This guide explains how to make your application "invite-only" by removing the ability for users to register themselves. Only administrators will be able to create new user accounts.

Step 1: Disable Registration in Configuration

In appsettings.json, set:

"Registration": {
    "AllowSelfRegistration": false,  // Set to false
    ...
}

Step 2: Remove Register Link from Navigation

In Pages/Shared/_LoginPartial.cshtml, delete the Register link:

<!-- DELETE this line: -->
<li class="nav-item">
    <a class="nav-link text-dark" asp-page="/Account/Register">Register</a>
</li>

Step 3: Delete Registration Pages

Delete these files from Pages/Account/:

• Register.cshtml and .cshtml.cs
• RegisterConfirmation.cshtml and .cshtml.cs (if exists)
• RegistrationPending.cshtml and .cshtml.cs

Step 4: Update Login Page

In Pages/Account/Login.cshtml, remove the "Register" link if present:

<!-- DELETE: "New user? Register here" link -->
<p>
    New user? <a asp-page="./Register">Create an account</a>
</p>

Step 5: Remove Configuration Settings

In appsettings.json, you can now remove registration-related settings:

// DELETE this section if fully removing registration:
"Registration": {
    "AllowSelfRegistration": false,
    "RequireApproval": true  // No longer needed
}

Step 6: Clean Up Related Code

Search your codebase for references to registration and remove:

• Registration checks in Program.cs
• Any AllowSelfRegistration configuration reads
• Pending user approval logic (if not using)

Step 7: Update Admin Dashboard

The Admin section now becomes the only way to create users. Ensure the Pages/Admin/Users/Create.cshtml page works as expected.

Related: Remove Approval Workflow

If you're removing self-registration, you should also remove the approval workflow since it's no longer needed.

Verification

After removal, verify:

• Build succeeds with no errors
• No "Register" link appears in navigation
• Direct navigation to /Account/Register returns 404
• Admin can still create users via Admin > Users > Create