Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus (.NET)

Enterprise messaging SDK for reliable message delivery with queues, topics, subscriptions, and sessions.

Installation

dotnet add package Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus
dotnet add package Azure.Identity

Current Version: v7.20.1 (stable)

Environment Variables

AZURE_SERVICEBUS_FULLY_QUALIFIED_NAMESPACE=<namespace>.servicebus.windows.net
# Or connection string (less secure)
AZURE_SERVICEBUS_CONNECTION_STRING=Endpoint=sb://...

Authentication

Microsoft Entra ID (Recommended)

using Azure.Identity;
using Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus;

string fullyQualifiedNamespace = "<namespace>.servicebus.windows.net";
await using ServiceBusClient client = new(fullyQualifiedNamespace, new DefaultAzureCredential());

Connection String

string connectionString = "<connection_string>";
await using ServiceBusClient client = new(connectionString);

ASP.NET Core Dependency Injection

services.AddAzureClients(builder =>
{
    builder.AddServiceBusClientWithNamespace("<namespace>.servicebus.windows.net");
    builder.UseCredential(new DefaultAzureCredential());
});

Client Hierarchy

ServiceBusClient
├── CreateSender(queueOrTopicName)      → ServiceBusSender
├── CreateReceiver(queueName)           → ServiceBusReceiver
├── CreateReceiver(topicName, subName)  → ServiceBusReceiver
├── AcceptNextSessionAsync(queueName)   → ServiceBusSessionReceiver
├── CreateProcessor(queueName)          → ServiceBusProcessor
└── CreateSessionProcessor(queueName)   → ServiceBusSessionProcessor

ServiceBusAdministrationClient (separate client for CRUD)

Core Workflows

1. Send Messages

await using ServiceBusClient client = new(fullyQualifiedNamespace, new DefaultAzureCredential());
ServiceBusSender sender = client.CreateSender("my-queue");

// Single message
ServiceBusMessage message = new("Hello world!");
await sender.SendMessageAsync(message);

// Safe batching (recommended)
using ServiceBusMessageBatch batch = await sender.CreateMessageBatchAsync();
if (batch.TryAddMessage(new ServiceBusMessage("Message 1")))
{
    // Message added successfully
}
if (batch.TryAddMessage(new ServiceBusMessage("Message 2")))
{
    // Message added successfully
}
await sender.SendMessagesAsync(batch);

2. Receive Messages

ServiceBusReceiver receiver = client.CreateReceiver("my-queue");

// Single message
ServiceBusReceivedMessage message = await receiver.ReceiveMessageAsync();
string body = message.Body.ToString();
Console.WriteLine(body);

// Complete the message (removes from queue)
await receiver.CompleteMessageAsync(message);

// Batch receive
IReadOnlyList<ServiceBusReceivedMessage> messages = await receiver.ReceiveMessagesAsync(maxMessages: 10);
foreach (var msg in messages)
{
    Console.WriteLine(msg.Body.ToString());
    await receiver.CompleteMessageAsync(msg);
}

3. Message Settlement

// Complete - removes message from queue
await receiver.CompleteMessageAsync(message);

// Abandon - releases lock, message can be received again
await receiver.AbandonMessageAsync(message);

// Defer - prevents normal receive, use ReceiveDeferredMessageAsync
await receiver.DeferMessageAsync(message);

// Dead Letter - moves to dead letter subqueue
await receiver.DeadLetterMessageAsync(message, "InvalidFormat", "Message body was not valid JSON");

4. Background Processing with Processor

ServiceBusProcessor processor = client.CreateProcessor("my-queue", new ServiceBusProcessorOptions
{
    AutoCompleteMessages = false,
    MaxConcurrentCalls = 2
});

processor.ProcessMessageAsync += async (args) =>
{
    try
    {
        string body = args.Message.Body.ToString();
        Console.WriteLine($"Received: {body}");
        await args.CompleteMessageAsync(args.Message);
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Error processing: {ex.Message}");
        await args.AbandonMessageAsync(args.Message);
    }
};

processor.ProcessErrorAsync += (args) =>
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Error source: {args.ErrorSource}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Entity: {args.EntityPath}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Exception: {args.Exception}");
    return Task.CompletedTask;
};

await processor.StartProcessingAsync();
// ... application runs
await processor.StopProcessingAsync();

5. Sessions (Ordered Processing)

// Send session message
ServiceBusMessage message = new("Hello")
{
    SessionId = "order-123"
};
await sender.SendMessageAsync(message);

// Receive from next available session
ServiceBusSessionReceiver receiver = await client.AcceptNextSessionAsync("my-queue");

// Or receive from specific session
ServiceBusSessionReceiver receiver = await client.AcceptSessionAsync("my-queue", "order-123");

// Session state management
await receiver.SetSessionStateAsync(new BinaryData("processing"));
BinaryData state = await receiver.GetSessionStateAsync();

// Renew session lock
await receiver.RenewSessionLockAsync();

6. Dead Letter Queue

// Receive from dead letter queue
ServiceBusReceiver dlqReceiver = client.CreateReceiver("my-queue", new ServiceBusReceiverOptions
{
    SubQueue = SubQueue.DeadLetter
});

ServiceBusReceivedMessage dlqMessage = await dlqReceiver.ReceiveMessageAsync();

// Access dead letter metadata
string reason = dlqMessage.DeadLetterReason;
string description = dlqMessage.DeadLetterErrorDescription;
Console.WriteLine($"Dead letter reason: {reason} - {description}");

7. Topics and Subscriptions

// Send to topic
ServiceBusSender topicSender = client.CreateSender("my-topic");
await topicSender.SendMessageAsync(new ServiceBusMessage("Broadcast message"));

// Receive from subscription
ServiceBusReceiver subReceiver = client.CreateReceiver("my-topic", "my-subscription");
var message = await subReceiver.ReceiveMessageAsync();

8. Administration (CRUD)

var adminClient = new ServiceBusAdministrationClient(
    fullyQualifiedNamespace, 
    new DefaultAzureCredential());

// Create queue
var options = new CreateQueueOptions("my-queue")
{
    MaxDeliveryCount = 10,
    LockDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30),
    RequiresSession = true,
    DeadLetteringOnMessageExpiration = true
};
QueueProperties queue = await adminClient.CreateQueueAsync(options);

// Update queue
queue.LockDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60);
await adminClient.UpdateQueueAsync(queue);

// Create topic and subscription
await adminClient.CreateTopicAsync(new CreateTopicOptions("my-topic"));
await adminClient.CreateSubscriptionAsync(new CreateSubscriptionOptions("my-topic", "my-subscription"));

// Delete
await adminClient.DeleteQueueAsync("my-queue");

9. Cross-Entity Transactions

var options = new ServiceBusClientOptions { EnableCrossEntityTransactions = true };
await using var client = new ServiceBusClient(connectionString, options);

ServiceBusReceiver receiverA = client.CreateReceiver("queueA");
ServiceBusSender senderB = client.CreateSender("queueB");

ServiceBusReceivedMessage receivedMessage = await receiverA.ReceiveMessageAsync();

using (var ts = new TransactionScope(TransactionScopeAsyncFlowOption.Enabled))
{
    await receiverA.CompleteMessageAsync(receivedMessage);
    await senderB.SendMessageAsync(new ServiceBusMessage("Forwarded"));
    ts.Complete();
}

Key Types Reference

Type	Purpose
ServiceBusClient	Main entry point, manages connection
ServiceBusSender	Sends messages to queues/topics
ServiceBusReceiver	Receives messages from queues/subscriptions
ServiceBusSessionReceiver	Receives session messages
ServiceBusProcessor	Background message processing
ServiceBusSessionProcessor	Background session processing
ServiceBusAdministrationClient	CRUD for queues/topics/subscriptions
ServiceBusMessage	Message to send
ServiceBusReceivedMessage	Received message with metadata
ServiceBusMessageBatch	Batch of messages

Best Practices

1. Use singletons — Clients, senders, receivers, and processors are thread-safe
2. Always dispose — Use await using or call DisposeAsync()
3. Dispose order — Close senders/receivers/processors first, then client
4. Use DefaultAzureCredential — Prefer over connection strings for production
5. Use processors for background work — Handles lock renewal automatically
6. Use safe batching — CreateMessageBatchAsync() and TryAddMessage()
7. Handle transient errors — Use ServiceBusException.Reason
8. Configure transport — Use AmqpWebSockets if ports 5671/5672 are blocked
9. Set appropriate lock duration — Default is 30 seconds
10. Use sessions for ordering — FIFO within a session

Error Handling

try
{
    await sender.SendMessageAsync(message);
}
catch (ServiceBusException ex) when (ex.Reason == ServiceBusFailureReason.ServiceBusy)
{
    // Retry with backoff
}
catch (ServiceBusException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Service Bus Error: {ex.Reason} - {ex.Message}");
}

Related SDKs

SDK	Purpose	Install
Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus	Service Bus (this SDK)	dotnet add package Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus
Azure.Messaging.EventHubs	Event streaming	dotnet add package Azure.Messaging.EventHubs
Azure.Messaging.EventGrid	Event routing	dotnet add package Azure.Messaging.EventGrid

Reference Links

Resource	URL
NuGet Package	https://www.nuget.org/packages/Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus
API Reference	https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/azure.messaging.servicebus
GitHub Source	https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-net/tree/main/sdk/servicebus/Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus
Troubleshooting	https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-net/blob/main/sdk/servicebus/Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus/TROUBLESHOOTING.md