Blocking token cache operations prevent async patterns

7/10 High

The TokenCache API in MSAL.NET uses void-returning event handlers for load/persist operations, forcing synchronous calls to distributed caches. This blocks threads and can cause application crashes under high load in ASP.NET Core applications, as async cache APIs cannot be leveraged.

MSAL.NETASP.NET CoreToken Cache
Category
config
Workaround
hack
Stage
deploy
Freshness
persistent
Scope
single_lib
Upstream
stale
Recurring
Yes
Buyer Type
team
Maintainer
slow

Sources

Collection History

Query: “What are the most common pain points with MSAL for developers in 2025?”4/7/2026

The handler methods must return void. What this means is that we cannot use asynchronous APIs to load and persist data in token caches. In ASP.NET Core applications with enough requests coming in, this could actually lead to the application going down and requiring a server restart to recover.

Created: 4/7/2026Updated: 4/7/2026