log4net SQL configuration instead of web.config

Question

Need to have log4net configuring with sql in my project , but due to security reasons must not have the connection string details on the web.config . What are the alternatives ? Just need to hide the ConnectionString only .

{
    var settings = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings[1];
    var fi = typeof(ConfigurationElement).GetField("_bReadOnly", 
    BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.NonPublic);
    fi.SetValue(settings, false);
    string connection = GetConnection();//To get the connection 
    details using a service
    settings.ConnectionString = connection;
}

This is not solving my issue , hiding the connection string details . The connection details to be pass to the web.config to consume the log.net sql logging

Answer 1

You could store the connection string in a separate file which you can keep out of source control to avoid exposing the credentials. Add the following to your Web.config file:

<configuration>
    <connectionStrings configSource="connections.secret.config" />
</configuration>

Then create a connections.secret.config file, but keep it away from your solution:

<connectionStrings>
    <add name="connection_name" connectionString="your_connection" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
</connectionStrings>

You will need to make sure you provide the connection string wherever you end up deploying your code using an environment variable or similar.

Answer 2

   Finally, the one which helped me to pass the connection information to ado.net appender 


 public static class LogConfigurator
 {
  public static void SetConnectionString(string connectionString)
  {
       Hierarchy logHierarchy = log4net.LogManager.GetRepository() as 
                                Hierarchy;

        if (logHierarchy == null)
       {
        throw new InvalidOperationException
           ("Can't set connection string as hierarchy is null.");
    }

    var appender = logHierarchy.GetAppenders()
                               .OfType<AdoNetAppender>()
                               .SingleOrDefault();

    if (appender == null)
    {
        throw new InvalidOperationException
          ("Can't locate a database appender");
    }

    appender.ConnectionString = connectionString; // Using a service to get 
    //the connection information 
    appender.ActivateOptions();

} }

web.config , give the same name for ado.net appender to take the connection
<connectionStringName value="ConnectionString" /> 

  <connectionStrings>
  <add name="ConnectionString" connectionString=""
  providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
  </connectionStrings>