Why can't my generic Blazor app read the LocalDb for Identity?

Question

Why can't my generic Blazor app read the LocalDb for Identity?

Rod Falanga 666

I wanted to see how a new Blazor Web app uses the LocalDb that is created when you create a new application that uses Individual Accounts during the project creation process. In my AppSettings.json file it created this connection string:

"ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Server=(localdb)\\mssqllocaldb;Database=aspnet-BlazorWebWithIdentity-5435ed71-e6f7-4a07-bf75-3acd150ee815;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true"
  }

Then later in the Program.cs file I put in this:

var connectionString = builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection") ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Connection string 'DefaultConnection' not found.");
builder.Services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(connectionString, sqlOptions =>
    {
        sqlOptions.EnableRetryOnFailure(
            maxRetryCount: 5,
            maxRetryDelay: TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30),
            errorNumbersToAdd: null);
    }));

However, when I debug the app, I get this error when I try to create a login:

at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.ExecutionStrategy.ExecuteImplementationAsyncTState,TResult ClientConnectionId:62785e65-5c0f-4c3e-a8b3-63523fca0e45 Error Number:4060,State:1,Class:11 --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.ExecutionStrategy.ExecuteImplementationAsyncTState,TResult at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.ExecutionStrategy.ExecuteAsyncTState,TResult at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Query.Internal.SingleQueryingEnumerable`1.AsyncEnumerator.MoveNextAsync() Exception thrown: 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.RetryLimitExceededException' in System.Private.CoreLib.dll An exception of type 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.RetryLimitExceededException' occurred in System.Private.CoreLib.dll but was not handled in user code The maximum number of retries (5) was exceeded while executing database operations with 'SqlServerRetryingExecutionStrategy'. See the inner exception for the most recent failure.

I'm using .NET 9

SurferOnWww 4,811 Reputation points

2025-01-05T00:23:53.16+00:00

Can you tell us your settings of target framework, Interactive render mode and Interactive location?
AgaveJoe 30,206 Reputation points

2025-01-05T01:01:23.0433333+00:00

The error message indicates a database connection issue.

The first troubleshooting step I would try is reading the inner exception as recommended in the exception message. Can you share the inner exception of the most recent error?

Next, I would try connecting to the database using SQL Management Studio and/or Visual Studio's tools like SQL Server Object Explorer. This step tells us if the database exists and what troubleshooting steps are next.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-05T23:56:06.33+00:00

@SurferOnWww I'm using .NET 9.

Interactive mode is both server-side and WASM.

Interactive location is server-side.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-05T23:59:34.4+00:00

@AgaveJoe I think you've hit where I'm experiencing my problem. I created the new project with no changes, except for adding some retry logic in the Program.cs file. I had thought that VS 2022 would create the LocalDb for me, when I created the project. I'm probably wrong about that. Its been a couple years since I've done this, so what should I have done first?
SurferOnWww 4,811 Reputation points

2025-01-06T01:08:13.4366667+00:00

Interactive mode is both server-side and WASM. Interactive location is server-side.

There are no such settings on the template of Visual Studio 2022. Can you tell us the settings shown blow?
AgaveJoe 30,206 Reputation points

2025-01-06T10:47:38.27+00:00

so what should I have done first?

I explained what to do first. Read (and share) the inner exception as suggested in the exception message also check if the database exists.

If the database does not exist then I think you need to execute update-database in the package manager console.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-07T02:15:55.7833333+00:00

@AgaveJoe the inner exception reads:

{"Cannot open database "aspnet-BlazorWebWithIdentity-5435ed71-e6f7-4a07-bf75-3acd150ee815" requested by the login. The login failed.\r\nLogin failed for user 'MYMACHINE\rodf'."}

Thus, verifying what I suspected.
Anonymous

2025-01-07T05:17:28.1233333+00:00

@Rod Falanga May I know have you tried to run Update-Database in Package Manager Console window ? It looks like the error your faced is the same as mine just like what I shared below.

Accepted answer

2 additional answers

Your answer

SurferOnWww 4,811 Reputation points

2025-01-05T00:23:53.16+00:00

Can you tell us your settings of target framework, Interactive render mode and Interactive location?
AgaveJoe 30,206 Reputation points

2025-01-05T01:01:23.0433333+00:00

The error message indicates a database connection issue.

The first troubleshooting step I would try is reading the inner exception as recommended in the exception message. Can you share the inner exception of the most recent error?

Next, I would try connecting to the database using SQL Management Studio and/or Visual Studio's tools like SQL Server Object Explorer. This step tells us if the database exists and what troubleshooting steps are next.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-05T23:56:06.33+00:00

@SurferOnWww I'm using .NET 9.

Interactive mode is both server-side and WASM.

Interactive location is server-side.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-05T23:59:34.4+00:00

@AgaveJoe I think you've hit where I'm experiencing my problem. I created the new project with no changes, except for adding some retry logic in the Program.cs file. I had thought that VS 2022 would create the LocalDb for me, when I created the project. I'm probably wrong about that. Its been a couple years since I've done this, so what should I have done first?
SurferOnWww 4,811 Reputation points

2025-01-06T01:08:13.4366667+00:00

Interactive mode is both server-side and WASM. Interactive location is server-side.

There are no such settings on the template of Visual Studio 2022. Can you tell us the settings shown blow?
AgaveJoe 30,206 Reputation points

2025-01-06T10:47:38.27+00:00

so what should I have done first?

I explained what to do first. Read (and share) the inner exception as suggested in the exception message also check if the database exists.

If the database does not exist then I think you need to execute update-database in the package manager console.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-07T02:15:55.7833333+00:00

@AgaveJoe the inner exception reads:

{"Cannot open database "aspnet-BlazorWebWithIdentity-5435ed71-e6f7-4a07-bf75-3acd150ee815" requested by the login. The login failed.\r\nLogin failed for user 'MYMACHINE\rodf'."}

Thus, verifying what I suspected.
Anonymous

2025-01-07T05:17:28.1233333+00:00

@Rod Falanga May I know have you tried to run Update-Database in Package Manager Console window ? It looks like the error your faced is the same as mine just like what I shared below.

Answer 1

Hi @Rod Falanga , Thanks for reaching out. The error you're encountering, specifically the RetryLimitExceededException with an inner Error Number: 4060, indicates that your Blazor application is unable to connect to the LocalDB instance, likely because the database cannot be accessed or doesn't exist. Here are some steps to troubleshoot and resolve this issue:

Verify LocalDB Installation: Ensure that SQL Server LocalDB is installed on your machine. Since you're using Visual Studio, LocalDB is typically included, but it’s worth confirming. You can check this by opening SQL Server Object Explorer in Visual Studio or running sqllocaldb info in a command prompt to see if (localdb)\mssqllocaldb is available. If LocalDB is not installed, you can install SQL Server Express, which includes LocalDB, from the official Microsoft website.
Check Database Existence: The connection string in your appsettings.json references a specific database (aspnet-BlazorWebWithIdentity-...). This database is not automatically created when you set up a Blazor app with Individual Accounts. You need to initialize it by running Entity Framework Core migrations. Open the Package Manager Console in Visual Studio and execute the command Update-Database. This will create the database and apply the necessary Identity schema.
Validate Connection String: Double-check the connection string in appsettings.json. Ensure the server name (localdb)\mssqllocaldb is correct and that Trusted_Connection=True is appropriate for your environment. If you're running the app on a different machine or environment, you may need to adjust the server name or authentication settings.
Test Database Connectivity: Use SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Visual Studio’s SQL Server Object Explorer to connect to (localdb)\mssqllocaldb. This can help confirm whether the LocalDB instance is running and accessible. If you encounter connection issues, ensure the LocalDB service is started by running sqllocaldb start mssqllocaldb in a command prompt.
Review EF Core Configuration: In your Program.cs, the AddDbContext configuration looks correct, but ensure that the ApplicationDbContext class is properly set up to use the Identity framework. Verify that it inherits from IdentityDbContext (or a similar base class) and that no additional configurations are interfering with the database connection.
Inspect Inner Exception Details: The error mentions an inner exception. Check the full stack trace or enable detailed logging to get more context about the failure. You can enable EF Core logging by adding .EnableSensitiveDataLogging() to your DbContext options in Program.cs (temporarily, for debugging purposes).
Ensure Migrations Are Applied: If you’ve made changes to your ApplicationDbContext or Identity models, ensure that migrations are up to date. Run Add-Migration followed by Update-Database in the Package Manager Console to apply any pending changes.

Hope this helps!

Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-07-29T02:43:49.2766667+00:00

Thank you, I'll look into this when I'm next at work.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-07-30T02:12:29.3+00:00

@Jack Dang (WICLOUD CORPORATION) I've checked to see if LocalDB is installed. It is. I've also checked appSettings.json to make sure it is there and has a connection string using Trusted Connections; it is there. And I made sure that what has to be in Program.cs is also there; it is.

Then I ran it again and tried logging in. This time, it took it! It reported in the command prompt, "User logged in". Before I tried running it, I also ran the Update-Database command in the PMC. That might be what I hadn't done before. I haven't touched this since January, so I don't remember.

Anyway, I consider it resolved. Thank you. And if I failed to run Update-Database as so many people here recommended, I am sorry it took me so long to get that right.
Jack Dang (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 1,020 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-07-30T02:36:56.9766667+00:00

It's great to know my answer was useful. If anything else comes up, feel free to ask in this forum.

Answer 2

Anonymous

If this is the first time for you to create a local database to test Identity, you might need to make sure that database has been created. If you didn't do anything to create the database, you might take a look at this section, I mean you might run Update-Database in Package Manager Console window

Here's my test result, I create a new .net 9 blazor web app auto-rendered mode, and after I run the app the try to register a user, I got error message below, which indicating that I'm not able to connect to the database, but the truth is that I haven't created this database yet. But since we didn't see the inner exception you shared, I'm not sure whether we are facing the same issue.

User's image

If you do face the same issue as mine, if you press F5 to continue the app, you might see screenshot below which suggestion you to run update database command.

User's image

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Best regards,

Tiny

Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-08T02:00:48.1533333+00:00
@Anonymous the main Blazor project has a folder named Data. Within Data is a Migrations folder. Within the Migrations folder there are two files:

00000000000000_CreateIdentitySchema.cs

ApplicationDbContextModelSnapshot.cs

That first CS file suggests to me that either it has created the local database, or it is a template to create the local database if I issue a Add Migration. Which should I do?
Anonymous

2025-01-08T02:09:39.3666667+00:00

Hi @Rod Falanga ,We'd better to run Update-Database in Package Manager Console window, may I know have you run this command?
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-09T01:57:15.42+00:00

@Anonymous I have not run the Update-Database command in the Package Manager Console. I will do that now...

... it said that the build had succeeded, then it reported having created several indices, such as:

Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Database.Command[20101] Executed DbCommand (1ms) [Parameters=[], CommandType='Text', CommandTimeout='30'] CREATE INDEX [EmailIndex] ON [AspNetUsers] ([NormalizedEmail]);

So, this looks very promising.
Anonymous

2025-01-09T02:17:35.2366667+00:00

Hi @Rod Falanga , thanks a lot for your feedback, just like what I shared in my answer, it looks like the error I reproduced is very similar to yours, so that I'm afraid you are facing the same issue as mine, this is due to that we haven't created the database so that we failed to connect to the database. If so, the resolution is complete the process of creating the database. Please kindly let me know whether that command helped or not.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-10T03:40:03.7833333+00:00

@Anonymous since the database is one that is included as a part of the Visual Studio project template, to create Identity tables (when I chose Individual Accounts) I don't know what more it is that I have to do, in order to create the database. Is there something that I need to install? And if so, what?
Anonymous

2025-01-10T08:22:16.4633333+00:00

Hi @Rod Falanga , the database is not part of the VS project template. VS just provide us a convenient approach to show and connect to SQL Server LocalDB. LocalDB is a lightweight version of SQL Server intended for development. It's installed with Visual Studio.
Anonymous

2025-01-13T01:40:49.01+00:00

@Rod Falanga when we choose individual accounts as authentication type when create a .Net core project, the VS template will help generate connection string in the project which is used to connect to a local database. Each time we create such kind of application, we will have different connection string for different local database which requiring us to run Update-Database command in Program Manager Console window to create the local database. However, once we've created a local database, we can keep using it in other projects, we just need to copy the connection string and use it in other projects, then we don't need to create another database for that project, and we don't need to run Update-Database command again.
Anonymous

2025-01-23T01:50:17.7233333+00:00

@Rod Falang Hi, do you have any update on this question? Please feel free to share your concerns here. If you think what I shared already solved your issue, could you please accept my post as the answer? Thank you very much.
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-01-23T04:35:43.3233333+00:00

Yes, @Anonymous I found that I hadn't installed SQL Express. I installed that and finally was able to access the LocalDB on my machine.

Thank you for asking and I hope that my experience will help someone else.
Anonymous

2025-01-23T05:50:48.6+00:00

Thank you @Rod Falanga for your feedback and confirmation : )
Rod Falanga 666 Reputation points

2025-07-30T01:56:20.4833333+00:00

Runnig the Update-Database command in the PMC resulted in:

Build started...
Build succeeded.

Then other lines for the EF migrations.

Answer 3

since the database is one that is included as a part of the Visual Studio project template, to create Identity tables (when I chose Individual Accounts) I don't know what more it is that I have to do, in order to create the database.

As far as I can tell and after several recommendations you finally ran update-database in the Program Manager Console. You did not report any errors after executing update-database so I'm guessing the Identity database was created.

Reference documentation

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/security/authentication/identity?view=aspnetcore-9.0&tabs=visual-studio

Is there something that I need to install? And if so, what?

The Visual Studio installs a development version of SQL Server; (localdb)\mssqllocaldb. You should not have to install anything, other than Visual Studio, to work with data. Have you tried connecting to the database using the tooling in Visual Studio (SQL Server Object Explorer) as suggested above? You can also use SQL management studio.

At this point, you should be able to register an account in your application. Have you tried running the Blazor application and registering?

If you are still having problems and want help then we, the community, need the steps you are performing and any error messages you encounter along the way. That will help us help you.

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Why can't my generic Blazor app read the LocalDb for Identity?

2 additional answers

Your answer