WEB API in ASP.NET CORE MVC | EXPLAIN WEB API IN DEPTH by Shiva Sir

1️⃣ What is Web API?

🔹 Definition:

A Web API (Web Application Programming Interface) is a set of HTTP endpoints exposed by a server application that allows other applications (frontend, mobile, etc.) to communicate over the web.

In .NET Core, a Web API is a type of controller that returns data (usually JSON), not views (HTML).

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2️⃣ Why Use Web API?

Purpose	Description
🔄 Communication	Enables frontend and backend apps to communicate using HTTP
⚙️ Reusability	Backend APIs can be used by web apps, mobile apps, desktop apps
🔐 Centralized Business Logic	All logic is managed on the server side
🚀 Lightweight & Fast	Returns raw data (JSON), which is faster than rendering views

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3️⃣ Web API vs MVC

Feature	MVC	Web API
Output	Returns Views (HTML)	Returns Data (JSON/XML)
Use Case	Web applications (UI required)	APIs for mobile, SPA, external systems
Controller Type	Controller	ApiController
Return Type	IActionResult with View	ActionResult<T> with data

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4️⃣ Architecture of Web API in .NET Core

🧱 Layers in a Typical Web API Project:

1. Model

   • Represents the data structure

   • Example: Student, Product, Employee

2. Controller

   • Manages API endpoints

   • Handles HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)

3. DbContext (Data Access Layer)

   • Entity Framework Core class for database communication

4. Database

   • SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc.

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🔄 Request Lifecycle:

1. Client sends an HTTP request → https://api.site.com/products

2. Router matches the endpoint → ProductController

3. Action method is called → GetAllProducts()

4. Data is fetched from the database via DbContext

5. Data is returned as JSON using Ok(result)

6. Client (e.g., React app or Postman) receives the JSON response

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5️⃣ Key Attributes in Web API

Attribute	Description
[ApiController]	Specifies the class is a Web API controller. Adds automatic model validation and behavior
[Route()]	Defines the URL path to reach the action method
[HttpGet]	Handles GET requests
[HttpPost]	Handles POST (create) requests
[HttpPut]	Handles PUT (update) requests
[HttpDelete]	Handles DELETE requests

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6️⃣ Return Types in Web API

Return Type	Description
IActionResult	Base type for any HTTP response
ActionResult<T>	Strongly typed return data (like ActionResult<Student>)
Ok(data)	Returns 200 OK with data
NotFound()	Returns 404
BadRequest()	Returns 400
CreatedAtAction()	Returns 201 with location header

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7️⃣ RESTful API Principles

Web APIs in .NET Core follow REST principles (REpresentational State Transfer):

Method	Action	Purpose
GET	Read	Get data from server
POST	Create	Send new data to server
PUT	Update	Modify existing data
DELETE	Delete	Remove data

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8️⃣ Entity Framework Core in Web API

• EF Core is the ORM used to map C# objects to database tables.

• Benefits:

  • Write LINQ instead of SQL

  • Manage migrations

  • Easy CRUD with DbSet<T>

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9️⃣ Dependency Injection

• Web API uses Dependency Injection (DI) to manage services like DbContext.

• Automatically injects services into controllers.

csharp

public StudentController(AppDbContext context)
{
    _context = context;
}

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🔒 10️⃣ Security in Web API (Basics)

Mechanism	Purpose
API Key	Authenticate client requests
JWT (Token)	Secure APIs using bearer tokens
HTTPS	Encrypts data between client and server
CORS	Controls which frontend apps can access your API

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1️⃣1️⃣ Middleware in Web API

• Middlewares are used to process requests/responses.

• Example: Authentication, Logging, Exception handling

In Program.cs:

csharp

app.UseAuthentication();
app.UseAuthorization();
app.UseCors();

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1️⃣2️⃣ Versioning in Web API (Optional but Useful)

Helps manage changes over time:

csharp

[Route("api/v1/[controller]")] 

[ApiVersion("1.0")] 

EXAMPLE OF API:

🔧 Step-by-Step Implementation:

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✅ Step 2: Create Project

1. Open Visual Studio

2. Create a new project → ASP.NET Core Web API

3. Name: StudentAPI

4. Choose .NET 6/7 → Click Create

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✅ Step 3: Create Student Model

public class Student
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
    public string Course { get; set; }
}

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✅ Step 4: Create DbContext

Install EF Core packages:

Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer
Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Tools

Now, create AppDbContext.cs:

public class AppDbContext : DbContext
{
    public AppDbContext(DbContextOptions<AppDbContext> options) : base(options) { }

    public DbSet<Student> Students { get; set; }
}

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✅ Step 5: Configure Database Connection

In appsettings.json:

"ConnectionStrings": {
  "DefaultConnection": "Server=.;Database=StudentDB;Trusted_Connection=True;"
}

In Program.cs:

builder.Services.AddDbContext<AppDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection")));

builder.Services.AddControllers();

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✅ Step 6: Create Student Controller

Controllers/StudentController.cs

[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class StudentController : ControllerBase
{
    private readonly AppDbContext _context;

    public StudentController(AppDbContext context)
    {
        _context = context;
    }

    // GET: api/student
    [HttpGet]
    public async Task<ActionResult<IEnumerable<Student>>> GetAll()
    {
        return await _context.Students.ToListAsync();
    }

    // GET: api/student/1
    [HttpGet("{id}")]
    public async Task<ActionResult<Student>> Get(int id)
    {
        var student = await _context.Students.FindAsync(id);
        if (student == null) return NotFound();
        return student;
    }

    // POST: api/student
    [HttpPost]
    public async Task<ActionResult<Student>> Create(Student student)
    {
        _context.Students.Add(student);
        await _context.SaveChangesAsync();
        return CreatedAtAction(nameof(Get), new { id = student.Id }, student);
    }

    // PUT: api/student/1
    [HttpPut("{id}")]
    public async Task<IActionResult> Update(int id, Student student)
    {
        if (id != student.Id) return BadRequest();

        _context.Entry(student).State = EntityState.Modified;
        await _context.SaveChangesAsync();
        return NoContent();
    }

    // DELETE: api/student/1
    [HttpDelete("{id}")]
    public async Task<IActionResult> Delete(int id)
    {
        var student = await _context.Students.FindAsync(id);
        if (student == null) return NotFound();

        _context.Students.Remove(student);
        await _context.SaveChangesAsync();
        return NoContent();
    }
}

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✅ Step 7: Run Migrations and Update DB

Add-Migration InitialCreate
Update-Database

This creates the StudentDB database and Students table.

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✅ Step 8: Test API Using Postman

Base URL: https://localhost:5001/api/student

Operation	HTTP Verb	URL	Body (if needed)
Get All Students	GET	/api/student	—
Get by ID	GET	/api/student/1	—
Create	POST	/api/student	JSON: {"name":"Aman","age":21,"course":"C#"}
Update	PUT	/api/student/1	JSON: updated values
Delete	DELETE	/api/student/1	—

🏁 Final Structure:

StudentAPI/
│
├── Controllers/
│   └── StudentController.cs
│
├── Models/
│   └── Student.cs
│
├── Data/
│   └── AppDbContext.cs
│
├── appsettings.json
└── Program.cs

🧠 Is Web API REST or SOAP?

✅ Short Answer:

A Web API can be either REST or SOAP — it depends on how the API is designed.

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🔍 Let’s Understand:

🔹 Web API

• A general term for any API that can be accessed using the web (HTTP/HTTPS).

• It is a technology-neutral term.

• It could be implemented using REST, SOAP, GraphQL, gRPC, etc.

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✅ Common Types of Web APIs:

Type	Description
REST API	Most common. Uses HTTP verbs (GET, POST, etc.), returns JSON or XML, stateless.
SOAP API	Older, strict protocol. Uses XML, defined by WSDL, uses POST only.
GraphQL API	Modern alternative to REST, client controls the data shape.
gRPC API	High-performance, binary-based, good for microservices.

📌 Example in .NET Core:

• If you create a Web API using ASP.NET Core, it's by default a RESTful Web API.

  • Uses [ApiController], routes like /api/products, and returns JSON.

  • Uses HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.

• If you want to create a SOAP-based API, you would use WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) — not Web API.

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✅ Summary Table:

Aspect	REST API (Web API)	SOAP API (WCF)
Format	JSON (or XML)	XML only
Protocol	HTTP/HTTPS	HTTP, SMTP, TCP
Flexibility	Lightweight, easy to consume	Heavy, strict standards
Common in .NET	ASP.NET Core Web API	WCF (Windows Communication Foundation)
Tooling	Works with Postman, browser, JS	Needs SOAP clients (WSDL)