Skip to main content

.NET SDK reference

warning

In Version 1.1.4 of the .NET SDK, the package name for installing the SDK changed from ff-netF48-server-sdk to ff-dotnet-server-sdk. To use this version, make sure you remove the old package name and use the new one. You can do this by using the following commands: Remove the old package
dotnet remove package ff-netF48-server-sdk
Add the new packagedotnet add package ff-dotnet-server-sdk

This topic describes how to use the Harness Feature Flags .NET SDK for your .Net application.

For getting started quickly, you can use our sample code from the .NET SDK README. You can also clone and run a sample application from the .NET SDK GitHub Repository.

Before you begin​

Make sure you read and understand:

Version​

Latest SDK version can be found on GitHub Release Page

If you are using an older version of the .NET Framework, it may not default the security protocol to TLS 1.2. For compatibility with this SDK, set the protocol to TLS 1.2 by using the following:

System.Net.ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = SecurityProtocolType.Tls12;

Requirements​

To use this SDK, make sure you:  

The library is packaged as multi-target and supports the netstandard 2.0 set of API's as well as  net461 for older frameworks.*

Install the SDK​

Install the SDK by using the dotnet add package command, for example: 

dotnet add package ff-dotnet-server-sdk --version 1.4.0
warning

In Version 1.1.4 of the .NET SDK, the package name for installing the SDK changed from ff-netF48-server-sdk to ff-dotnet-server-sdk. To use this version, make sure you remove the old package name and use the new one. You can do this by using the following commands: Remove the old package
dotnet remove package ff-netF48-server-sdk
Add the new packagedotnet add package ff-dotnet-server-sdk

To initialize the .NET SDK, you need to:

  1. Add your Server SDK key to connect to your Harness Environment.
  2. Add a Target that you want to Evaluate against a Feature Flag.
  3. (Optional) Configure the SDK.
  4. Complete the initialization with the SDK using the Server SDK Key, Target, and Configuration parameters you set.

Add the Server SDK Key​

To connect to the correct Environment that you set up on the Harness Platform, you need to add the Server SDK Key from that Environment. Input the Client SDK Key into the sdkKey parameter, for example:

public static String apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";

Add a Target​

What is a Target?

Targets are used to control which users see which Variation of a Feature Flag, for example, if you want to do internal testing, you can enable the Flag for some users and not others. When creating a Target, you give it a name and a unique identifier. Often Targets are users but you can create a Target from anything that can be uniquely identified, such as an app or a machine.

For more information about Targets, go to Targeting Users With Flags.

To add a Target, build it and pass in arguments for the following:

ParameterDescriptionRequired?Example
IdentifierUnique ID for the Target.Read Regex requirements for Target names and identifiers below for accepted characters.Required.Identifier("HT_1")
NameName for this Target. This does not have to be unique. Note: If you don’t provide a value, the name will be the same as the identifier.Read Regex requirements for Target names and identifiers below for accepted characters.OptionalNote: If you don't want to send a name, don't send the parameter. Sending an empty argument will cause an error..Name("Harness_Target_1")
AttributesAdditional data you can store for a Target, such as email addresses or location.Optional.Attributes(new Dictionary<string, string>(){{"email", "demo@harness.io"}})
Regex requirements for Target names and identifiers

Identifier

Regex: ^[A-Za-z0-9.@_-]*$
Must consist of only alphabetical characters, numbers, and the following symbols:
. (period)
@ (at sign)
-(dash)
_ (underscore)

The characters can be lowercase or uppercase but cannot include accented letters, for example Cafe_789.

Name Regex: ^[\\p{L}\\d .@_-]*$

Must consist of only alphabetical characters, numbers, and the following symbols:
. (period)
@ (at sign)
-(dash)
_ (underscore)
(space)

The characters can be lowercase or uppercase and can include accented letters, for example Café_123.

For example:

Target target = Target.builder()
    .Name(".NET SDK Target 1")
    .Identifier("DotNetTarget1")
    .Attributes(new Dictionary<string, string>(){{"email", "demo@harness.io"}})
    .build();

 

Configure the SDK​

When initializing the SDK, you also have the option of providing alternative configuration by using Config.Builder(). 

You can configure the following base features of the SDK:

NameExampleDescriptionDefault Value
configUrlConfigUrl("https://config.ff.harness.io/api/1.0")The URL used to fetch Feature Flag Evaluations. When using the Relay Proxy, change this to: http://localhost:7000https://config.ff.harness.io/api/1.0
eventUrlEventUrl("https://events.ff.harness.io/api/1.0")The URL for posting metrics data to the Feature Flag service. When using the Relay Proxy, change this to: http://localhost:7000https://events.ff.harness.io/api/1.0
pollingIntervalSetPollingInterval(60000)The interval in milliseconds that we poll for changes when you are using stream mode.60000 (milliseconds)
streamEnabledSetStreamEnabled(true)Set to true to enable streaming mode.Set to false to disable streaming mode.true
analyticsEnabledSetAnalyticsEnabled(true)Set to true to enable analytics.Set to false to disable analytics.Note: When enabled, analytics data is posted every 60 seconds.true

For example: 

CfClient.Instance.Initialize(apiKey, Config.Builder()  
    .ConfigUrl("https://config.ff.harness.io/api/1.0")  
    .EventUrl("https://events.ff.harness.io/api/1.0")  
    .SetPollingInterval(60)  
    .SetStreamEnabled(true)  
    .SetAnalyticsEnabled(true)  
    .Build());

Complete the initialization​

To complete the initialization, create an instance of the cfClient and pass in the apiKey and Config.Builder, for example: 

CfClient.Instance.Initialize(apiKey, Config.Builder().Build());

Sample of initializing the SDK​

        public static String apiKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FF_API_KEY");
        public static String flagName = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FF_FLAG_NAME") is string v && v.Length > 0 ? v : "harnessappdemodarkmode";  
  
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {  
  
            // Create a feature flag client  
            CfClient.Instance.Initialize(apiKey, Config.Builder().Build());
            CfClient.Instance.WaitForInitialization();
  
            // Create a target (different targets can get different results based on rules)  
            Target target = Target.builder()  
                            .Name("DotNetSDK")   
                            .Identifier("dotnetsdk")  
                            .Attributes(new Dictionary<string, string>(){{"location", "emea"}})  
                            .build();

Evaluate a Flag​

Evaluating a Flag is when the SDK processes all Flag rules and returns the correct Variation of that Flag for the Target you provide. 

If a matching Flag can’t be found, or the SDK can’t remotely fetch Flags, the default value is returned. 

There are different methods for the different Variation types and for each method you need to pass in:

  • Identifier of the Flag you want to evaluate
  • The Target object you want to evaluate against
  • The default Variation

For example:

Evaluate a boolean Variation​

public bool boolVariation(string key, dto.Target target, bool defaultValue)

Evaluate a number Variation​

public double numberVariation(string key, dto.Target target, double defaultValue)

Evaluate a string Variation​

public string stringVariation(string key, dto.Target target, string defaultValue)

Evaluate a JSON Variation​

public JObject jsonVariation(string key, dto.Target target, JObject defaultValue)

Listen for events​

This method provides a way to listen to the different events that might be triggered by the SDK, indicating a specific change in the SDK.

client.InitializationCompleted += (sender, e) =>  
{  
    // fired when authentication is completed and recent configuration is fetched from server  
    Console.WriteLine("Notification Initialization Completed");  
};  
client.EvaluationChanged += (sender, identifier) =>  
{  
    // Fired when flag value changes.  
    Console.WriteLine($"Flag changed for {identifier}");  
};

Test your app is connected to Harness​

When you receive a response showing the current status of your Feature Flag, go to the Harness Platform and toggle the Flag on and off. Then, check your app to verify if the Flag Variation displayed is updated with the Variation you toggled.

note

The SDK must run for at least 60 seconds before it sends metrics. Please ensure metrics have not been disabled in the SDK.

Close the SDK client​

In most applications, you won't need to close the SDK client.

However, you should close the SDK client if:

  • Your application is about to terminate. Closing the client ensures that all associated resources are released.
  • You have determined that you do not need to evaluate flags again in your application lifecycle.
important

The SDK does not evaluate flags after the client is closed.

Additional options​

Develop on your local environment​

By default, you are connected to the Harness environment but you can use a local connector to develop in your local environment, for example:

LocalConnector connector = new LocalConnector("local");  
client = new CfClient(connector);

Store flags offline​

You can store your last Flag configuration for the SDK to use if your application is offline or you have an asynchronous startup. For example: 

FileMapStore fileStore = new FileMapStore("Non-Freemium");  
LocalConnector connector = new LocalConnector("local");  
client = new CfClient(connector, Config.builder().store(fileStore).build()); 

If you don’t store your Flag configuration and your application is offline, the Flags will be evaluated based on the defaultValue. 

Configure your logger​

1.2.x - Microsoft.Extensions.Logging​

With version 1.2.x and above you can use Microsoft.Extensions.Logging to provide an ILoggerFactory on the config builder. For example:

dotnet add package Serilog.Extensions.Logging dotnet add package Serilog.Sinks.Console

var loggerFactory = new SerilogLoggerFactory(
    new LoggerConfiguration()
        .MinimumLevel.Verbose()
        .WriteTo.Console()
        .CreateLogger());

var config = Config.Builder()
    ...
    .LoggerFactory(loggerFactory)
    .Build();

1.1.x - Serilog​

On older SDK versions you need to use Serilog as your logger for that SDK. To do this, add the Serilog package, for example: 

dotnet add package Serilog

You can then configure the logger to write to the console with debug, for example: 

// Logger  
Log.Logger = new LoggerConfiguration()  
    .MinimumLevel.Debug()  
    .WriteTo.Console()  
    .CreateLogger();

Use the Relay Proxy​

When using your Feature Flag SDKs with a Harness Relay Proxy you need to change the default ConfigURL and EventURL that we use. You can pass the URLs in when initializing the SDK, for example: 

CfClient.Instance.Initialize(apikey, Config.Builder()  
            .ConfigUrl("http://localhost:7000")  
            .EventUrl("http://localhost:7000")  
            .Build());

Sample code for a .NET application​

Here is a sample code for integrating with the .NET SDK:

using System;  
using System.Collections.Generic;  
using io.harness.cfsdk.client.dto;  
using io.harness.cfsdk.client.api;  
using System.Threading;  
  
namespace getting_started
{  
    class Program  
    {  
  
        public static String apiKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FF_API_KEY");  
        public static String flagName = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FF_FLAG_NAME") is string v && v.Length > 0 ? v : "harnessappdemodarkmode";  
  
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {  
  
            // Create a feature flag client  
            CfClient.Instance.Initialize(apiKey, Config.Builder().Build());
            CfClient.Instance.WaitForInitialization();
              
            // Create a target (different targets can get different results based on rules)  
  
            Target target = Target.builder()  
                            .Name("Harness_Target_1")   
                            .Identifier("HT_1")  
                            .Attributes(new Dictionary<string, string>(){{"email", "demo@harness.io"}})  
                            .build();  
  
            // Loop forever reporting the state of the flag  
            while (true)  
            {  
                bool resultBool = CfClient.Instance.boolVariation(flagName, target, false);  
                Console.WriteLine("Flag variation " + resultBool);  
                Thread.Sleep(10 * 1000);  
            }  
        }  
    }  
}

Troubleshooting​

The SDK logs the following codes for certain lifecycle events, for example authentication, which can aid troubleshooting.

CodeDescriptionLog Level
1000Successfully initializedInfo
1001Failed to initialize due to authentication errorError
1002Failed to initialize due to a missing or empty API keyError
1003WaitForInitialization configuration option was provided and the SDK is waiting for initialization to finishInfo
2000Successfully authenticatedInfo
2001Authentication failed with a non-recoverable errorError
2002Authentication failed and is retryingWarn
2003Authentication failed and max retries have been exceededError
3000SDK closingInfo
3001SDK closed successfullyInfo
4000Polling service startedInfo
4001Polling service stoppedInfo
5000Streaming connectedInfo
5001Streaming disconnectedWarn
5002Streaming event receivedDebug
5003Streaming disconnected and is retrying to connectInfo
5004Streaming service stoppedInfo
5005Stream is still retrying to connect after 4 attemptsWarn
6000Evaluation was successfulDebug
6001Evaluation failed and the default value was returnedInfo
7000Metrics service has startedInfo
7001Metrics service has stoppedInfo
7002Metrics posting failedWarn
7003Metrics posting successDebug
7004Metrics max target size exceededWarn
7007Metrics max evaluation size reachedWarn