OnTheFlySettings is described by its author as a framework for changing ASP.NET API or app settings at runtime without restarting. The available project information does not establish how it works, which .NET versions it supports, or whether it delivers zero downtime. If you are evaluating it, treat that phrase as a claim—not a verified guarantee—and compare it with the configuration and refresh mechanisms documented for your ASP.NET hosting model.
What is OnTheFlySettings?
Shan Negi described OnTheFlySettings as a framework that lets developers update ASP.NET API or app settings at runtime without a restart, calling the result “Zero downtime.” The announcement establishes the author’s stated purpose, but not the framework’s implementation or performance. Read the author’s announcement.
A matching DEV Community listing is titled “OnTheFlySettings – Update your Asp .Net API/App settings without re-start. Zero downtime!” and is dated September 21. Its body is not available in the material reviewed here, so it cannot substantiate installation steps or technical behavior. View the DEV Community listing.
There is not enough verified information to give reliable package-installation instructions or say which ASP.NET and .NET versions are supported. The project’s canonical repository or package identity, source code, license, release history, security model, and tests have not been established. Do not confuse OnTheFlySettings with similarly named or adjacent packages; for example, OGA.AppSettings.Writeable is a separate package, not evidence about this framework. OGA.AppSettings.Writeable on NuGet.
#1 Best Overall
What “without a restart” does—and does not—mean
Changing a configuration value at runtime is not the same as deploying new application code without interruption. Even if a setting source refreshes successfully, the application must make the updated value available to the relevant code, and the process must remain healthy. The available OnTheFlySettings information does not demonstrate that it prevents service interruptions or handles every type of setting and deployment.
For ASP.NET Core, Microsoft documents a configuration system assembled from providers. Its documented defaults give higher priority to command-line arguments and environment variables than to user secrets, environment-specific JSON files, and the general appsettings.json file. A value supplied by a higher-priority provider can therefore take precedence over a changed JSON value. Microsoft also advises against creating another configuration builder solely to obtain runtime configuration. Microsoft: Configuration in ASP.NET Core.
Rank #2
What to check in ASP.NET Core
Before adopting a separate framework, trace the complete path from the setting’s source to the code that uses it. ASP.NET Core’s built-in facilities may already address your needs, but an updated source alone does not guarantee that each consumer will see or act on the new value.
- Identify the provider and precedence. Determine whether the value comes from JSON, environment variables, command-line arguments, or another provider. Check whether a higher-priority provider overrides it.
- Check whether the source reloads. For file-based configuration, verify that reload is enabled for the provider actually in use. Do not assume every configuration source watches for changes.
- Check how the consumer gets values. Code that reads a value dynamically, code that binds it once, and code that responds to a change notification behave differently. Microsoft’s options guidance identifies
IOptionsMonitoras a way to receive notifications for supported sources; the application still needs to respond appropriately. Microsoft: Options pattern. - Check the filesystem and deployment environment. File-change notifications may not work reliably in Docker containers or on network shares. Microsoft documents polling as a workaround for those environments. Microsoft: Options pattern.
- Verify OnTheFlySettings against those requirements. Before using it, confirm its authoritative repository or package, supported targets, refresh behavior, and failure handling from project documentation. Those details are not established by the announcement or listing cited above.
A documented dynamic-configuration route for .NET Framework
Classic ASP.NET on .NET Framework has a Microsoft-documented option using Azure App Configuration. The tutorial demonstrates an ASP.NET Web Forms application targeting .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later and says the same technique applies to .NET Framework MVC. This is a specific managed remote-configuration design, not evidence about OnTheFlySettings. Microsoft: Use dynamic configuration in an ASP.NET web application (.NET Framework).
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At a high level, the tutorial’s flow is to add the Azure App Configuration provider, select key-values, configure refresh, obtain an IConfigurationRefresher, and call TryRefreshAsync on requests. The example uses a five-minute refresh interval to reduce potential requests to the configuration store; the documented default expiration interval is 30 seconds. These are example and default interval settings, respectively—not a promise that all changes become visible at those exact times.
Refresh is request-triggered, interval-gated, and asynchronous in the tutorial. The request that triggers a refresh does not wait for it, so it may use old settings; a later request can use the refreshed values. This behavior matters when a change must take effect before a particular operation proceeds.
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How to choose an approach
| Consideration | ASP.NET Core configuration | Azure App Configuration for .NET Framework | OnTheFlySettings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence and scope | Documented Microsoft configuration-provider and options facilities. Source | Documented Microsoft tutorial for Web Forms on .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later; tutorial says the technique also applies to .NET Framework MVC. Source | Author-described framework; supported targets and implementation details are not stated in the available project information. |
| Configuration source | One or more configuration providers, such as files and environment variables; precedence depends on provider order. | Remote Azure App Configuration store. | Not stated in the available project information. |
| How changes reach code | Depends on the source and consumer. IOptionsMonitor supports notifications for supported sources. |
Request-triggered asynchronous refresh through TryRefreshAsync; a triggering request may still use old values. |
Not stated in the available project information. |
| Operational considerations | Provider reload behavior, consumer change handling, and filesystem notification reliability. | Store access, credentials, network availability, caching, and refresh interval. | Repository, package identity, target frameworks, license, security model, tests, and failure modes are not established. |
Choose based on the actual target framework and hosting model, where settings live, how quickly changes must reach consumers, and what should happen if refresh fails. A local file watcher and a centrally managed store solve different operational problems. Neither, by itself, proves that an application deployment has zero downtime.
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