Flatten Json for Azure Service App Configuration

The Azure CLI and Az Powershell module will let you import your .NET application's configuration (appSettings.json) to your azure Service/Web App or Azure Function.

Import

az webapp config appsettings set -g MyResourceGroup -n MyUniqueApp --settings @moreSettings.json

Export

az webapp config appsettings list --name MyWebapp --resource-group MyResourceGroup --subscription MySubscription

With Azure Functions, the importing and exporting can be achieved through the azure-functions-core tools.

Flatten-Json

There are times when I've needed to convert some JSON to the Key-Value syntax used in Application Configuration in Azure:

{
    "SomeConfig":
    {
        "ApplicationName": "Your_App",
        "Version": 1.2.3
    },
    "SomeOtherConfig":
    {
        "Test": 456
    },
    "MoreConfigs":[1, 2, 3]
}

This would translate to:

"SomeConfig__ApplicationName" = "Your_App"
"SomeConfig__Version" = "1.2.3"
"SomeOtherConfig__Test" = "456"
"MoreConfigs__0" = "1"
"MoreConfigs__1" = "2"
"MoreConfigs__2" = "3"

The dots (".") are replaced by underscores ("_") and colons (":") are replaced by double-underscores ("__").

Here is a gist for Powershell functions to flatten JSON:

Example appsettings.json

{
  "Position": {
    "Title": "Editor",
    "Name": "Joe Smith"
  },
  "MyKey": "My appsettings.json Value",
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft": "Warning",
      "Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime": "Information"
    }
  },
  "AllowedHosts": "*"
}

. /Flatten-Json.ps1
$json = Get-Content '.\appSettings.json' -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
Flatten-Json $json

Echo out the hashtable without truncation:
Flatten-Json $json | Format-Table -AutoSize

Name                                          Value
----                                          -----
MyKey                                         My appsettings.json Value
AllowedHosts                                  *
Logging__LogLevel__Default                    Information
Position__Title                               Editor
Position__Name                                Joe Smith
Logging__LogLevel__Microsoft                  Warning
Logging__LogLevel__Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime Information

TODO: Unflatten back to JSON

References

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/webapp/config/appsettings?view=azure-cli-latest

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-app-configuration/scripts/cli-import

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/azurerm.websites/set-azurermwebapp?view=azurermps-6.13.0&viewFallbackFrom=azurermps-5.6.0

• https://blog.runasync.net/2018/04/11/manage-azure-web-app-application-settings-using-azure-powershell/