Connect to Active Directory Data from Blazor Apps

Blazor is a framework for developing modern, client-side web UIs using .NET technology. Instead of coding in JavaScript, developers can use the familiar C# language and .NET libraries to build app UIs.

The CData ADO.NET Provider for Active Directory can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live Active Directory data. Since Blazor supports .NET Core, developers can use CData ADO.NET Providers in Blazor apps. In this article, we will guide you to build a simple Blazor app that talks to Active Directory using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Active Directory

CData ADO.NET Providers allow users to access Active Directory just like they would access SQL Server, using simple SQL queries.

Install the Active Directory ADO.NET Data Provider from the CData website or from NuGet. Search NuGet for "Active Directory ADO.NET Data Provider."

Create a Active Directory-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData ADO.NET Provider for Active Directory

1. Create a Blazor project on Visual Studio.
2. From the Solution Explorer, right click Dependencies, then click Add Project Reference.
3. In the Reference Manager, click the Browse button, and choose the .dll file of the installed ADO.NET Provider (e.g. System.Data.CData.ActiveDirectory.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData ADO.NET Provider for Active Directory\lib etstandard2.0).

SELECT Active Directory Data from the Blazor App

1. Open the Index.razor file from the Project page.
2. In a ActiveDirectoryConnection object, set the connection string:

   To establish a connection, set the following properties:

   • Valid User and Password credentials (e.g., Domain\BobF or cn=Bob F,ou=Employees,dc=Domain).
   • Server information, including the IP or host name of the Server, as well as the Port.

   • BaseDN: This will limit the scope of LDAP searches to the height of the distinguished name provided.

     Note: Specifying a narrow BaseDN may greatly increase performance; for example, cn=users,dc=domain will only return results contained within cn=users and its children.

   For example: User=cn=Bob F,ou=Employees,dc=Domain;Password=bob123;Server=10.0.1.2;Port=389;

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying Active Directory data, using standard SQL to query Active Directory just like SQL Server.

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.ActiveDirectory;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (ActiveDirectoryConnection connection = new ActiveDirectoryConnection(
                   "User=cn=Bob F,ou=Employees,dc=Domain;Password=bob123;Server=10.0.1.2;Port=389;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Id, LogonCount FROM User";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     ActiveDirectoryDataAdapter dataAdapter = new ActiveDirectoryDataAdapter(sql, connection);
                     dataAdapter.Fill(results);
         
                     <table class="table table-bordered">
                         <thead class="thead-light">
                             <tr>
                                 @foreach (DataColumn item in results.Rows[0].Table.Columns)
                                 {
                                     <th scope="col">@item.ColumnName</th>
                                 }
                             </tr>
                         </thead>
                         <tbody>
                             @foreach (DataRow row in results.Rows)
                             {
                                 <tr>
                                     @foreach (var column in row.ItemArray)
                                     {
                                         <td>@column.ToString()</td>
                                     }
                                 </tr>
                             }
                         </tbody>
                     </table>
                 }
             </div>
         </div>
       

4. Rebuild and run the project. The ADO.NET Provider renders Active Directory data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

   At this point, you have a Active Directory-connected Blazor app, capable of working with live Active Directory data just like you would work with a SQL Server instance. Download a free, 30-day trial and start working with live Active Directory data in your Blazor apps today.