How to Configure accessToken Lifetime in ASP.NET Core 8 Minimal API with IdentityApi Endpoints

Learn how to easily configure the `accessToken` lifetime in ASP.NET Core 8 Minimal API using the new IdentityApi endpoints without custom token creation logic.
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Configuring accessToken Lifetime in ASP.NET Core 8 Minimal API

If you're diving into the world of ASP.NET Core 8 Minimal APIs and exploring its new features, particularly with identity management, you may find yourself facing a common challenge: configuring the accessToken lifetime for your application. In this post, we will walk through the steps to easily change the accessToken expiration time so you can have full control over your authentication process.

The Problem: Default Token Lifetime

When you set up your ASP.NET Core 8 Minimal API with Identity, the default accessToken lifetime is typically set to 3600 seconds (or one hour). This might not align with your application's requirements. Fortunately, configuring this setting is straightforward and doesn't require writing custom bearer token logic or diving deep into the framework. Let’s see how we can do it.

Understanding the Setup

Before we jump into the configuration, let’s review the code you may have in place for registering authentication services.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In your endpoint installation, you likely use the MapIdentityApi method as shown below:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

With this setup, you are set to register authentication services and map the identity endpoints successfully. However, to alter the accessToken lifetime, a few modifications are necessary.

The Solution: Configuring Token Expiration

To change the accessToken lifetime easily, you simply need to configure the BearerTokenOptions in your service registration. Here’s how you can do it step by step:

Modify Your Service Registration:
Update your InstallAuth method to include the configuration for BearerTokenOptions.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Configuration

ConfigureAll<BearerTokenOptions>: By using this method, you can apply the specified options to all instances of BearerTokenOptions.

BearerTokenExpiration: This property allows you to set the lifetime of the generated bearer tokens. In the example above, we’ve set it to 1 minute for demonstration purposes, but you can adjust it to your desired lifetime.

Conclusion

With just a few lines of code, you can easily modify the accessToken lifetime in your ASP.NET Core 8 Minimal API application. This allows you to tailor the authentication process to best fit your application's needs, enhancing security by reducing token validity duration if required.

Feel free to experiment with different expiration times and explore how they impact your application's authentication flow. By leveraging the capabilities of the ASP.NET Core framework, you can efficiently manage identity and access control in your applications.

For more tips and guides on ASP.NET Core, stay tuned to our blog!