WebApplicationBuilderExtensions

Namespace: RA.Utilities.Logging.Core.Extensions

The WebApplicationBuilderExtensions class is the primary entry point for wiring Serilog into an ASP.NET Core application. It contains a single extension member, AddLoggingWithConfiguration(), which provides a "one-liner" setup for a production-ready Serilog configuration.

It abstracts away the boilerplate required to configure Serilog correctly by:

• Hooking Serilog into the .NET host through builder.Host.UseSerilog(...).
• Reading the Serilog configuration section from appsettings.json with ReadFrom.Configuration.
• Adding the WithExceptionDetails enricher so exceptions log with full detail.
• Enabling destructuring of System.Text.Json types for readable structured logs.

v10.1.1

Before v10.1.1 this method was declared in a class named LoggingExtensions. It now lives in WebApplicationBuilderExtensions (one class per extended type) and is written as a C# 14 extension member. The method name, signature, and namespace are unchanged — see the migration guide.

Request ID enrichment is not activated by this method. To enable it, add WithRequestIdEnricher to the Serilog → Enrich configuration (or call the fluent extension yourself) and register IHttpContextAccessor with builder.Services.AddHttpContextAccessor().

Methods

AddLoggingWithConfiguration()

Configures Serilog as the logging provider for the application with a set of sensible, production-ready defaults.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
builder	WebApplicationBuilder	The application builder to configure. This is the receiver of the extension member.

Returns

void. The method configures the Host property of the supplied WebApplicationBuilder and returns nothing.

Exceptions

Exception	Condition
ArgumentNullException	Thrown when builder is null.

What it configures

Step	Call	Effect
1	loggerConfig.ReadFrom.Configuration(context.Configuration)	Reads the Serilog section of appsettings.json, including levels, enrichers, and sinks.
2	.Enrich.WithExceptionDetails()	Destructures exceptions with type, message, and stack-trace detail (Serilog.Exceptions).
3	.Destructure.SystemTextJsonTypes()	Renders System.Text.Json types as readable values (Destructurama.SystemTextJson).

What it does not configure

• Sinks — none are added in code. Without a WriteTo entry in the Serilog configuration, events have nowhere to go.
• RequestIdEnricher — request ID enrichment stays opt-in.
• IHttpContextAccessor — since v10.1.0 the accessor is no longer registered for you. Add builder.Services.AddHttpContextAccessor() when request ID enrichment is enabled.

Example

1. Configure appsettings.json — control levels, sinks, and enrichers declaratively:

{
  "Serilog": {
    "MinimumLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Override": {
        "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning"
      }
    },
    "Enrich": [
      { "Name": "WithRequestIdEnricher" }
    ],
    "WriteTo": [
      { "Name": "Console" }
    ]
  }
}

2. Call the extension method in Program.cs:

using RA.Utilities.Logging.Core.Extensions; // Add this using
using Serilog;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Register this when WithRequestIdEnricher is enabled in appsettings.json.
builder.Services.AddHttpContextAccessor();
builder.AddLoggingWithConfiguration();

try
{
    Log.Information("Configuring web application...");

    builder.Services.AddControllers();

    var app = builder.Build();

    app.UseHttpsRedirection();
    app.MapControllers();

    Log.Information("Starting application...");
    app.Run();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Log.Fatal(ex, "Application failed to start.");
}
finally
{
    // Ensure all buffered logs are written before the app closes
    Log.CloseAndFlush();
}

tip

Call AddLoggingWithConfiguration() as one of the first statements in Program.cs. Everything logged after that point — including dependency-injection failures and startup diagnostics — goes through Serilog instead of the default .NET logger.