# AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-dotnet

Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) for .NET

Repository: https://github.com/AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-dotnet
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/microsoft-authentication-library-for-dotnet
Homepage: https://aka.ms/msal-net
Language: C#
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: msal, netcore, identity, dotnet, microsoft, azure-active-directory, maui, wam
Last push: 2026-08-26T19:33:20+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 98, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3971, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 13, "gap_med": 14, "n_releases_24m": 44}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1502, forks 411 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:54.473311+00:00)

## What it is
Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) for .NET, part of the Microsoft identity platform. It enables .NET applications to acquire security tokens via OAuth2 and OpenID Connect to call protected APIs, including support for Azure AD B2C.

## Use cases
- acquire tokens to call protected web APIs from a .NET app
- add Microsoft Entra ID sign-in to a desktop or mobile application
- authenticate users with Azure AD B2C in a .NET application
- implement OAuth2 authorization code flow in ASP.NET Core
- get access tokens for calling Microsoft Graph
- handle token caching and silent token renewal in .NET
- authenticate a daemon/service with client credentials flow

## When to choose
- you are building a .NET application that needs Microsoft identity platform authentication
- you need standards-based OAuth2/OpenID Connect token acquisition with Microsoft Entra ID
- you need Azure AD B2C support in a .NET app
- you want a Microsoft-supported library with long-term support and security fixes

## When to avoid
- you authenticate against non-Microsoft identity providers only (a generic OAuth library may suffice)
- you are building in a non-.NET language or platform
- you need a legacy ADAL migration target other than MSAL

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: auth, sdk
- domain: security, apis, developer-tools, cloud-computing
- platform: dotnet, cross-platform, windows
- tags: oauth2, openid-connect, azure-ad, entra-id, token-acquisition, microsoft-identity-platform, b2c, maui, macos, linux, mobile

## Member repositories
- AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-dotnet (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:54.473311+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:32:51.341180+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-dotnet (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:54.473311+00:00, sha 74efc4d7fb1c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.