Setup and Installation of Zen for Dotnet
This guide will walk you through installing and setting up Zen by Aikido for your application. Follow the steps below to protect your application.
We have first class support for multiple frameworks and database drivers, for the full list check our README on GitHub.
1. Install Zen by Aikido
Zen for Dotnet comes as a NuGet packages for Core and Framework that need to be installed together with your code so your application can be protected.
Install the package from NuGet:
dotnet add package Aikido.Zen.DotNetCore
Install the package from NuGet:
dotnet add package Zen.Aikido.DotNetFramework
or
Install-Package Zen.Aikido.DotNetFramework
Configure your application to initiate the Zen firewall.
In your global.asax.cs
file, add the following:
protected void Application_Start() { // ... Zen.Start(); }
If you're using OWIN, add the following to your Startup.cs
file:
public void Configuration(IAppBuilder app) { // ... Zen.Start(); }
If you are using a startup class, you can add the following to your Startup.cs
file:
using Aikido.Zen.DotNetCore; public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services) { // ... services.AddZenFirewall(Configuration); // ... } public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app) { // ... // Place this after use routing, or after // authorization, but high enough in // the pipeline to catch all requests app.UseZenFirewall(); // ... }
2. Create an app in the dashboard and generate a token
1. Go to the Zen section in Aikido.
2. Click on Add app.
3. Choose a name for your app and click Generate token.
4. Copy the generated token.
3. Start Zen in dry / detection-only mode
Set the token as an environment variable, in appsettings.json
or Web.config
appSettings
depending on your environment.
{ "Aikido": { "AikidoToken": "your-api-key" } }
<appSettings> ... <add key="Aikido:AikidoToken" value="your-api-key" /> ... </appSettings>
Start your app in dry mode AIKIDO_BLOCK=false
to ensure it works as expected without blocking any requests:
Tip: You can use AIKIDO_DEBUG=true
to enable debug mode (To verify that you set AIKIDO_TOKEN
correctly)
4. Test your app
Browse to your application and perform a couple of actions or open a couple of pages. Zen will automatically discover the routes in your application.
5. Enable Rate limiting and User blocking
Enable additional features like Rate limiting and User blocking from within your code. Check out these examples below. Keep in mind that your specific setup might need adjustments based on your framework and configuration.
.UseRouting() .Use((context, next) => { // Identify users to the Zen platform var id = context.User?.Identity?.Name ?? "-1"; var name = context.User?.Identity?.Name ?? "Anonymous"; if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(id)) Zen.SetUser(id, name, context); return next(); }) .UseZenFireWall()
In your global.asax.cs
file
public void Application_Start() { // ... Zen.SetUser(context => new User(context.User.Identity.Name, context.User.Identity.Name)); Zen.Start(); }
If you're using OWIN, add the following to your Startup.cs file:
public void Configuration(IAppBuilder app) { // ... Zen.SetUser(context => new User(context.User.Identity.Name, context.User.Identity.Name)); Zen.Start(); }
6. Setup rate limiting in the dashboard
If you've added the rate-limiting feature, you can test it out by logging in to your Aikido account and navigating to the Zen dashboard. Click on the created app and check the Events tab to verify that a “started” event was recorded:
To protect a route from brute force attacks, set up rate limiting in the Aikido Dashboard:
1. Click on the created app.
2. Go to the Routes tab.
3. Find the route you would like to limit and click Setup rate limiting.
4. Follow the instructions to configure the rate limit (e.g., 5 requests per minute).
7. Verify Rate Limiting
Start your app and try to access the route you've rate limited 5 times within a minute. After the fifth attempt, you should receive a rate limit error:
You are rate limited by Aikido firewall. (Your IP: 1.2.3.4)