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Visitor Kiosk - Blazor Server

Secure Facility Visitor Check-In System

.NET 9.0 Blazor Server Entity Framework Core

A demonstration application for secure visitor management at controlled-access facilities

Table of Contents

Overview

The Visitor Kiosk application is a Blazor Server-based system designed to simulate visitor check-in processes for secure facilities such as defense contractors, government buildings, or corporate campuses. It demonstrates modern .NET patterns including:

  • Cookie-based authentication suitable for Blazor Server's SignalR architecture
  • Repository pattern for clean data access
  • Dependency injection throughout
  • Secure password hashing with salted SHA256

Purpose

This application serves as both a functional prototype and an educational reference implementation, showcasing best practices for:

  • User authentication and session management
  • Secure password storage
  • Clean architecture with separation of concerns
  • Blazor Server component design

Key Features

Feature Description
Dual Authentication Supports both PIN and username/password login
Visitor Management Search, view, and edit visitor information
Session Tracking Tracks user sessions with configurable expiration
Clearance Handling Manages visitor security clearances and special accesses
Educational Mode Includes code snippet pages explaining authentication flow
Check-In/Check-Out Records visitor arrival and departure times

System Architecture

The solution follows a clean multi-project architecture separating concerns across layers:

flowchart TB
    subgraph CLIENT["Client Browser"]
        BROWSER["Web Browser"]
    end

    subgraph BLAZOR["KioskCheckIn.Web - Blazor Server"]
        PAGES["Razor Pages<br/>(Login, Idle, VisitorSearch, VisitorInfo)"]
        SIGNALR["SignalR Hub<br/>(Real-time UI updates)"]
        STATE["VisitorState<br/>(Scoped state management)"]
    end

    subgraph API["KioskCheckIn.API - Web API"]
        CONTROLLERS["Controllers<br/>(LoginController)"]
        SERVICES["Services<br/>(UserAuthenticationService, VisitorService)"]
        REPOS["Repositories<br/>(UserRepository, VisitorRepository, SessionRepository)"]
        HELPERS["Helpers<br/>(Cookie, PasswordHelper)"]
    end

    subgraph DATA["KioskCheckIn.Data - Data Layer"]
        MODELS["Entity Models<br/>(User, Visitor, Visit, Conference)"]
        DTOS["DTOs<br/>(UserDTO, VisitorDTO)"]
        MAPPER["AutoMapper<br/>(Entity ↔ DTO mapping)"]
        CONTEXT["KioskContext<br/>(EF Core DbContext)"]
    end

    subgraph DB["Database"]
        SQLSERVER[("SQL Server<br/>Kiosk Database")]
    end

    BROWSER <-->|"SignalR WebSocket"| SIGNALR
    SIGNALR <--> PAGES
    PAGES <--> STATE
    PAGES <-->|"HTTP REST"| CONTROLLERS
    CONTROLLERS --> SERVICES
    SERVICES --> REPOS
    SERVICES --> HELPERS
    REPOS --> CONTEXT
    CONTEXT --> SQLSERVER
    MODELS --> CONTEXT
    DTOS <--> MAPPER
    MAPPER <--> MODELS
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Layer Responsibilities

Layer Project Purpose
Presentation KioskCheckIn.Web Blazor Server UI, Razor pages, state management
API KioskCheckIn.API REST endpoints, business logic, authentication services
Data Access KioskCheckIn.Data Entity models, DTOs, AutoMapper profiles, EF Core context
Shared KioskCheckIn.Shared Cross-cutting dependencies

Authentication Flow

The authentication process supports both PIN-based quick access and traditional username/password login:

flowchart TD
    START((User Arrives)) --> LOGIN[Login Page]

    LOGIN --> CHOICE{Authentication<br/>Method?}

    CHOICE -->|PIN| PIN_ENTRY[Enter PIN]
    CHOICE -->|Username/Password| CREDS_ENTRY[Enter Credentials]

    PIN_ENTRY --> PIN_VALIDATE{Validate PIN<br/>against Administrator}
    CREDS_ENTRY --> CREDS_VALIDATE{Validate Credentials<br/>UserAuthenticationService}

    PIN_VALIDATE -->|Invalid| PIN_ERROR[Show Error]
    PIN_VALIDATE -->|Valid| CREATE_SESSION

    CREDS_VALIDATE -->|Invalid| CREDS_ERROR[Show Error]
    CREDS_VALIDATE -->|Valid| CREATE_SESSION

    PIN_ERROR --> LOGIN
    CREDS_ERROR --> LOGIN

    CREATE_SESSION[Create UserSession<br/>Generate ClientId]
    CREATE_SESSION --> SET_COOKIE[Set Authentication Cookie<br/>Cookie.Create]
    SET_COOKIE --> REDIRECT[Redirect to /idle]

    REDIRECT --> IDLE((Idle Screen))
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Password Validation Process

flowchart LR
    subgraph INPUT["User Input"]
        USER_PASS["Plain Password"]
    end

    subgraph RETRIEVE["Database Lookup"]
        GET_USER["GetUser(username)"]
        STORED_HASH["Stored PasswordHash"]
        STORED_SALT["Stored Salt"]
    end

    subgraph HASH["Hashing Process"]
        COMBINE["Combine Password + Salt"]
        SHA256["SHA256 Hash"]
        COMPUTED["Computed Hash"]
    end

    subgraph COMPARE["Comparison"]
        MATCH{Hashes<br/>Match?}
    end

    subgraph RESULT["Result"]
        SUCCESS["Authentication Success"]
        FAILURE["Authentication Failure"]
    end

    USER_PASS --> COMBINE
    GET_USER --> STORED_HASH
    GET_USER --> STORED_SALT
    STORED_SALT --> COMBINE
    COMBINE --> SHA256
    SHA256 --> COMPUTED
    COMPUTED --> MATCH
    STORED_HASH --> MATCH
    MATCH -->|Yes| SUCCESS
    MATCH -->|No| FAILURE
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Visitor Check-In Flow

The visitor check-in process from kiosk interaction to database record:

flowchart TD
    IDLE((Idle Screen)) -->|"Begin Here"| SEARCH[Visitor Search Page]

    SEARCH --> SEARCH_TYPE{Search Method}

    SEARCH_TYPE -->|By Name| NAME_SEARCH[Search by Name]
    SEARCH_TYPE -->|By DOB| DOB_SEARCH[Search by Date of Birth]
    SEARCH_TYPE -->|By Email| EMAIL_SEARCH[Search by Email]

    NAME_SEARCH --> QUERY[Query VisitorRepository]
    DOB_SEARCH --> QUERY
    EMAIL_SEARCH --> QUERY

    QUERY --> FOUND{Visitor<br/>Found?}

    FOUND -->|Yes| LOAD_INFO[Load Visitor Info]
    FOUND -->|No| NEW_VISITOR[Create New Visitor Form]

    LOAD_INFO --> DISPLAY[Display Visitor Info Page]
    NEW_VISITOR --> DISPLAY

    DISPLAY --> EDIT{Edit<br/>Required?}

    EDIT -->|Yes| EDIT_FORM[Edit Visitor Details]
    EDIT -->|No| CONFIRM

    EDIT_FORM --> SAVE[Save Changes<br/>VisitorRepository.SaveChanges]
    SAVE --> CONFIRM

    CONFIRM[Confirm Check-In]
    CONFIRM --> CREATE_VISIT[Create Visit Record<br/>Set CheckInDateTime]
    CREATE_VISIT --> BADGE[Print/Display Badge]
    BADGE --> COMPLETE((Check-In Complete))

    COMPLETE -->|Reset| IDLE
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Visitor Data Structure

flowchart LR
    subgraph VISITOR["Visitor Entity"]
        V_ID["Id (int)"]
        V_NAME["FirstName, MiddleName, LastName"]
        V_DOB["DateOfBirth"]
        V_CONTACT["Email, Employer"]
        V_ADDRESS["StreetAddress, City, State, ZipCode"]
        V_SECURITY["Clearances, SAs (Special Accesses)"]
        V_VISIT["ConferenceId, VisitTypeId, CheckInTime"]
    end

    subgraph VISIT["Visit Entity"]
        VIS_ID["Id (int)"]
        VIS_VISITOR["VisitorId (FK)"]
        VIS_IN["CheckInDateTime"]
        VIS_OUT["CheckOutDateTime"]
    end

    VISITOR -->|"1:Many"| VISIT
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Session Management

User sessions are tracked for security and auditing purposes:

flowchart TD
    subgraph LOGIN["Login Process"]
        AUTH[User Authenticates]
        GEN_CLIENT["Generate ClientId (Guid)"]
        CREATE_SESSION["Create UserSession Record"]
    end

    subgraph SESSION["Active Session"]
        COOKIE["Authentication Cookie<br/>(9-hour expiration)"]
        DB_SESSION["UserSession in Database<br/>(SessionStart, SessionEnd)"]
        SLIDING["Sliding Expiration<br/>(Resets on activity)"]
    end

    subgraph TERMINATION["Session End"]
        LOGOUT[User Logout]
        TIMEOUT[Session Timeout]
        EXPLICIT[Explicit End Session]
    end

    subgraph CLEANUP["Cleanup"]
        UPDATE_END["Update ActualSessionEnd"]
        CLEAR_COOKIE["Clear Cookie"]
        REDIRECT_LOGIN["Redirect to Login"]
    end

    AUTH --> GEN_CLIENT
    GEN_CLIENT --> CREATE_SESSION
    CREATE_SESSION --> COOKIE
    CREATE_SESSION --> DB_SESSION
    COOKIE <--> SLIDING

    LOGOUT --> UPDATE_END
    TIMEOUT --> UPDATE_END
    EXPLICIT --> UPDATE_END
    UPDATE_END --> CLEAR_COOKIE
    CLEAR_COOKIE --> REDIRECT_LOGIN
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Session Entity

Field Type Description
Id int Primary key
UserId int Foreign key to User
Username string Username for quick lookup
SessionStart DateTime When session began
SessionEnd DateTime Planned expiration
ActualSessionEnd DateTime When session actually ended
ClientId Guid Unique session identifier

Project Structure

Blazor Kiosk/
├── KioskCheckIn.Web/                    # Blazor Server Frontend
│   ├── Pages/
│   │   ├── Login.razor                  # Authentication page (/)
│   │   ├── Index.razor                  # Home page (/home)
│   │   ├── Idle.razor                   # Waiting screen (/idle)
│   │   ├── VisitorSearch.razor          # Search visitors (/visitorsearch)
│   │   ├── VisitorInfo.razor            # Visitor details (/visitorinfo)
│   │   ├── KioskInformation.razor       # Info page (/kioskinformation)
│   │   ├── LoginEnpoint.razor           # Code demo (/loginendpointcodesnip)
│   │   └── AuthenticationCodeSnip.razor # Code demo (/authcodesnip)
│   ├── Shared/
│   │   ├── MainLayout.razor             # App layout
│   │   └── NavMenu.razor                # Navigation
│   ├── Data/
│   │   └── VisitorState.cs              # Scoped visitor state
│   ├── wwwroot/                         # Static assets
│   └── Program.cs                       # Blazor Server startup
│
├── KioskCheckIn.API/                    # Web API Backend
│   ├── Controllers/
│   │   └── LoginController.cs           # Authentication endpoint
│   ├── Services/
│   │   ├── UserAuthenticationService.cs # Auth logic
│   │   └── VisitorService.cs            # Visitor operations
│   ├── Repository/
│   │   ├── IUserRepository.cs           # User data interface
│   │   ├── UserRepository.cs            # User data implementation
│   │   ├── IVisitorRepository.cs        # Visitor data interface
│   │   ├── VisitorRepository.cs         # Visitor data implementation
│   │   ├── IUserSessionRepository.cs    # Session interface
│   │   └── UserSessionRepository.cs     # Session implementation
│   ├── Helpers/
│   │   ├── Cookie.cs                    # Cookie authentication helper
│   │   ├── PasswordHelper.cs            # Password hashing utilities
│   │   ├── VisitorState.cs              # State management
│   │   └── AuthResult.cs                # Authentication result model
│   └── Program.cs                       # API startup & DI config
│
├── KioskCheckIn.Data/                   # Data Access Layer
│   ├── Models/
│   │   ├── User.cs                      # User entity
│   │   ├── Visitor.cs                   # Visitor entity
│   │   ├── Visit.cs                     # Visit record entity
│   │   ├── UserSession.cs               # Session entity
│   │   ├── Administrator.cs             # Admin entity
│   │   ├── Conference.cs                # Conference entity
│   │   └── VisitType.cs                 # Visit type entity
│   ├── DTO/
│   │   ├── UserDTO.cs                   # User transfer object
│   │   └── VisitorDTO.cs                # Visitor transfer object
│   ├── MapperProfile.cs                 # AutoMapper configuration
│   └── KioskContext.cs                  # EF Core DbContext
│
├── KioskCheckIn.Shared/                 # Shared Dependencies
│
├── KioskCheckInSolution.sln             # Solution file
└── README.md                            # This file

Data Models

Entity Relationship Diagram

erDiagram
    USER ||--o{ USER_SESSION : "has"
    USER ||--o| ADMINISTRATOR : "may be"
    VISITOR ||--o{ VISIT : "makes"
    VISITOR }o--|| CONFERENCE : "attends"
    VISITOR }o--|| VISIT_TYPE : "has"

    USER {
        int UserId PK
        string Username
        string FirstName
        string LastName
        string PasswordHash
        string Salt
        string StreetAddress
        string City
        string State
        string ZipCode
        bool Administrator
    }

    ADMINISTRATOR {
        int UserId PK_FK
        string PIN
        string Username
    }

    USER_SESSION {
        int Id PK
        int UserId FK
        string Username
        datetime SessionStart
        datetime SessionEnd
        datetime ActualSessionEnd
        guid ClientId
    }

    VISITOR {
        int Id PK
        string FirstName
        string MiddleName
        string LastName
        date DateOfBirth
        string Email
        string Employer
        string Gender
        string StreetAddress
        string City
        string State
        string ZipCode
        string Clearances
        string SAs
        int ConferenceId FK
        int VisitTypeId FK
        datetime CheckInTime
    }

    VISIT {
        int Id PK
        int VisitorId FK
        datetime CheckInDateTime
        datetime CheckOutDateTime
    }

    CONFERENCE {
        int Id PK
        string Name
        date From
        date To
    }

    VISIT_TYPE {
        int Id PK
        string TypeOfVisit
    }
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API Endpoints

Login Controller

Endpoint Method Auth Description
/api/login POST Anonymous Authenticate user

Request Body (UserDTO):

{
  "username": "string",
  "password": "string",
  "pin": "string",
  "clientId": "guid"
}

Response (AuthResult):

{
  "isAuthenticated": true
}

Response Codes:

Code Description
200 Authentication successful
401 Authentication failed

Security Implementation

Password Security Flow

flowchart TD
    subgraph REGISTRATION["User Registration"]
        NEW_PASS["New Password"]
        GEN_SALT["Generate Salt<br/>(RNGCryptoServiceProvider)"]
        HASH_NEW["Hash(Password + Salt)<br/>SHA256"]
        STORE["Store PasswordHash + Salt<br/>in Database"]
    end

    subgraph LOGIN["Login Validation"]
        INPUT_PASS["Input Password"]
        GET_SALT["Retrieve Salt from DB"]
        HASH_INPUT["Hash(Input + Salt)<br/>SHA256"]
        COMPARE["Compare Hashes"]
        RESULT{Match?}
        SUCCESS["Grant Access"]
        DENY["Deny Access"]
    end

    NEW_PASS --> GEN_SALT
    GEN_SALT --> HASH_NEW
    HASH_NEW --> STORE

    INPUT_PASS --> HASH_INPUT
    GET_SALT --> HASH_INPUT
    HASH_INPUT --> COMPARE
    COMPARE --> RESULT
    RESULT -->|Yes| SUCCESS
    RESULT -->|No| DENY
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Security Features

Feature Implementation
Password Hashing SHA256 with cryptographic salt
Salt Generation RNGCryptoServiceProvider
Session Cookies HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite
Session Expiration 9-hour sliding window
Role-Based Access Administrator flag on User

Installation

Prerequisites

Requirement Version
.NET SDK 9.0+
SQL Server 2019+
Visual Studio 2022+ (recommended)

Setup Steps

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd "Blazor Kiosk"

# 2. Restore dependencies
dotnet restore KioskCheckInSolution.sln

# 3. Update database connection string in:
#    - KioskCheckIn.API/appsettings.json
#    - KioskCheckIn.Web/appsettings.json

# 4. Run database migrations (if using EF migrations)
cd KioskCheckIn.API
dotnet ef database update

# 5. Run the API
cd KioskCheckIn.API
dotnet run

# 6. Run the Web UI (in separate terminal)
cd KioskCheckIn.Web
dotnet run

Configuration

Connection String

Located in appsettings.json:

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Server=YOUR_SERVER;Database=Kiosk;Trusted_Connection=True;TrustServerCertificate=True;"
  }
}

Authentication Settings

{
  "Authentication": {
    "CookieExpiration": "09:00:00",
    "SlidingExpiration": true,
    "LoginPath": "/",
    "AccessDeniedPath": "/denied"
  }
}

Tech Stack

Component Technology Version
Framework .NET 9.0
UI Framework Blazor Server 9.0
Database SQL Server 2019+
ORM Entity Framework Core 8.0.11
Object Mapping AutoMapper 15.0.1
Logging NLog 6.0.1
Authentication ASP.NET Core Identity (Cookies) 9.0

Page Routes

Route Page Description
/ Login.razor Authentication entry point
/home Index.razor Welcome page
/idle Idle.razor Waiting screen with "Begin Here"
/visitorsearch VisitorSearch.razor Search for visitors
/visitorinfo VisitorInfo.razor View/edit visitor details
/kioskinformation KioskInformation.razor System information
/loginendpointcodesnip LoginEnpoint.razor Code demonstration
/authcodesnip AuthenticationCodeSnip.razor Code demonstration

Secure. Efficient. Educational.

A demonstration of modern .NET development practices

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Written using .NET Blazor Server

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