Redis Cache¶

Use Azure Cache for Redis with ASP.NET Core 8 for distributed caching and session state, including TLS-first configuration for production.

flowchart TD
    A[Set Redis connection setting] --> B[Register IDistributedCache]
    B --> C[Read or write cache keys]
    C --> D[Redis TLS endpoint]
    D --> E[Verify cache hit ratio]

Prerequisites¶

Azure Cache for Redis instance provisioned
App Service can reach Redis endpoint (public or private networking)
Microsoft.Extensions.Caching.StackExchangeRedis package installed

Main content¶

1) Add package¶

<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Caching.StackExchangeRedis" Version="8.0.4" />
</ItemGroup>

2) Configure Redis connection setting¶

az webapp config appsettings set \
  --resource-group "$RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME" \
  --name "$WEB_APP_NAME" \
  --settings Redis__Connection="<redis-name>.redis.cache.windows.net:6380,password=<masked>,ssl=True,abortConnect=False" \
  --output json

Prefer Key Vault references for the password value.

3) Register IDistributedCache¶

using Microsoft.Extensions.Caching.StackExchangeRedis;

builder.Services.AddStackExchangeRedisCache(options =>
{
    options.Configuration = builder.Configuration["Redis:Connection"]
        ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Redis connection not configured.");
    options.InstanceName = "GuideApi:";
});

4) Cache usage example¶

[ApiController]
[Route("api/cache")]
public sealed class CacheController : ControllerBase
{
    private readonly IDistributedCache _cache;
    public CacheController(IDistributedCache cache) => _cache = cache;

    [HttpGet("{key}")]
    public async Task<IActionResult> Get(string key, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        var value = await _cache.GetStringAsync(key, cancellationToken);
        return Ok(new { key, value = value ?? "<null>" });
    }

    [HttpPost("{key}")]
    public async Task<IActionResult> Set(string key, [FromBody] string value, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        var options = new DistributedCacheEntryOptions
        {
            AbsoluteExpirationRelativeToNow = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(10)
        };

        await _cache.SetStringAsync(key, value, options, cancellationToken);
        return Accepted(new { key, value });
    }
}

5) Session store setup¶

builder.Services.AddSession(options =>
{
    options.Cookie.Name = ".GuideApi.Session";
    options.IdleTimeout = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(20);
    options.Cookie.HttpOnly = true;
    options.Cookie.SecurePolicy = CookieSecurePolicy.Always;
});

app.UseSession();

6) TLS and reliability recommendations¶

Use port 6380 with ssl=True
Use abortConnect=False for resilient startup
Keep Redis timeout and retry behavior aligned with workload

Do not disable TLS in production

Azure Redis should always use encrypted transport. Never expose plaintext Redis credentials in source files.

7) Azure DevOps setting update snippet¶

- task: AzureAppServiceSettings@1
  inputs:
    azureSubscription: $(azureSubscription)
    appName: $(webAppName)
    resourceGroupName: $(resourceGroupName)
    appSettings: |
      [
        { "name": "Redis__Connection", "value": "@Microsoft.KeyVault(SecretUri=https://<vault>.vault.azure.net/secrets/redis-connection/<version>)", "slotSetting": true }
      ]

Verification¶

curl --request POST "https://$WEB_APP_NAME.azurewebsites.net/api/cache/demo-key" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '"demo-value"'

curl --silent "https://$WEB_APP_NAME.azurewebsites.net/api/cache/demo-key"

Expect value to round-trip and persist across scaled-out instances.

Troubleshooting¶

Timeout connecting to Redis¶

Confirm endpoint, port, and credential format.
Validate NSG/firewall/private endpoint route.
Test connectivity from Kudu console if needed.

Cache misses unexpectedly high¶

Check key naming consistency and expiration policy.
Confirm app instances share same Redis connection.
Validate no unintended InstanceName change between deployments.

Session not persisting¶

Ensure UseSession() is in middleware pipeline.
Confirm distributed cache registration occurs before session setup.

Run It in the Portal¶

Portal view: Identity blade (optional Microsoft Entra authentication path)¶

The Identity blade shown here is an optional extension point, not part of the default flow on this page. The recipe above uses the Redis__Connection app setting with Microsoft.Extensions.Caching.StackExchangeRedis, while this screenshot shows the System assigned identity surface in its current Off state. If you later adopt an identity-based Redis authentication pattern, this is the blade where the app identity would be enabled first.

Sources¶

Microsoft Learn source 1