Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition

21.1. The Membership Data Store

The key membership feature is the ability of ASP.NET to store user credentials in a database. The idea is that you make a few choices about the information that will be stored and the security policy that will be used. From that point on, ASP.NET manages the user database for you—adding new user information, checking credentials when users try to log in, and so on.

Clearly, the membership data store has the ability to greatly reduce the amount of code you need to write. You can create a secure website with much less code and, hence, much less work. You also don't need to worry about inevitable bugs, because the ASP.NET membership module is a well-known, carefully tested component.

So, why wouldn't you want to ...