ASP.NET Web API

 

 

 

 

1.                   What is ASP.NET Web API?

The term API stands for Application Programming Interface. ASP.NET Web API is a framework that makes it easy to build Web APIs, i.e. HTTP based services on top of the .NET Framework. ASP.NET Web API is an ideal platform for building Restful services. These services can then be consumed by a broad range of clients like

·       Browsers

·       Mobile applications

·       Desktop applications

·       IOTs

2.                   What is the Rest?

REST stands for Representational State Transfer. This is an architectural pattern used for exchanging data over a distributed environment. In Rest, there is something called Client and Server, and the data can be exchanged between the client and server over a distributed environment. Distributed environment means the client can be on any platform like Java, .NET, PHP, etc. and the server can also be on any platform like Java, .NET, PHP, etc. The REST architectural pattern treats each service as a resource and a client can access those resources by using HTTP Protocol methods such as GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE.

3.                   What are the RESTful services?

REST stands for Representational State Transfer.. REST is an architectural pattern for exchanging data over a distributed environment. REST architectural pattern treats each service as a resource and a client can access these resources by using HTTP protocol methods such as GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE. The REST architectural pattern specifies a set of constraints that a system should be adhered to. Here are the REST constraints.

4.                   What are the differences between REST and SOAP?

The difference between REST and SOAP is given below:

·       SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol whereas REST stands for Representational State Transfer.

·       The SOAP is an XML-based protocol whereas REST is not a protocol rather it is an architectural pattern i.e. resource-based architecture.                        

·       SOAP has specifications for both stateless and state-full implementation whereas REST is completely stateless.

·       SOAP enforces message format as XML whereas REST does not enforce message format as XML or JSON.

·       The SOAP message consists of an envelope that includes SOAP headers and body to store the actual information we want to send whereas REST uses the HTTP build-in headers (with a variety of media-types) to store the information and uses the HTTP Methods such as GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE  to perform CRUD operations.

·       SOAP uses interfaces and named operations (i.e. Service Contract and Operation Contract) to expose the service whereas to expose resources (service) REST uses URI and methods like (GET, PUT, POST, PATCH, and DELETE).

·       SOAP Performance is slow as compared to REST.

 

difference between put post and patch in rest api

The POST method is used to submit an entity to a resource. It is used for creating a new resource or adding a new entity to an existing resource. When a POST request is sent, the server creates a new resource and assigns a new URL to it. 

PATCH

The PATCH method is used to partially update a resource. It is useful when you want to update only a few fields of a resource without replacing the entire resource. In a PATCH request, you specify the fields that need to be updated in the request body.

The PUT method is used to update a resource or create a new resource if it does not exist. When a PUT request is sent, the entire resource is replaced with the new data. If the resource does not exist, it will be created.

Authentication and Authorization in ASP.NET Web API

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/web-api/overview/security/authentication-and-authorization-in-aspnet-web-api

Features	PUT	PATCH
Purpose	Used to update or replace an entire resource.	Used to apply partial modifications to a resource.
Data Handling	Requires the client to send the complete resource representation.	Requires only the changes (delta) to be sent, not the entire resource.
Error Handling	If the resource doesn’t exist, it may create a new one (depending on implementation).	Typically used only for existing resources; may fail if the resource doesn’t exist.
Performance	It can be less efficient for large resources, as the entire resource is sent.	More efficient for small changes, as only the necessary data is sent.
Request Body	Contains the full resource representation.	Contains only the fields or data to be updated.
Use Case	Best for replacing a resource entirely (e.g., updating a user profile).	Best for making small updates (e.g., changing a user’s email address).
Example	PUT /users/1 with full user data updates the entire user resource.	PATCH /users/1 with { “email”: “new@example.com” } updates only the email.

5.                   State management