Web API - (Web API)

Web API is a popular framework for building RESTful APIs in .NET. In this tutorial, we'll discuss what Web API is, how to create a simple Web API, and some best practices for building Web APIs.

Syntax

There is no specific syntax for Web API in .NET.

Example

Let's create a simple Web API that returns a list of books. First, we'll create a Book class:

public class Book
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Author { get; set; }
}

Next, we'll create a BooksController:

[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class BooksController : ControllerBase
{
    private static readonly List<Book> _books = new List<Book>
    {
        new Book { Id = 1, Name = "The Great Gatsby", Author = "F. Scott Fitzgerald" },
        new Book { Id = 2, Name = "To Kill a Mockingbird", Author = "Harper Lee" },
        new Book { Id = 3, Name = "1984", Author = "George Orwell" },
    };

    [HttpGet]
    public ActionResult<IEnumerable<Book>> Get()
    {
        return _books;
    }
}

In this example, we've created a BooksController that returns a list of books in response to an HTTP GET request.

Explanation

Web API is a framework for building RESTful APIs in .NET. REST stands for Representational State Transfer, which is a design pattern for building web services that communicate via HTTP. With Web API, you can expose your .NET functionality as a web service that can be consumed by other applications.

Use

Web API can be used to expose .NET functionality as a web service that can be consumed by other applications.

Important Points

Here are some important points to keep in mind when working with Web API:

• Use the [ApiController] attribute to indicate that a controller is a Web API controller.
• Use the [Route] attribute to specify the route for a Web API controller.
• Use HTTP verbs such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to enable CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operations on resources.
• Use the ActionResult return type to indicate the HTTP response from a Web API method.

Summary

In this tutorial, we discussed what Web API is and how to create a simple Web API in .NET. We covered syntax, example, explanation, use, and important points of using Web API to expose .NET functionality as a web service. By following best practices when building Web APIs, you can create high-quality, scalable, and maintainable web services in .NET.