Replace "marker service" with "marker interface" in the definition of IAuthorizationRequirement

[eugenehavryliuk]

Description

In the following statement (emphasis mine) the term marker service should be replaced with marker interface for the sake of technical accuracy and to avoid confusion.

IAuthorizationRequirement is a marker service with no methods, and the mechanism for tracking whether authorization is successful.

Incidentally further below in the same article the same IAuthorizationRequirement interface is already correctly defined as a marker interface.

A requirement implements IAuthorizationRequirement, which is an empty marker interface.

Page URL

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/security/authorization/policies?view=aspnetcore-8.0&WT.mc_id=DT-MVP-5004452

Content source URL

https://github.com/dotnet/AspNetCore.Docs/blob/main/aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies.md

Document ID

7089b376-949f-c1c6-c37a-5d8cc7ecf104

Platform Id

2ff2ae4f-f6b8-67e8-2d6f-147b165b6706

Article author

@wadepickett

Metadata

• ID: b1141d92-adeb-6841-229f-914c808f9a2b
• PlatformId: 2ff2ae4f-f6b8-67e8-2d6f-147b165b6706
• Service: aspnet-core
• Sub-service: security

Related Issues

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Associated WorkItem - 554206

[wadepickett]

@eugenehavryliuk, thanks very much for taking the time to point out this issue. Much appreciated!

[wadepickett]

🤖 AI Triage Summary

📌 Note to community: This is an automated preliminary analysis to help our documentation team quickly review, determine scope and prioritize this issue. This report is not a resolution or answer to your question—it's an internal triage tool that identifies potentially relevant docs, code samples, and versions to look into. A team member will review this issue and respond. Thank you for your contribution!

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This preliminary assessment report was run by: @wadepickett
Date: 2026-02-17
Issue: 36772
Model: GitHub Copilot

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Issue Analysis: Replace "marker service" with "marker interface" in IAuthorizationRequirement description

✅ Issue Validation

Status: Valid and actionable

📋 Issue Summary

The documentation for ASP.NET Core policy-based authorization incorrectly refers to IAuthorizationRequirement as a "marker service" when the technically accurate term is "marker interface." This is an interface (not a service), and the well-established .NET term for an empty interface used for type identification is "marker interface." The same article already correctly uses "marker interface" in a later section, creating an internal inconsistency. This terminology error appears in two files: the main article (policies.md) and the older-version include file (policies5.md).

📁 Potentially Affected Files

These files have been identified as possibly related to this issue and may need review.

File	Path	Lines	Section
Main article (≥ 6.0)	aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies.md	31	"IAuthorizationService"
Include file (< 6.0)	aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies/includes/policies5.md	19	"IAuthorizationService"

📝 Preliminary Change Assessment

The following are initial observations for the documentation team to evaluate—not final decisions.

Potential Documentation Update #1

File: aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies.md
Location: Line 31 (within the "IAuthorizationService" section)
Type: Replacement (single word)

Current content (line 31):

<xref:Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization.IAuthorizationRequirement> is a marker service with no methods, and the mechanism for tracking whether authorization is successful.

Suggested direction:

<xref:Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization.IAuthorizationRequirement> is a marker interface with no methods, and the mechanism for tracking whether authorization is successful.

Potential Documentation Update #2

File: aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies/includes/policies5.md
Location: Line 19 (within the "IAuthorizationService" section — < aspnetcore-6.0 moniker)
Type: Replacement (single word)

Current content (line 19):

<xref:Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization.IAuthorizationRequirement> is a marker service with no methods, and the mechanism for tracking whether authorization is successful.

Suggested direction:

<xref:Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization.IAuthorizationRequirement> is a marker interface with no methods, and the mechanism for tracking whether authorization is successful.

Consistency Verification

The correct term "marker interface" is already used later in both files, confirming the fix aligns with the article's own intended terminology:

• policies.md line 132: "A requirement implements IAuthorizationRequirement, which is an empty marker interface."
• policies5.md line 117: "A requirement implements IAuthorizationRequirement, which is an empty marker interface."

🎯 Suggested Action Plan

For documentation team review

1. Update file: aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies.md

   • Navigate to: Line 31
   • Section: "IAuthorizationService"
   • Change: Replace "marker service" → "marker interface"

2. Update file: aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies/includes/policies5.md

   • Navigate to: Line 19
   • Section: "IAuthorizationService"
   • Change: Replace "marker service" → "marker interface"

⚠️ Review Considerations

• This is a straightforward terminology fix — no technical or structural changes needed.
• The fix applies to all supported .NET versions (both the >= aspnetcore-6.0 moniker in policies.md and the < aspnetcore-6.0 moniker in policies5.md).
• No code sample changes are required.
• Verify no other articles in the security/authorization area use the incorrect "marker service" term for interfaces.

🔗 References

• Published article: Policy-based authorization in ASP.NET Core
• API reference: IAuthorizationRequirement Interface
• Source (main): aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies.md
• Source (include): aspnetcore/security/authorization/policies/includes/policies5.md