log4net vs Microsoft.Azure.KeyVault

Log4net is a tool to help the programmer output log statements to a variety of output targets. In case of problems with an application, it is helpful to enable logging so that the problem can be located. With log4net it is possible to enable logging at runtime without modifying the application binary. The log4net package is designed so that log statements can remain in shipped code without incurring a high performance cost. It follows that the speed of logging (or rather not logging) is crucial. At the same time, log output can be so voluminous that it quickly becomes overwhelming. One of the distinctive features of log4net is the notion of hierarchical loggers. Using these loggers it is possible to selectively control which log statements are output at arbitrary granularity. log4net is designed with two distinct goals in mind: speed and flexibility.

Azure Key Vault enables users to store and use cryptographic keys within the Microsoft Azure environment. Azure Key Vault supports multiple key types and algorithms and enables the use of Hardware Security Modules (HSM) for high value customer keys. In addition, Azure Key Vault allows users to securely store secrets in a Key Vault; secrets are limited size octet objects and Azure Key Vault applies no specific semantics to these objects. A Key Vault may contain a mix of keys and secrets at the same time, and access control for the two types of object is independently controlled. Users, subject to appropriate authorization, may: 1) Manage cryptographic keys using Create, Import, Update, Delete and other operations 2) Manage secrets using Get, Set, Delete and other operations 3) Use cryptographic keys with Sign/Verify, WrapKey/UnwrapKey and Encrypt/Decrypt operations. Operations against Key Vaults are authenticated and authorized using Azure Active Directory. Key Vault now supports certificates, a complex type that makes use of existing key and secret infrastructure for certificate operations. KV certificates also support notification and auto-renewal as well as other management features.