Dependency injecting UserStore in OWIN startup using Ninject OWIN middleware

Question

I am having problems creating a custom UserStore using dependency injection when creating an ApplicationUserManager using the OWIN request pipeline.

Background

I am trying to migrate the user functionality in our web application from using the SimpleMembership to the new ASP.NET Identity. When starting a new MVC 5 project, the default implementation of the single page application uses ASP.Identity, using Entity Framework to implement the UserStore functionality.

In my case, we are already using NHibernate as the ORM, and using ninject to implement the unit of work pattern so that we had one NHibernate session per request, and I wanted to make the ASP.Identity work with our existing framework.

To this end, I created a custom UserStore, which could be created by injecting the relevant repositories/nhibernate session, etc. This could then be injected into the Controller's constructor using Ninject, rather than using the default implementation's GetOwinContext functionality.

In order to do this, I had commented out the following line in the ConfigureAuth(IAppBuilder app) method of the Startup, which by default creates the UserManager class:

// app.CreatePerOwinContext<ApplicationUserManager>(ApplicationUserManager.Create);

Instead, I used the NinjectWebCommon created when installing the Ninject.Web.Common.Webhost nuget package to create the relevant bindings.

This implementation worked fine with some of the UserManager operations, but with some operations, such as ResetPasswordAsync, it fails because the default ApplicationUserManager implementation is not called, and so the UserTokenProvider in the UserManager class is never set:

    public static ApplicationUserManager Create(IdentityFactoryOptions<ApplicationUserManager> options, IOwinContext context) 
    {
        var manager = new ApplicationUserManager(new UserStore<ApplicationUser>(context.Get<ApplicationDbContext>()));
        // Configure validation logic for usernames
        manager.UserValidator = new UserValidator<ApplicationUser>(manager)
        {
            AllowOnlyAlphanumericUserNames = false,
            RequireUniqueEmail = true
        };
        // Configure validation logic for passwords
        manager.PasswordValidator = new PasswordValidator
        {
            RequiredLength = 6,
            RequireNonLetterOrDigit = true,
            RequireDigit = true,
            RequireLowercase = true,
            RequireUppercase = true,
        };
        // Register two factor authentication providers. This application uses Phone and Emails as a step of receiving a code for verifying the user
        // You can write your own provider and plug in here.
        manager.RegisterTwoFactorProvider("PhoneCode", new PhoneNumberTokenProvider<ApplicationUser>
        {
            MessageFormat = "Your security code is: {0}"
        });
        manager.RegisterTwoFactorProvider("EmailCode", new EmailTokenProvider<ApplicationUser>
        {
            Subject = "Security Code",
            BodyFormat = "Your security code is: {0}"
        });
        manager.EmailService = new EmailService();
        manager.SmsService = new SmsService();
        var dataProtectionProvider = options.DataProtectionProvider;
        if (dataProtectionProvider != null)
        {
            manager.UserTokenProvider = new DataProtectorTokenProvider<ApplicationUser>(dataProtectionProvider.Create("ASP.NET Identity"));
        }
        return manager;
    }

Therefore, the UserTokenProvider is not set.

Problem

I want to use the OWIN pipeline, because Visual Studio's default implementation of the ApplicationUserManager class injects the IDataProtectionProvider in its Create callback method. However, I also want to create my UserStore using dependency Injection, and I do not know how to create a UserStore within this method using dependency injection.

    public static ApplicationUserManager Create(IdentityFactoryOptions<ApplicationUserManager> options, IOwinContext context)
    {
        // WANT TO CREATE THE USER STORE USING NINJECT DEPENDENCY INJECTION HERE
        // var userStore = ...
        var manager = new ApplicationUserManager(userStore);
    }

I have tried to get around this limitation by using the Ninject.Web.Common.OwinHost nuget package and creating the kernel within the Startup class.

    public void ConfigureAuth(IAppBuilder app)
    {
        // Setup

        app.UseNinjectMiddleware(CreateKernel);
    }

However, the Ninject.Web.Common.OwinHost does not expose its Kernel, so I am unable to use service location pattern to inject the values into my custom UserStore in the Create callback.

I have also tried to create a singleton Kernel, and register this using app.CreatePerOwinContext(CreateKernel) with the relevant delegate, so I could later access the Kernel, but when I call context.Get() it just returns null.

Question

How can I register a callback function with CreatePerOwinContext to create a custom UserManager which uses a custom UserStore, and then use Ninject to create the custom UserStore using dependency injection in the Create callback, so that I also have access to the IdentityFactoryOptions which Owin uses to inject the user token provider?

Dime

Answer 1

For info:

It is possible to register the kernel as a singleton so that the same kernel can be used by the ninject middleware and also registered within the owin context.

    public static StandardKernel CreateKernel()
    {
        if (_kernel == null)
        {
            _kernel = new StandardKernel();
            _kernel.Bind<IHttpModule>().To<HttpApplicationInitializationHttpModule>();

            _kernel.Load(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly(), Assembly.Load("Super.CompositionRoot"));
        }
        return _kernel;
    }

The callback function app.CreatePerOwinContext(ApplicationUserManager.Create), will call the ApplicationUserManager.Create rather than register it to be called at a later point during the setup. Therefore, the CreateKernel function needs to be registered before the ApplicationUserManager's Create callback or you will get a null reference exception if you try to get the kernel from the owin context within that method.

    public void ConfigureAuth(IAppBuilder app)
    {
        app.CreatePerOwinContext(CreateKernel);
        app.UseNinjectMiddleware(CreateKernel);
        app.CreatePerOwinContext<ApplicationUserManager>(ApplicationUserManager.Create);
     }

This will allow you to access the kernel to create a custom UserStore within the ApplicationUserManager's Create callback:

    public static ApplicationUserManager Create(IdentityFactoryOptions<ApplicationUserManager> options, IOwinContext context)
    {
        var kernel = context.Get<StandardKernel>();
        var userStore = kernel.Get<IUserStore<User, int>>();
        var manager = new ApplicationUserManager(userStore);
        //...
    }

I know that in general dependency injection should be favoured over service location, but in this context I couldn't see a way around it - unless anybody has any better suggestions?

This will allow you to use Ninject to implement the unit of work patter leveraging Ninject's InRequestScope().OnDeactivation functionality. I'm aware that the UserManager class has a per request lifetime, but didn't know the most the most appropriate way to commit any outstanding transactions on request finish.

Dime

I don't if it's something that have changed in Ninject since your post, but when you register the CreateKernel at the UseNinjectMiddleware I get the error: System.InvalidOperationException: Sequence contains no elements from the NinjectMvcHttpApplicationPlugin. – Richmound

@ShayNissel did you ever figure out why you get a Sequence contains no elements error? I am having the same trouble. – Interphone

@Dime have you seen the sequence contains no elements error? – Interphone

@Interphone I couldn't solve the issue with UseNinjectMiddleware, I assumed (by the lack of proper documentation) that it was never fully modified and tested for MVC5, but for WebAPI only. – Richmound

@Interphone I have to point out that since then Microsoft.Owin released a new version (3.0) of their implementation. I didn't check it yet, but there's a chance it fixed something. – Richmound

@ShayNissel I actually spent yesterday ripping out Ninject and switching to Autofac. Everything is great now.. I think Ninject is a little simpler, but I needed a solution that worked. Thanks for the reply – Interphone

@Interphone Sorry. I wrote an answer to your question, but I've just seen the thread and it hasn't posted. As I recall, the sequence contains no elements error can happen if you are registering the ninject module more than once, for example if you are creating the kernel in the Owin startup using the UseNinjectMiddleware functionality, but have left in the NinjectWebCommon code in App_Start, which will cause your previous kernel to be overwritten with an empty one which contains no elements. – Dime

One way to check for this is to see whether you have a NinjectWebCommon.cs in your App_Start, or whether your Application in Global.asax inherits from NinjectHttpApplication. These are alternative implementations of the Ninject kernel and will conflict with any implementation you have in your Owin Startup. – Dime

I was using Ninject.Web.Common.OwinHost version 3.2.3.0, if that helps. The NinjectWebCommon class which can cause this error is included automatically when you use Nuget to install Ninject.Web.Common. – Dime

Why both app.CreatePerOwinContext(CreateKernel); and app.UseNinjectMiddleware(CreateKernel);? When I do that it messes up the bindings. I can get bindings from ninject the first time, but the second attempt always fails. Removing the CreatePerOwinContext seems to fix it. – Grammer

Answer 2

Note This was for WebApi (using System.Web.Http)

Okay so I kind of cheated by using stuff from System.Web which is the namespace we're suppose to be weening ourselves off of, but while its still used, why not.

Firstly, I use some helpers from this SO question:

Configuring Ninject with Asp.Net MVC & Web Api

Within which, the resolver is registered with System.Web's global configuration. Thus, I just go grab it when I need it:

    public static ApplicationUserManager Create(IdentityFactoryOptions<ApplicationUserManager> options, IOwinContext context)
    {
        var repository = System.Web.Http.GlobalConfiguration.Configuration.DependencyResolver
                            .GetService(typeof(Data.Repositories.UserRepository)) as Data.Repositories.UserRepository;

        var manager = new ApplicationUserManager(repository);
...

Note: I use the term Repository over Store since it matches the well-known pattern, more understandable to most people.

And the Startup.Auth looks like this, I basically move the Ninject init into here so its done in time:

    public void ConfigureAuth(IAppBuilder app)
    {
        // Dependency Injection

        Evoq.AppName.Configuration.Ninject.NinjectHttpContainer.RegisterAssembly();

        // Configure the db context and user manager to use a single instance per request

        app.CreatePerOwinContext<ApplicationUserManager>(ApplicationUserManager.Create);

...

I did also use a method similar to the OP where I 'attached' a callback to get the IKernel but while this keeps it all OWINy, the problem with this approach is that you have to call owinContextThing.Get<IKernel>() which means referencing Ninject deeper in my code.

There were ways around it, but it started getting more complex than my solution above.

Additional Note

This is the Identity Framework code that registers the callback. Note the call to app.GetDataProtectionProvider which is essentially the thing we originally needed to make a UserTokenProvider.

    /// <summary>
    /// Registers a callback that will be invoked to create an instance of type T that will be stored in the OwinContext which can fetched via context.Get
    /// </summary>
    /// <typeparam name="T"></typeparam>
    /// <param name="app"></param>
    /// <param name="createCallback"></param>
    /// <returns></returns>
    public static IAppBuilder CreatePerOwinContext<T>(this IAppBuilder app, Func<IdentityFactoryOptions<T>, IOwinContext, T> createCallback) where T : class,IDisposable {
        if (app == null) {
            throw new ArgumentNullException("app");
        }
        if (createCallback == null) {
            throw new ArgumentNullException("createCallback");
        }

        app.Use(typeof(IdentityFactoryMiddleware<T, IdentityFactoryOptions<T>>),
            new IdentityFactoryOptions<T>() {
                DataProtectionProvider = app.GetDataProtectionProvider(),
                Provider = new IdentityFactoryProvider<T>() {
                    OnCreate = createCallback
                }
            });
        return app;
    }

I've looked and looked and reflected the libs and cannot find that method! If I knew how that worked, potentially we could find another way to create a token, i.e. wouldn't need the options instance.

Tripura