ASP.NET 4: Register HTTP Module at Runtime without Editing your Web.config

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The ASP.NET pipeline allows HTTP modules to be plugged-in to a request and intercept or modify each individual request. Modules can be used for processes like caching, authentication etc. However a basic requirement for an HTTP module to function, is that it must be registered in your config file. This leads to editing the Web.Config whenever you have to add/remove modules. I hate fudging with my config file too often!

Not known to many developers, ASP.NET 4.0 provides the PreApplicationStartMethodAttribute which allows you to run code even before any app_start event gets fired or any dynamic compilation occurs (App_code).

So how do I register an HTTP Module at Runtime using PreApplicationStartMethodAttribute and DynamicModuleUtility.RegisterModule?

It’s a simple 3 process step!

Step 1: Implement your Module. In the code shown below, we are implementing the IModule interface and subscribing to the BeginRequest event of the HttpApplication object. The OnBeginRequest method hooks up to the BeginRequest event.

Step 2: Register the Module dynamically using the DynamicModuleUtility.RegisterModule method. Write this code in the same class you created above

public static class MyCustomCode
{
 public static void Initialize()
 {
    DynamicModuleUtility.RegisterModule(typeof(SomeModule));
 } 
}

Step 3: The final step is to use the PreApplicationStartMethod attribute. Just add this  attribute at the assembly level in the AssemblyInfo file or as shown below:

There you go! You have just registered an HTTP module into the ASP.NET pipeline without making any changes to web.config file.

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About The Author

Suprotim Agarwal, ASP.NET Architecture MVP works as an Architect Consultant and provides consultancy on how to design and develop Web applications.

Suprotim is also the founder and primary contributor to DevCurry, DotNetCurry and SQLServerCurry. He has also written an EBook 51 Recipes using jQuery with ASP.NET Controls.

Follow him on twitter @suprotimagarwal