WCF Web API

The API targets the REST starter kit but is more broadly scoped, both on the client and on the server.  It enhances WCF offering but is not intended as a replacement of it.  Figure 1 depicts high level architecture of the concept, note that it still follows core WCF service model.

Figure 1 – Web API architecture

With Web API, REST has come ways to within striking distance of becoming a first class service model within the WCF platform.  It’s a set of libraries that enhance WCF’s REST offering, which may be downloaded directly at CodePlex or via NuGet (recommended).

To install the Web API package:

1. Download and install NuGet
2. Create new or open existing Visual Studio application
3. Reference Web API package

 

Figure 2 – NuGet context menu for project references

Figure 3 – NuGet reference management dialog

When a package is installed (e.g., referenced via NuGet) the following steps occur:

1. A subfolder named packages is created at the solution root
2. Libraries, with dependencies, are placed underneath it
3. Project references, to the libraries in step 2, are made
4. A configuration file, packages.config, is added to the project, identifying installed components

Figure 4 – WebApi.All component model

WebApi.All installs 4 components.  Full list of (Preview 4) components, libraries, namespaces, & classes are listed below:

• HttpClient
  • Microsoft.Net.Http
    • System.Net.Http
      • ByteArrayContent
      • DelegatingChannel
      • FormUrlEncodedContent
      • HttpClient
      • HttpClientChannel
      • HttpCompletionOption
      • HttpContent
      • HttpException
      • HttpMessageChannel
      • HttpMethod
      • HttpRequestMessage
      • HttpResponseMessage
      • MessageProcessingChannel
      • MultipartContent
      • MultipartFormDataContent
      • StreamContent
      • StringContent
      • WebRequestChannel
    • System.Net.Http.Headers
      • AuthenticationHeaderValue
      • CacheControlHeaderValue
      • ContentRangeHeaderValue
      • EntityTagHeaderValue
      • HttpContentHeaders
      • HttpHeaders
      • HttpRequestHeaders
      • HttpResponseHeaders
      • MediaTypeHeaderValue
      • MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue
      • NameValueHeaderValue
      • NameValueWithParametersHeaderValue
      • ProductHeaderValue
      • ProductInfoHeaderValue
      • RangeConditionHeaderValue
      • RangeHeaderValue
      • RangeItemHeaderValue
      • RetryConditionHeaderValue
      • StringWithQualityHeaderValue
      • TransferCodingHeaderValue
      • TransferCodingWithQualityHeaderValue
      • ViaHeaderValue
      • WarningHeaderValue
• JasonValue
  • Microsoft.Runtime.Serialization.Json
    • System.Json
      • JsonArray
      • JsonObject
      • JsonObjectValidation
      • JsonPrimitive
      • JsonType
      • JsonValue
      • JsonValueChange
      • JsonValueChangeEventArgs
      • JsonValueLinqExtensions
    • System.Runtime.Serialization.Json
      • JsonValueExtensions
  • Microsoft.ServiceModel.Web.jQuery
    • Microsoft.ServiceModel.Activation
      • WebServiceHostFactory3
    • Microsoft.ServiceModel.Configuration
      • WebHttpElement3
    • Microsoft.ServiceModel.Web
      • FormUrlEncodedExtensions
      • WebHttpBehavior3
      • WebServiceHost3

• WebApi.Core (installs dependencies: HttpClient & JsonValue)
  • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Common
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Common
      • ChainedBeginHandler : MulticastDelegate
      • ChainedEndHandler : MulticastDelegate
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Common.Notification
      • INotificationService
      • NotificationEvent
      • NotificationReceiver
      • NotificationSender
  • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http
      • FormUrlEncodedMediaTypeFormatter
      • HttpBinding
      • HttpBindingSecurity
      • HttpBindingSecurityMode
      • HttpContentExtensionMethods
      • HttpRequestMessage<T>
      • HttpResponseMessage<T>
      • HttpServiceHost
      • IQueryComposer
      • JsonMediaTypeFormatter
      • JsonValueMediaTypeFormatter
      • MediaRangeMapping
      • MediaTypeFormatter
      • MediaTypeFormatterCollection
      • MediaTypeFormatterExtensionMethods
      • MediaTypeMapping
      • ObjectContent
      • ObjectContent<T>
      • QueryCompositionAttribute
      • QueryCompositionMessageProperty
      • QueryStringMapping
      • TrailingSlashMode
      • UriPathExtensionMapping
      • UrlQueryComposer
      • XmlMediaTypeFormatter
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http.Activation
      • HttpServiceHostFactory
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http.Channels
      • HttpMessageEncodingBindingElement
      • HttpMessageExtensionMethods
      • HttpMessageHandlerBindingElement
      • HttpMessageHandlerFactory
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http.Configuration
      • HttpBehaviorElement
      • HttpBindingCollectionElement
      • HttpBindingElement
      • HttpBindingSecurityElement
      • HttpEndpointCollectionElement
      • HttpEndpointElement
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http.Description
      • HttpBehavior
      • HttpEndpoint
      • HttpOperationDescription
      • HttpOperationDescriptionExtensionMethods
      • HttpOperationHandlerFactory
      • HttpParameter
      • HttpParameterExtensionMethods
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http.Dispatcher
      • HttpErrorHandler
      • HttpInstanceProvider
      • HttpMessageFormatter
      • HttpMessageInspector
      • HttpOperationHandler
      • HttpOperationHandler<T,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10,T11,T12,T13,T14,T15,T16,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10,T11,T12,T13,T14,T15,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10,T11,T12,T13,T14,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10,T11,T12,T13,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10,T11,T12,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10,T11,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,T4,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,T3,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationHandler<T1,T2,TOutput>
      • HttpOperationSelector
      • HttpResponseException
      • RequestContentHandler
      • ResponseContentHandler
      • UriAndMethodOperationSelector
      • UriTemplateHandler
  • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Serialization
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Serialization
      • IDataContractSurrogate
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Serialization.Configuration
      • TypeElementExtensionMethods
  • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.ServiceModel
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.ServiceModel.Configuration
      • ServiceModelConfigurationElement
      • ServiceModelConfigurationElementCollection<ConfigurationElementType>
      • ServiceModelEnhancedConfigurationElementCollection<TConfigurationElement>
  • Microsoft.QueryComposition
    • Microsoft.QueryComposition.Client
      • ALinqExpressionVisitor
      • CountOption
      • DataServiceALinqExpressionVisitor
      • Evaluator
      • ExpressionNormalizer
      • InputReferenceExpression
      • ProjectionQueryOptionExpression
      • QueryOptionExpression
      • ReferenceEqualityComparer
      • ReferenceEqualityComparer<T>
      • ResourceBinder
      • ResourceExpression
      • ResourceSetExpression
      • UriWriter
    • Microsoft.QueryComposition.Server
      • DataServiceProviderMethods
      • OpenTypeMethods
      • QueryTranslator
  • WebApi.Enhancements (installs dependencies: Core)
  • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.HttpEnhancements
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http
      • HtmlForamtter
      • PlainTextFormatter
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http.Activation
      • HttpConfigurableServiceHost
      • HttpConfigurableServiceHost<TService>
      • HttpConfigurableServiceHostFactory
      • IConfigurableServiceHostFactory
      • RouteCollectionExtensions
    • Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Http.Description
      • HttpBehaviorWithErrorHandler
      • HttpErrorHandlerBehavior
      • HttpHostConfiguration
      • IContractConfiguration
      • IEndpointConfiguration
      • IEndpointFactory
      • IHttpHostConfigurationBuilder
      • InstanceProviderBehavior
      • IOperationConfiguration
      • IResourceFactory
      • IServiceConfiguration
      • ResourceFactoryProvider

To develop a Web API MVC service (source):

1. Create empty MVC 3 app
2. Reference WebApi
3. Add DTO (POCO Data Transfer Object)
4. Add & register service contract
5. Add service operation
6. Expose operation over http
7. Consume operation (verification)