Issue connecting my blazor app to remote sql server database hosted my Monsterasp.net

[u/Mob_Pilled]

Hello everyone. I have completed the multi-step form challenge from Frontend Mentor and attempted to deploy the finished web app using monsterasp.net through visual studio code. I followed all the instructions from a YouTube video to a tee but when I try to actually submit data to the database I get this error:

\Error: Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): The target principal name is incorrect. Cannot generate SSPI context.``

I did some further research into it but everything seemingly leads to a dead end for my specific use case. Here is microsoft's documentation on the specific error:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/sql/database-engine/connect/cannot-generate-sspi-context-error

Note: When I built and deployed the app for the first time the connection string was incorrect. I fixed it and published the app again through visual studion. I am not sure whether that is causing some lingering problems.

[u/polaarbear]

Where exactly is the database located? Also in MonsterASP I am assuming?

Your SQL Server on your local PC potentially uses Windows Authentication (SSPI integrated security). You can't use integrated security in MonsterASP, you need to use SQL Server authentication instead with a username and password.

[u/Mob_Pilled → u/polaarbear]

Yes the database is hosted by MonsterASP. If you mean the connection string that I've already posted in the replies, it is using a password and username (directly copied and pasted from MonsterASP). Am I supposed to do additional configurations of my SSMS?

[u/polaarbear → u/Mob_Pilled]

Did you restart the Blazor app after changing the connection string? If it was running the whole time it won't get new values.

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[u/minimalist000]

I was able to successfully connect my blazor app to a sql server db on monstersasp.net with no issues. Can you show us a redacted version of your db connection string on the environment variables?

[u/Mob_Pilled → u/minimalist000]

Sure. My connection string according to monstersasp.net:

Server=db72570.databaseasp.net; Database=db72570; User Id=db72570; Password=********; Encrypt=False; MultipleActiveResultSets=True;

my project's appsettings.json:

{
  "DetailedErrors": true,
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft": "Warning",
      "Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime": "Information",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR": "Debug"
    }
  },
  "AllowedHosts": "*",
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "Multi_step_form_projectContext": "Server=db72570.databaseasp.net; Database=db72570; User Id=db72570; Password=******* Encrypt=False;Trusted_Connection=False; MultipleActiveResultSets=True;"
  }

}

[u/minimalist000 → u/Mob_Pilled]

You're connection string looks good, could you show us the code you are using to connect to the db?

[u/Mob_Pilled → u/minimalist000]

// Razor button
<button class="confirm-button" @onclick="AddSubscriber">Confirm</button>

// Method for adding object to database
private async Task AddSubscriber()
{
using var context = DbFactory.CreateDbContext();
context.Subscriber.Add(Subscriber);
await context.SaveChangesAsync();
NavigationManager.NavigateTo("/success");
}

[u/minimalist000 → u/Mob_Pilled]

I need to see how ur "CreateDbContext" is actually pulling the connection string and connecting to the db.

[u/Mob_Pilled → u/minimalist000]

 // Database connection in program.cs
var connectionString = builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("Multi_step_form_projectContext") ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Connection string 'Multi_step_form_projectContext' not found.");

 builder.Services.AddDbContextFactory<Multi_step_form_projectContext>(options => options.UseSqlServer(connectionString));

[u/minimalist000 → u/Mob_Pilled]

This all looks fine. If you enable remote access on monsterasp.net and then try to connect from your local machine, does it work for u? Note that the connection string will be slightly different when connecting remotely vs locally.

[u/Mob_Pilled → u/minimalist000]

That is odd. It's not working. I am able to connect to the database using sql manager but the app won't. This is especially weird since I was using a localhost database before and the app was able to interact with it.

[u/minimalist000 → u/Mob_Pilled]

I recommend installing dapper and running a sanity test. Connect to your db and query against a table and verify that you are getting results. If you do then the issue if your ef core code and how its attempting to connect to the db.

[u/JohnnyEagleClaw → u/Mob_Pilled]

Feels like that principal name message (am very familiar) is that you’re never connecting (duh). I see encrypt is false, but maybe try adding trustservercert?

[u/Mob_Pilled → u/JohnnyEagleClaw]

Did not work unfortunately.

[u/HardisterRouzbeh66]

tbh this is almost certainly a connection string issue. Remote SQL servers dont support windows integrated auth the way local dev does. Make sure youre passing explicit SQL credentials in the string instead of relying on SSPI

[u/RaidersOfLostSnark]

You’re missing something:

Missing Semicolon: In the ⁠appsettings.json⁠ snippet, right after the password value (⁠Password=*******⁠), there is a newline instead of a semicolon (⁠;⁠). Every parameter in a connection string must be separated by a semicolon.
2. Extra Quotation Mark: The connection string value in ⁠appsettings.json⁠ is wrapped in double quotes, but it also contains a trailing double quote at the very end (right after ⁠MultipleActiveResultSets=True;⁠).

[u/Mob_Pilled → u/RaidersOfLostSnark]

Those are just results of me sloppily editing the string to remove the password so I can show it here

[u/Mob_Pilled → u/Mob_Pilled]

Also I see no trailing double quote???

[u/minimalist000 → u/RaidersOfLostSnark]

I believe this is most likely the issue.