This document discusses creating and consuming HTTP services with Web API in ASP.NET. It provides an overview of service frameworks, creating Web API services by deriving from ApiController and implementing actions, and consuming services using the HttpClient to call REST APIs and serialize/deserialize JSON. The document also covers configuring Web API routes to map URIs to controller actions based on HTTP verbs and parameters.

1. 06 | HTTP Services with Web API
Bruno Terkaly | Technical Evangelist
Bret Stateham | Technical Evangelist

2. Module Overview
• Service Frameworks Review
• Creating Web API Services
• Consuming Web API Services
• Configuring Routes

3. Service Frameworks Review

4. Web Services “Through the Years”
WCF “Brand”
• WCF “Classic”
• WCF Data Services
• WCF RIA Services
• WCF Web HTTP
ASP.NET “Brand”
• ASP.NET Web Services (ASMX)
• ASP.NET MVC
• ASP.NET Web API
• ASP.NET Web API Odata
• ASP.NET SignalR
Blatantly stolen from Daniel Roth’s Tech Ed 2013 “Serious Web Services” Session

5. SOAP vs. REST
?
SOAP REST
• XML Based Messaging
• Contains Envelopes, Headers, Body
• Can be sent over any transport
• WS* added Security, Reliability, Transactions…
• WCF is a full SOAP/WS* Framework
• REpresenation State Transfer
• Matches Architecture of the web
• REST Service =<usually>= HTTP Service
• Leverage HTTP methods (GET,POST,DELETE…)
• Web API is a way to create an HTTP Service

6. SOAP Client Support
Proxy Generator No Simple Proxy Generator

7. REST Client Support
HTTP Client

8. Creating Web API Services

9. ASP.NET Web API
• Open source: aspnetwebstack.codeplex.com
– Nightly builds
• Web API 2 shipped with VS2013
• Learn more at asp.net/web-api

10. Creating a Web API
• Derive from ApiController
• Implement Actions
• Actions map to HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
– Either prefix your action method name with HTTP verb: GetCustomer
– Use Attributes if you want to name your action methods differently
• [HttpGet]
• [HttpPost]
• [HttpPut]
• [HttpDelete]

11. DEMO
Creating Web API Services

12. Consuming Web API Services

13. Consuming HTTP Clients
• Build your client side models (optional)
• Use the HttpClient to call REST Service URLs
– Set headers
– Query String
– Body (for POST and PUT)
• Use a JSON Serializer / Deserializer (Like Json.NET)
– Map objects to JSON (Serializer)
– Map JSON to Objects (Deserializer)

14. DEMO
Consuming Web API Services

15. Configuring Web API Services

16. Configuring Routes
• Routes map URI templates to ApiControllers
– Default Route: api/{controller}/id
– {controller} + “Controller” = ApiContoller type name
– HTTP Verb (Get, Post, Put, Delete) is used to determine action
– {id} is passed as an argument to the action method
• For example:
– An HTTP GET to http://mysite.com/api/customer/1
– {controller} = “customer” => CustomerController class
– HTTP GET implies method that starts with the word “Get”
– {id} value looks for a Get(object id) method and passes {id} as arg

17. DEMO
Configuring Routes

18. ©2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Office, Azure, System Center, Dynamics and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in
the U.S. and/or other countries. The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because
Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information
provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.