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Morteza Jangjoo
Morteza Jangjoo

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nderstanding Reverse Proxy with .NET & SignalR (With Source Code + ZIP)

#dotnet #csharp #proxy #reverse

Reverse Proxy plays a critical role in modern web architecture — especially when building real-time applications using SignalR.
In this guide, we’ll break down what a reverse proxy is, why you need it, and how to use it with .NET + YARP + SignalR.

Fully working example
Client → Proxy → SignalR architecture
ZIP source code included

What is a Reverse Proxy?

A reverse proxy is a server that sits in front of your backend services and forwards client requests to them.

Key benefits:

  • Load balancing
  • SSL termination
  • Central authentication & security
  • WebSockets support (important for SignalR!)
  • Routing multiple services under one public endpoint

📡 Why use Reverse Proxy with SignalR?

When building real-time systems (trading apps, dashboards, chat, IoT streaming) you may need:

Challenge Reverse Proxy Solution
Clients change endpoints? One static external URL ✅
SSL offload? Proxy handles certs ✅
Distribute load? Proxy balances hubs ✅
Run multiple backend instances? Cluster routing ✅

Architecture 

Client → Reverse Proxy (YARP) → SignalR Server
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Full Example

We will run:

App Port
SignalR Server 5000
YARP Reverse Proxy 6000
Client connects to proxy ✅

Folder Structure 

ReverseProxyDemo/ ├── SignalRServer // .NET real-time server ├── ReverseProxy // YARP proxy └── SignalRClient // Console test client
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Code — SignalR Server (/SignalRServer/Program.cs) 

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder; using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR; var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args); builder.Services.AddSignalR(); var app = builder.Build(); app.MapGet("/", () => "SignalR Server Running"); app.MapHub<ChatHub>("/hub/chat"); app.Run(); public class ChatHub : Hub { }
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Code — YARP Reverse Proxy (/ReverseProxy/Program.cs) 

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args); builder.Services.AddReverseProxy().LoadFromConfig(builder.Configuration.GetSection("ReverseProxy")); var app = builder.Build(); app.MapReverseProxy(); app.Run();
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appsettings.json 

{ "ReverseProxy": { "Routes": { "signalrRoute": { "ClusterId": "signalrCluster", "Match": { "Path": "/hub/{**catch-all}" } } }, "Clusters": { "signalrCluster": { "Destinations": { "destination1": { "Address": "http://localhost:5000" } } } } } }
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Code — Client (/SignalRClient/Program.cs) 

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Client; Console.WriteLine("Client connecting..."); var connection = new HubConnectionBuilder() .WithUrl("http://localhost:6000/hub/chat") .Build(); await connection.StartAsync(); Console.WriteLine("Connected to SignalR via Reverse Proxy!");
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Running the project

Start SignalR server 

cd SignalRServer dotnet run --urls=http://localhost:5000
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Start Reverse Proxy 

cd ReverseProxy dotnet run --urls=http://localhost:6000
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Start Client 

cd SignalRClient dotnet run
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Output:

Client connecting... Connected to SignalR via Reverse Proxy!
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Download Full Source Code (ZIP)

Link: (https://github.com/Morteza-Jangjoo/Reverse_Proxy)

This ZIP contains all three projects ready to run.

Conclusion

Reverse Proxy is essential in modern .NET architectures — especially when building real-time SignalR apps.

With YARP you get:

WebSockets support
Load balancing
Easy routing
Production-ready reverse proxy

Next Step

Want the same setup with:

  • Docker + Nginx
  • Angular real-time dashboard
  • Kubernetes setup

Comment below and I’ll publish part 2

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