ASP.NET Core 6: Custom Authentication Middleware Not Triggering for Certain Routes
I'm upgrading from an older version and I've been banging my head against this for hours. After trying multiple solutions online, I still can't figure this out... I'm working on an ASP.NET Core 6 API where I've implemented a custom authentication middleware to handle token-based authentication. However, I've encountered an issue where the middleware doesn't seem to trigger for certain routes, leading to unexpected 401 Unauthorized responses. My middleware looks like this: ```csharp public class CustomAuthMiddleware { private readonly RequestDelegate _next; public CustomAuthMiddleware(RequestDelegate next) { _next = next; } public async Task Invoke(HttpContext context) { // Custom authentication logic here var token = context.Request.Headers["Authorization"].FirstOrDefault()?.Split(" ")[1]; if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(token)) { context.Response.StatusCode = StatusCodes.Status401Unauthorized; await context.Response.WriteAsync("Unauthorized"); return; } // Validate token and set user principal // ... await _next(context); } } ``` I registered the middleware in the Startup.cs like so: ```csharp public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env) { // Other middlewares app.UseMiddleware<CustomAuthMiddleware>(); // Endpoint routing app.UseEndpoints(endpoints => { endpoints.MapControllers(); }); } ``` The issue arises when I try to access certain endpoints that are supposed to be protected. For example, I have this controller action: ```csharp [Authorize] [HttpGet("api/protected")] public IActionResult GetProtectedData() { return Ok("This is protected data"); } ``` When I access `api/protected`, if I provide a valid token, it works as expected. However, for another route like `api/public`, which I intend to leave open, it also returns a 401 response when accessed without a token. I've ensured that the routing order in `Startup.cs` is correct, and I have other endpoints that work fine. Is there a specific configuration or setup I might be missing that would cause the middleware not to recognize certain routes as public? I've also tried adding `app.UseRouting()` before my middleware and verified that `UseEndpoints` is correctly set up. Any insights on how to troubleshoot this or common pitfalls to watch for would be greatly appreciated! My development environment is Linux. I'm using C# 3.10 in this project. Hoping someone can shed some light on this.