--- title: Remove unnecessary HTTP modules from the ASP.NET pipeline description: A simple technique for speeding up ASP.NET application startup by removing unused HTTP modules (like WindowsAuthentication, PassportAuthentication,... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/remove-unnecessary-http-modules-from-the-asp-net-pipeline-pxkgkq9aq twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Remove unnecessary HTTP modules from the ASP.NET pipeline | daily.dev og:description: A simple technique for speeding up ASP.NET application startup by removing unused HTTP modules (like WindowsAuthentication, PassportAuthentication,... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/remove-unnecessary-http-modules-from-the-asp-net-pipeline-pxkgkq9aq og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/PxKGkq9Aq.png og:image:alt: Remove unnecessary HTTP modules from the ASP.NET pipeline og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Remove unnecessary HTTP modules from the ASP.NET pipeline **[Maarten Balliauw](https://daily.dev/sources/maartenballiauw)** · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A simple technique for speeding up ASP.NET application startup by removing unused HTTP modules (like WindowsAuthentication, PassportAuthentication, UrlAuthorization, FileAuthorization) from the pipeline via Web.config. Disabling unneeded modules reduces object creation overhead on every page load. The post lists the default HttpModules available in the .NET Framework config and shows how configuration cascading lets different folders (e.g., a public site vs. a protected subfolder) use different authentication module settings. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I remove unused HTTP modules from the ASP.NET pipeline to speed up page load? Add remove elements inside the httpModules section of Web.config, one for each module you want to disable, such as WindowsAuthentication, PassportAuthentication, UrlAuthorization, and FileAuthorization. Removing modules you don't use (like OutputCache, Session, RoleManager, AnonymousIdentification, or Profile) reduces object creation at every page load, decreasing ASP.NET bootstrapping time. _Developers tuning legacy ASP.NET performance can find configuration tricks like this through daily.dev._ ### Can I use different authentication settings for different folders in an ASP.NET site using Web.config? Yes, ASP.NET supports configuration cascading, so a root Web.config can disable FormsAuthentication for a public folder like the site root, while a separate Web.config placed in a protected subfolder re-enables FormsAuthentication just for that folder. This lets a single site mix public and protected sections without a single global authentication setting. _Teams structuring mixed public and protected ASP.NET sections often compare such config patterns via daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [ASP.NET Core 11 Request Pipeline Performance Deep Dive](https://daily.dev/posts/asp-net-core-11-request-pipeline-performance-deep-dive-y8dxv0kx8) · C\# Corner · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [ASP.NET Core Middleware: Building and Using the Request Pipeline](https://daily.dev/posts/asp-net-core-middleware-building-and-using-the-request-pipeline-tav1b2ck7) · We Are .NET · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Securing Your ASP.NET Core App with Authorization Fallback Policy](https://daily.dev/posts/securing-your-asp-net-core-app-with-authorization-fallback-policy-vwzw2jalh) · The Art of Simplicity · 5 upvotes · 0 comments - [How to Organize Minimal APIs](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-organize-minimal-apis-o8gyfuyf1) · Telerik · 10 upvotes · 0 comments - [The ASP .NET Core Pipeline Order Nobody Explains Properly](https://daily.dev/posts/the-asp-net-core-pipeline-order-nobody-explains-properly-4qy8txaca) · Waseem .NET Newsletter · 11 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#performance](https://daily.dev/tags/performance) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/remove-unnecessary-http-modules-from-the-asp-net-pipeline-pxkgkq9aq) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Remove unnecessary HTTP modules from the ASP.NET pipeline","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/remove-unnecessary-http-modules-from-the-asp-net-pipeline-pxkgkq9aq","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/remove-unnecessary-http-modules-from-the-asp-net-pipeline-pxkgkq9aq"},"datePublished":"2026-10-04T13:06:20.732Z","dateModified":"2026-10-04T13:18:37.453Z","description":"A simple technique for speeding up ASP.NET application startup by removing unused HTTP modules (like WindowsAuthentication, PassportAuthentication,...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5ca76d398c32eb4069ec0d3ea9e873bf?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5ca76d398c32eb4069ec0d3ea9e873bf?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Maarten Balliauw","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Maarten Balliauw","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--rOTg3VYO--/f_auto,q_auto/v1791119043/logos/maartenballiauw?_a=BAMAMicg0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/maartenballiauw"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/remove-unnecessary-http-modules-from-the-asp-net-pipeline-pxkgkq9aq","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"performance","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Maarten Balliauw","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/maartenballiauw"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Remove unnecessary HTTP modules from the ASP.NET pipeline"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/remove-unnecessary-http-modules-from-the-asp-net-pipeline-pxkgkq9aq#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I remove unused HTTP modules from the ASP.NET pipeline to speed up page load?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Add remove elements inside the httpModules section of Web.config, one for each module you want to disable, such as WindowsAuthentication, PassportAuthentication, UrlAuthorization, and FileAuthorization. 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