ASP.NET MVC 4 and the Web API

This one hundred page book focuses exclusively on how you can best use the ASP.NET MVC 4 Framework to build world-class REST services using the Web API. It sets aside much of what the ASP.NET MVC Framework can do, and focuses exclusively on how the Web API can help you build web services. You will not find any help on CSS, HTML, JavaScript, or jQuery. Nor will you find any help on the Razor view engine, HTML Helpers, or model binding. If you need this information then Pro ASP.NET MVC 4 is your perfect book.

ASP.NET MVC 4 and the Web API: Building a REST Service from Start to Finish helps you build cutting-edge REST services using ASP.NET MVC 4 and the Web API in more depth and detail than any other resource. ASP.NET MVC has always been a good platform on which to implement REST, but with the advent of the Web API it has now become even better. This book will show you why it’s great and how to get the most from it.

Author Jamie Kurtz will take you from zero to full-blown REST service hero in no time at all. And you’ll even learn how to incorporate some popular open source tools along the way: little or no experience with ASP.NET or the MVC Framework is required.

What you’ll learn

• How to design a REST API
• Understanding MVC and Web API controller activation
• Utilizing open source tools for common tasks
• Automatic lifetime management for database connections and transactions
• Easily secure a REST service, using standards-based authentication and authorization
• How to choose between using WCF or using the Web API

Who this book is for

This book is written for architects and developers wanting to understand how to quickly and easily build REST services on the ASP.NET platform. No prior knowledge of ASP.NET or MVC Framework is required; however, it assumed you have some experience with the .NET Framework, Visual Studio, and C#.

Table of Contents

1. ASP.NET MVC as a Service Framework 

2. What is RESTful?

3. Designing Our Sample REST API

4. Building the Environment and Creating the Source Tree 

5. Controllers, Dependencies, and Managing the Database Unit of Work

6. Securing the Service

7. Putting It All Together