Create REST Service in WCF 4.0 Step by Step tutorial

Objective

This article provides a step to step explanation of how to create a REST based service and how to consume that in a managed client.

Step 1

Create a new project as WCF Service application type.



Step 2

Delete all the default code from IService.cs and Service.svc.cs

Now open Web.Config file and delete the highlighted code below below in Visual Studio 2010. In other words delete all endpoints for existing service.

If you are using VS2010 then delete the code below from Web.Config



Step 3

Right click on Service.svc and open View markup.



In Markup of RestService.cs, add the following code there

Factory="System.ServiceModel.Activation.WebServiceHostFactory"

So after adding code the markup would look like

Markup of RestService.cs



Step 4

Add following referencesto the WCF Service Application project, if you are using VS2010

Microsoft.Http.dll
Microsoft.Http.Extension.dll
System.ServiceModel.Web.dll

Step 5

Add a new project as of type class library and give it name UtilityClasses.



Add a class Number to this class library.

Number.cs

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
namespace UtilityClasses
{
    [Serializable]
    public class NumberService
    {
        public int Number1 { get; set; }
        public int Number2 { get; set; }
    }
}

Step 6

Define the Service Contract as below,

IService1.cs

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.ServiceModel;
using System.Text;
using System.ServiceModel.Web;
using UtilityClasses;

namespace WcfService3
{
   
    [ServiceContract]
    public interface IService1
    {
        [OperationContract(Name="AddParameter")]
        [WebInvoke(UriTemplate = "/",Method="POST")]
        int  Add(NumberService n1);
        [OperationContract(Name = "Add")]
        [WebGet(UriTemplate = "/")]
        int Add();

    }    
    
}

This code is used to construct URI for REST service.



Method parameter says what type of HTTP request; this URI is going to entertain. In this case it is Http POST.

UriTemplate parameter says, what would be URI for this particular method. In this case it is one back-slash, which means it is the root URI of this service.

So, to invoke this method add (), the URI address would be

http://localhost:3602/RestService.svc/

Where 3602 is port number of web server, where this service is running.

Let, if the above code is modified as



Then it would be invoked as

http://localhost:3602/RestService.svc/ADD/MyAdd

Step 7

Now we need to implement the service

Service1.svc.cs

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.ServiceModel;
using System.ServiceModel.Web;
using System.Text;
using UtilityClasses; 

namespace WcfService3
{
   
    public class Service1 : IService1
    {


        public int res = 100;

        public int Add(NumberService n1)
        {

            res = Convert.ToInt32(n1.Number1) + Convert.ToInt32(n1.Number2);
            return res;
        }
        public int Add()
        {
            return res;
        }

       
    }
}

Step 8

Test the Service in Browser

1. Build the Service
   
2. Right click on Service1.svc and select view in browser.
   
   
   
   Output 100 is returned in the browser by the service. It is because, below service method. URI of below GET method is mapped to root of the URI. And this method is returning 100.
   
   
   
   

Step 9

Consume the service

Add new console project in solution and give it name as ConsoleTestProject.



Add reference of project UtilityClassesAdd following references to the console project.

Microsoft.Http.dll
Microsoft.Http.Extension.dll
System.ServiceModel.Web.dll

Step 10

Program.cs

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Configuration;
using Microsoft.Http; 
using Microsoft.ServiceModel.Web; 
using Microsoft.ServiceModel.Web.SpecializedServices; 
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using UtilityClasses;

namespace ConsoleTestProject
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {

            uri = "http://localhost:3602/RestService.svc/";
            // Calling without parameter
            Console.WriteLine(AddWithoutParameter());
            Console.Read();
            //Calling with parameter
            NumberService obj = new NumberService() { Number1 = 7, Number2 = 2 };
            Console.WriteLine(AddWithParameter(obj));
            Console.Read();     

        }


        public static string  AddWithoutParameter()
        {
            using (HttpResponseMessage response = new HttpClient().Get(uri))
            {
               
                int res = response.Content.ReadAsDataContract();
                return res.ToString();
            }
        }


        public static string  AddWithParameter(NumberService obj)
        {
            using (HttpResponseMessage  response = new HttpClient().Post(uri,HttpContentExtensions.CreateDataContract(obj)))
            {
                
                int res = response.Content.ReadAsDataContract();
                return res.ToString();

            }

        }

        }
    }
}

There are two static methods

1. AddWithoutParameter() -> To Invoke HTTP Get on Service URI. {In Green}
   
2. AddWithParameter() -> To Invoke HTTP POST on Service URI. {In Yellow}
   

Output