abp-deployment

ABP Framework — Deployment

ABP Framework v10.4 deployment guide. An ABP application is deployed like any .NET/ASP.NET Core application (Azure/AWS/GCP/on-prem/IIS). However, there are ABP-specific points to watch for clustered environments, reverse proxy, OpenIddict, and production configuration.

Trigger

• "ABP deploy"
• "ABP production"
• "ABP Docker / Kubernetes"
• "ABP clustered / multiple instance"
• "ABP reverse proxy / forwarded headers"
• "ABP SSL / HTTPS"

Clustered / Multi-Instance Environment

When running multiple instances (cluster, container, cloud), design the application to be stateless — state kept in memory is lost because the next request may be handled by another instance.

1. Distributed Cache (Redis)

In-memory cache is per-instance. Use a distributed cache in a cluster. ABP Distributed Cache extends the ASP.NET Core distributed cache; the default is in-memory — configure a real provider (Redis) in production:

// Volo.Abp.Caching.StackExchangeRedis package
[DependsOn(typeof(AbpCachingStackExchangeRedisModule))]

"Redis": { "Configuration": "localhost:6379" }

In solutions created by selecting Tiered + MVC, Redis usually comes ready out of the box.

2. BLOB Storage Provider

The File System BLOB provider uses the local disk → not suitable in a cluster. Use the Database BLOB provider (ready in startup templates) or a cloud provider (Azure/AWS S3).

3. Distributed Lock

The default ABP background job manager uses a distributed lock to ensure jobs run on a single instance. In a cluster, configure a distributed lock provider (the DistributedLock library; e.g. Redis-based). The default is in-process — meaning it is not actually distributed unless a provider is configured.

4. SignalR Backplane

Configure a backplane (e.g. Redis) for SignalR across multiple instances.

5. DataProtection

For anti-forgery, cookie, and token encryption, point DataProtection keys to a shared store that all instances can access (e.g. Redis) — otherwise instances cannot decrypt each other's tokens.

Reverse Proxy — Forwarded Headers

Behind a reverse proxy/load balancer, the original client IP, host, and protocol (X-Forwarded-For, X-Forwarded-Proto, X-Forwarded-Host) must be read correctly:

// ConfigureServices
context.Services.Configure<ForwardedHeadersOptions>(options =>
{
    options.ForwardedHeaders =
        ForwardedHeaders.XForwardedFor | ForwardedHeaders.XForwardedProto;
});

// OnApplicationInitialization — at the start of the pipeline
app.UseForwardedHeaders();

If not done correctly, URLs are generated with the wrong protocol (http/https), and IP-based logging/auth breaks.

SSL / HTTPS

HTTPS is mandatory in production. Configure the SSL certificate at the reverse proxy (Nginx/YARP) or application level. Detail: ABP "Configuring SSL" guide.

OpenIddict — Production

The automatic certificates used in development are not suitable for production. In production, configure persistent signing/encryption certificates (e.g. .pfx + password, key store). Do not embed certificate/secret values in code — use environment variables / a secret store. Detail: ABP "Configuring OpenIddict" guide.

Production Configuration

• ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production and appsettings.Production.json
• Pass secrets such as the connection string, Redis, and OpenIddict certificate via a secret store / environment variable (do not write them to the repo)
• Apply migrations with DbMigrator (e.g. a CI/CD step): dotnet run --project src/MyProject.DbMigrator

Docker & Kubernetes

The microservice solution template includes ready infrastructure:

etc/
├── docker/     # docker compose for local infrastructure (Redis, RabbitMQ, DB...)
└── helm/       # Kubernetes deployment (Helm chart)

Monolith applications are also packaged as a standard .NET Docker image. In a container, the clustered principles above (distributed cache/lock, BLOB, DataProtection) apply.

Best Practices

1. Design stateless — for cluster/container/cloud
2. Configure distributed cache + lock + SignalR backplane (Redis)
3. Use a non-File-System provider for BLOB
4. Configure ForwardedHeaders — behind a reverse proxy
5. OpenIddict production certificates + keep secrets in a secret store
6. Apply migrations with DbMigrator in the pipeline
7. HTTPS mandatory, ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production

Related

• Infrastructure — distributed cache, BLOB, background jobs, distributed lock
• Microservices — gateway, docker/helm, distributed deployment
• Authorization — OpenIddict
• ABP Docs: https://abp.io/docs/latest/deployment