Get started with Azure App Configuration integrations

Azure App Configuration provides a managed service for centrally managing application settings and feature flags. Modern programs — especially programs running in a cloud — generally have many distributed components. Spreading configuration settings across these components can lead to hard-to-troubleshoot errors during deployment. The Aspire Azure App Configuration integration lets you model an App Configuration store as a first-class resource in your AppHost, then hand the endpoint to any consuming app — regardless of language.

Why use Azure App Configuration with Aspire

Adding Azure App Configuration through Aspire — rather than wiring up endpoint URLs and credentials by hand — gives you:

• Zero-friction local development. Aspire can run the Azure App Configuration emulator from the azure-app-configuration/app-configuration-emulator container image, so you can develop without a real Azure subscription.
• Consistent connection info across languages. Once you reference the App Configuration resource from a consuming app, Aspire injects the endpoint as an environment variable in a predictable format that works from C#, TypeScript, Python, Go, or any other language.
• Role-based access control. The hosting integration automatically provisions role assignments so your app can authenticate to the store using its managed identity.
• Dashboard observability. The App Configuration resource shows up in the Aspire dashboard with logs and status alongside your other services.
• A first-class C# client integration. C# apps can use the Aspire.Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.AzureAppConfiguration package for automatic configuration provider registration and feature flag support — all wired up from the same resource name.

How the pieces fit together

The Azure App Configuration integration has two sides: a hosting integration that you use in your AppHost to model the store resource, and a connection story for consuming apps that reference it.

architecture-beta

  group apphost(server)[AppHost]
  group consumer(server)[Consuming app]

  service hosting(server)[Hosting integration] in apphost
  service appconfig(server)[App Configuration store] in apphost

  service app(server)[App] in consumer

  hosting:R --> L:appconfig
  appconfig:R --> L:app

The hosting integration lives in your AppHost project and models the App Configuration store as a resource. Consuming apps read the endpoint Aspire injects to talk to the store.

Getting there is a two-step process: model the App Configuration resource in your AppHost, then connect to it from each app that needs it.

1. Model Azure App Configuration in your AppHost

   Add the Azure App Configuration hosting integration to your AppHost, then declare a store resource and reference it from the apps that need to read configuration. The Azure App Configuration Hosting integration article walks through every capability — provisioning, emulator, role assignments, and infrastructure customization — with side-by-side C# and TypeScript examples.

   Set up Azure App Configuration in the AppHost

2. Connect from your consuming app

   When you reference an Azure App Configuration resource from a consuming app, Aspire injects its endpoint as an environment variable. See Connect to Azure App Configuration for the connection properties reference and per-language examples for C#, Go, Python, and TypeScript.

   Connect to Azure App Configuration

See also

• Azure App Configuration documentation
• Local provisioning: Configuration