How Can I Correctly Pass Credentials with HttpClient for Impersonated Web API Requests?

Solving Credential Issues in HttpClient for Web API Impersonation

Impersonating users when communicating with web APIs often leads to challenges in correctly passing credentials. This article addresses inconsistencies between HttpClient and WebClient approaches.

Your application uses HttpClient with UseDefaultCredentials set to true. However, this alone isn't sufficient for proper credential transmission. A more robust solution is necessary.

The key lies in the HttpClientHandler's Credentials property. By setting this property, HttpClient can authenticate using specified credentials.

Here's the improved code:

<code class="language-csharp">var httpClientHandler = new HttpClientHandler { UseDefaultCredentials = true };
httpClientHandler.Credentials = CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials;
var httpClient = new HttpClient(httpClientHandler);
httpClient.GetStringAsync("http://localhost/some/endpoint/").Wait();</code>

CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials automatically retrieves the default credentials of the current process. These usually match the web application requestor's identity, achieving the desired impersonation.

Important Note: This method doesn't automatically handle credential refresh or expiration. For frequently expiring credentials, custom credential management is needed.

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