Programming Archives - Jonathan Crozier

How to generate a cryptographically secure random string in .NET with C#

Security is an implicit requirement in practically every software application. As a software developer, it is very important to be aware of the security implications of any code that you write, ensuring that you are protecting users and their data. Many applications need to make use of secure random strings for various purposes. One of…

Working with SecureString in .NET applications

InProgramming Security

The SecureString class is a .NET type that provides an increased level of security for sensitive in-memory data. Having said that, the security benefits of SecureString have been widely debated. The general consensus is that SecureString can help to increase application security if used properly, however, the inherent advantages are somewhat limited in scope. Despite…

Overcoming dependency injection hurdles with TinyIoC: A lightweight Inversion of Control container

InProgramming

Sometimes when embarking on a software project you may find yourself wishing that you had a lightweight way of achieving Inversion of Control (IoC) via dependency injection. On the other hand, you might not be very familiar with the principle of IoC, but have heard it can be very beneficial and are looking for a…

How to obfuscate .NET assemblies with ConfuserEx

InProgramming Security

Software assemblies containing managed code, such as those used by .NET applications can be easily decompiled into readable source code using free decompilation tools. This can present a challenge to application vendors who have a desire to prevent their code from being viewed or changed due to copyright or potential security concerns. For any application…

Preventing SQL injection in C# applications

InProgramming Security SQL

SQL injection is a common attack vector that remains one of the most prevalent security risks for applications today. One of the reasons SQL injection attacks are so pervasive is the fact that injection vulnerabilities are very easy for attackers to discover and exploit, sometimes with devastating consequences. On the other hand, mitigating SQL injection…

How to use tuples with named fields in C# by example

InProgramming

Tuples are a very useful feature of the C# language; they allow more than one value to be grouped and passed back and forth without needing to define additional types. As we’ll discover later in this article, tuples are particularly convenient for returning more than one value from a method, avoiding the need for ugly…

What makes a good device identifier?

InProgramming

Choosing a strategy for calculating a unique and reliable device identifier can be a frustrating and somewhat more difficult decision than you might initially think. There’s no silver bullet and like many things in the world of programming, pros and cons need to be determined and trade-offs need to be made. In this article, I…

How to become a quantum programmer

InProgramming

If like me, you are fascinated by science, you’ll possibly know a little bit already about the strange phenomena of quantum mechanics. Concepts like superposition, entanglement, and teleportation are all things that seem like they should be impossible but have been proven time and time again in the lab. Yes, things do behave very strangely…

How to stop and start IIS websites using C#

InProgramming

IIS (Internet Information Services) remains a widely used web server for hosting websites, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) sites, and other applications on Windows servers. While the graphical IIS Manager interface is great for setting things up initially and for providing a visual overview of your web configuration, there are also some great use cases for…

Implementing an async Repository and Unit of Work with Entity Framework Core

InProgramming

Implementing the Repository pattern in conjunction with the Unit of Work pattern is a best practice for data access that can bring a number of benefits to your application codebase when implemented correctly. Given the ease of use and scalability advantages that async .NET code offers, it makes sense to ensure that your data access…

Category: Programming

How to generate a cryptographically secure random string in .NET with C#

Working with SecureString in .NET applications

Overcoming dependency injection hurdles with TinyIoC: A lightweight Inversion of Control container

How to obfuscate .NET assemblies with ConfuserEx

Preventing SQL injection in C# applications

How to use tuples with named fields in C# by example

What makes a good device identifier?

How to become a quantum programmer

How to stop and start IIS websites using C#

Implementing an async Repository and Unit of Work with Entity Framework Core

How to rename a SQL Server machine

Back for seconds: Practical Cake build automation tasks

Software build automation sweetness: Getting started with Cake