Pro ASP.NET Web API shows you how to build flexible, extensible web services that run seamlessly on a range of operating systems and devices, from desktops to tablets to smart phones—even the ones we don’t know today.

ASP.NET Web API is a new framework designed to simplify web service architecture. So if you're tired of interoperability issues between inflexible web services and clients tied to specific platforms or programming languages, or if you've ever struggled with WCF, this book is for you.

To start with, you'll get up to speed on Web API's modern HTTP programming model, REST and your hosting options. You'll then dive into building a real application over a series of three chapters, so you can get an immediate feel for how this technology works in practice. The second half of the book features dedicated chapters on topics like routing, controllers, validation and tracing, and the authors close with discussions on performance, hosting and an all-important look at unit testing to help you prepare your application for the real world.

ASP.NET Web API makes HTTP a first-class citizen of .NET. With Pro ASP.NET Web API, you can build HTTP-based web services for your company or business, expose your data to the world across different formats and devices and gain the best possible global reach for your application.

What you’ll learn

• The basics of HTTP web services
• How to build HTTP-based web services on the .NET platform
• In-depth knowledge of ASP.NET Web API and its processing architecture
• How to Unit Test an ASP.NET Web API application
• Asynchronous programming with ASP.NET Web API
• Consuming HTTP-based web services across several different clients

Who this book is for

Whether you’ve previously worked with WCF or are an ASP.NET developer diving into web services for the first time, Pro ASP.NET Web API will show you a clean, modern approach to building HTTP web services.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to ASP.NET Web API
2. Introduction to Asynchronous Programming in .NET
3. HTTP, REST, and Hypermedia
4. HttpClient
5. Sample Application: Application Structure and Domain Model
6. Sample Application: Building the Web API
7. Sample Application: Building the Wrapper and Web Client
8. Routing
9. Controllers and Actions
10. Message Handlers
11. Filters
12. Media Type Formatters and Model Binding
13. Input Validation
14. Dependency Resolution
15. Unit Testing and Integration Testing
16. Optimization and Performance
17. Hosting
18. Tracing, Logging, and API Documentation