlServerCache(options =>
                {
                    options.ConnectionString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["TokenCache"].ConnectionString;
                    options.SchemaName = "dbo";
                    options.TableName = "TokenCache";
                    options.DefaultSlidingExpiration = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(90);
                });
            });
            */

            // Option 3: Redis cache (production, high-scale)
            /*
            services.AddDistributedTokenCaches(cacheServices =>
            {
                cacheServices.AddStackExchangeRedisCache(options =>
                {
                    options.Configuration = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["Redis:ConnectionString"];
                    options.InstanceName = "MyMvcApp_";
                });
            });
            */
        }
    }
}

Integrate controllers

Access Microsoft Graph and downstream APIs from your controllers by using the extension methods provided by the package.

Integrate MVC controllers

The following example shows how to use controller extension methods to access Microsoft Graph:

using Microsoft.Identity.Web;
using Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN;
using Microsoft.Graph;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Web.Mvc;

namespace MyMvcApp.Controllers
{
    [Authorize]
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        // GET: Home/Index
        public async Task<ActionResult> Index()
        {
            try
            {
                // Access Microsoft Graph using extension method
                var graphClient = this.GetGraphServiceClient();
                var user = await graphClient.Me.GetAsync();

                ViewBag.UserName = user.DisplayName;
                ViewBag.Email = user.Mail ?? user.UserPrincipalName;
                ViewBag.JobTitle = user.JobTitle;

                return View();
            }
            catch (MsalUiRequiredException)
            {
                // Incremental consent required
                return new ChallengeResult();
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                return View("Error", new ErrorViewModel { Message = ex.Message });
            }
        }

        // GET: Home/Profile
        public async Task<ActionResult> Profile()
        {
            var graphClient = this.GetGraphServiceClient();

            // Get user profile
            var user = await graphClient.Me
                .GetAsync(requestConfig => requestConfig.QueryParameters.Select = new[] { "displayName", "mail", "jobTitle", "department" });

            return View(user);
        }

        // GET: Home/Photo
        public async Task<ActionResult> Photo()
        {
            var graphClient = this.GetGraphServiceClient();

            try
            {
                // Get user photo
                var photoStream = await graphClient.Me.Photo.Content.GetAsync();
                return File(photoStream, "image/jpeg");
            }
            catch (ServiceException ex) when (ex.StatusCode == System.Net.HttpStatusCode.NotFound)
            {
                return File(Server.MapPath("~/Content/images/default-user.png"), "image/png");
            }
        }
    }
}

Integrate Web API controllers

The following example shows how to use ApiController extension methods to call a downstream API:

using Microsoft.Identity.Web;
using Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN;
using Microsoft.Identity.Abstractions;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Web.Http;

namespace MyWebApi.Controllers
{
    [Authorize]
    [RoutePrefix("api/todos")]
    public class TodoController : ApiController
    {
        // GET: api/todos
        [HttpGet]
        [Route("")]
        public async Task<IHttpActionResult> GetTodos()
        {
            try
            {
                // Call downstream API using extension method
                var downstreamApi = this.GetDownstreamApi();

                var todos = await downstreamApi.GetForUserAsync<List<TodoItem>>(
                    "TodoListService",
                    options =>
                    {
                        options.RelativePath = "api/todolist";
                    });

                return Ok(todos);
            }
            catch (MsalUiRequiredException)
            {
                return Unauthorized();
            }
            catch (HttpRequestException ex)
            {
                return InternalServerError(ex);
            }
        }

        // POST: api/todos
        [HttpPost]
        [Route("")]
        public async Task<IHttpActionResult> CreateTodo([FromBody] TodoItem todo)
        {
            var downstreamApi = this.GetDownstreamApi();

            var createdTodo = await downstreamApi.PostForUserAsync<TodoItem, TodoItem>(
                "TodoListService",
                todo,
                options =>
                {
                    options.RelativePath = "api/todolist";
                });

            return Created($"api/todos/{createdTodo.Id}", createdTodo);
        }
    }
}

Call Microsoft Graph

Use the GraphServiceClient to interact with Microsoft Graph data from your controllers.

Set up the Microsoft Graph client

The Microsoft Graph client is already configured in Startup.Auth.cs with the following call:

services.AddMicrosoftGraph();

Use GraphServiceClient in controllers

The following example demonstrates common Microsoft Graph operations in an MVC controller.

[Authorize]
public class GraphController : Controller
{
    public async Task<ActionResult> MyProfile()
    {
        var graphClient = this.GetGraphServiceClient();
        var user = await graphClient.Me.GetAsync();

        return View(user);
    }

    public async Task<ActionResult> MyManager()
    {
        var graphClient = this.GetGraphServiceClient();
        var manager = await graphClient.Me.Manager.GetAsync();

        return View(manager);
    }

    public async Task<ActionResult> MyDirectReports()
    {
        var graphClient = this.GetGraphServiceClient();
        var directReports = await graphClient.Me.DirectReports.GetAsync();

        return View(directReports.Value);
    }

    public async Task<ActionResult> SendEmail([FromBody] EmailMessage message)
    {
        var graphClient = this.GetGraphServiceClient();

        var email = new Message
        {
            Subject = message.Subject,
            Body = new ItemBody
            {
                ContentType = BodyType.Text,
                Content = message.Body
            },
            ToRecipients = new[]
            {
                new Recipient
                {
                    EmailAddress = new EmailAddress
                    {
                        Address = message.To
                    }
                }
            }
        };

        await graphClient.Me.SendMail.PostAsync(new SendMailPostRequestBody
        {
            Message = email
        });

        return RedirectToAction("Index");
    }
}

Call downstream APIs

Register and call downstream APIs with automatic token acquisition from your controllers.

Configure downstream API

Register the downstream API in Startup.Auth.cs with the following code:

services.AddDownstreamApi("TodoListService", configuration.GetSection("DownstreamApi:TodoListService"));

Add the corresponding settings in Web.config:

<add key="DownstreamApi:TodoListService:BaseUrl" value="https://localhost:44351" />
<add key="DownstreamApi:TodoListService:Scopes" value="api://todo-api-client-id/.default" />

Use IDownstreamApi in controllers

The following example shows how to perform CRUD operations against a downstream API from an MVC controller.

[Authorize]
public class TodoController : Controller
{
    // GET all todos
    public async Task<ActionResult> Index()
    {
        var downstreamApi = this.GetDownstreamApi();

        var todos = await downstreamApi.GetForUserAsync<List<TodoItem>>(
            "TodoListService",
            options =>
            {
                options.RelativePath = "api/todolist";
            });

        return View(todos);
    }

    // GET specific todo
    public async Task<ActionResult> Details(int id)
    {
        var downstreamApi = this.GetDownstreamApi();

        var todo = await downstreamApi.GetForUserAsync<TodoItem>(
            "TodoListService",
            options =>
            {
                options.RelativePath = $"api/todolist/{id}";
            });

        return View(todo);
    }

    // POST new todo
    [HttpPost]
    public async Task<ActionResult> Create(TodoItem todo)
    {
        var downstreamApi = this.GetDownstreamApi();

        var createdTodo = await downstreamApi.PostForUserAsync<TodoItem, TodoItem>(
            "TodoListService",
            todo,
            options =>
            {
                options.RelativePath = "api/todolist";
            });

        return RedirectToAction("Index");
    }

    // PUT update todo
    [HttpPost]
    public async Task<ActionResult> Edit(int id, TodoItem todo)
    {
        var downstreamApi = this.GetDownstreamApi();

        await downstreamApi.CallApiForUserAsync(
            "TodoListService",
            options =>
            {
                options.HttpMethod = HttpMethod.Put;
                options.RelativePath = $"api/todolist/{id}";
                options.RequestBody = todo;
            });

        return RedirectToAction("Index");
    }

    // DELETE todo
    [HttpPost]
    public async Task<ActionResult> Delete(int id)
    {
        var downstreamApi = this.GetDownstreamApi();

        await downstreamApi.CallApiForUserAsync(
            "TodoListService",
            options =>
            {
                options.HttpMethod = HttpMethod.Delete;
                options.RelativePath = $"api/todolist/{id}";
            });

        return RedirectToAction("Index");
    }
}

Explore sample applications

Use the following samples to see Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN in action.

Review official Microsoft samples

The following table lists official samples that demonstrate Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN integration.

Sample Description
ms-identity-aspnet-webapp-openidconnect ASP.NET MVC app with Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN
Key Files App_Start/Startup.Auth.cs, Controllers/HomeController.cs

Clone and run the sample with the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/Azure-Samples/ms-identity-aspnet-webapp-openidconnect
cd ms-identity-aspnet-webapp-openidconnect
# Update Web.config with your Microsoft Entra app registration
# Run in Visual Studio

Follow best practices

Apply these recommended patterns and avoid common mistakes when building with Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN.

1. Use distributed cache in production:

//  Production
services.AddDistributedTokenCaches(cacheServices =>
{
    cacheServices.AddDistributedSqlServerCache(options =>
    {
        options.ConnectionString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["TokenCache"].ConnectionString;
        options.SchemaName = "dbo";
        options.TableName = "TokenCache";
        options.DefaultSlidingExpiration = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(90);
    });
});

2. Handle incremental consent gracefully:

try
{
    var graphClient = this.GetGraphServiceClient();
    var user = await graphClient.Me.GetAsync();
}
catch (MsalUiRequiredException)
{
    // User needs to consent to additional scopes
    return new ChallengeResult();
}

3. Use correlation IDs for troubleshooting:

var downstreamApi = this.GetDownstreamApi();
var correlationId = Guid.NewGuid();

var result = await downstreamApi.GetForUserAsync<Todo>(
    "TodoListService",
    options =>
    {
        options.RelativePath = $"api/todolist/{id}";
        options.TokenAcquisitionOptions = new TokenAcquisitionOptions
        {
            CorrelationId = correlationId
        };
    });

4. Implement proper error handling:

try
{
    // Call API
}
catch (MsalUiRequiredException)
{
    return new ChallengeResult();
}
catch (HttpRequestException ex)
{
    logger.Error($"API call failed: {ex.Message}");
    return View("Error");
}

Avoid common mistakes

1. Don't use in-memory cache for web farms:

//  Wrong for load-balanced scenarios
services.AddDistributedTokenCaches(cacheServices =>
{
    cacheServices.AddDistributedMemoryCache();
});

//  Correct
services.AddDistributedTokenCaches(cacheServices =>
{
    cacheServices.AddDistributedSqlServerCache(/* ... */);
});

2. Don't hardcode configuration:

//  Wrong
ClientId = "your-client-id-here"

//  Correct
ClientId = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["AzureAd:ClientId"]

3. Don't ignore token expiration:

//  Microsoft.Identity.Web.OWIN handles this automatically
// No manual token refresh needed!

Troubleshoot common issues

Review the following solutions for common problems that occur during setup and runtime.

Resolve common issues

Issue 1: "Cannot find IAuthorizationHeaderProvider"

Solution: Ensure OwinTokenAcquirerFactory is registered in Startup.Auth.cs:

var tokenAcquirerFactory = TokenAcquirerFactory.GetDefaultInstance();
tokenAcquirerFactory.Build(serviceProvider);
app.Use<OwinTokenAcquisitionMiddleware>(tokenAcquirerFactory);

Issue 2: "Cannot find GraphServiceClient"

Solution: Add AddMicrosoftGraph() in Startup.Auth.cs:

services.AddMicrosoftGraph();

Issue 3: Token cache not persisting

Solution: Verify distributed cache configuration:

services.AddDistributedTokenCaches(cacheServices =>
{
    cacheServices.AddDistributedSqlServerCache(options =>
    {
        // Ensure connection string is correct
        options.ConnectionString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["TokenCache"].ConnectionString;
    });
});

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