What Is C# Web API?
What Is C# Web API?
C# Web API is a framework that allows developers to build RESTful services using the .NET ecosystem. It enables communication between clients and servers over HTTP, making it a powerful tool for web applications, mobile apps, and cloud-based services.
Key Features of C# Web API
1. RESTful Architecture
C# Web API follows REST (Representational State Transfer) principles, which emphasize stateless communication and a uniform interface using HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.
2. Built on ASP.NET Core
Modern C# Web APIs are developed using ASP.NET Core, a lightweight and cross-platform framework that enhances performance and scalability.
3. JSON Support
By default, Web API supports JSON format, making it easy to work with front-end frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js.
4. Dependency Injection
ASP.NET Core Web API supports dependency injection, promoting modular and maintainable code structures.
5. Middleware Pipeline
The framework provides a customizable middleware pipeline, allowing developers to handle authentication, logging, and request processing efficiently.
How to Create a C# Web API
Step 1: Create a New ASP.NET Core Web API Project
Run the following command in the terminal:
Terminal
sh
dotnet new webapi -n MyWebAPI
cd MyWebAPI Step 2: Define a Controller
Create a simple API controller in Controllers/WeatherForecastController.cs:
Code File
WeatherForecastController.cs
[Route("api/[controller]")]
[ApiController]
public class WeatherForecastController : ControllerBase
{
[HttpGet]
public IEnumerable<string> Get()
{
return new string[] { "Sunny", "Rainy", "Cloudy" };
}
} Step 3: Run the API
Use the following command to run the API:
Terminal
sh
dotnet run Step 4: Test the API
Navigate to https://localhost:5001/api/weatherforecast in a browser or use Postman to test the response.