WcfStorm.Rest Best Practices and Performance Tips

WcfStorm.Rest: A Beginner’s Guide to RESTful ServicesWcfStorm.Rest is a lightweight framework that helps .NET developers create RESTful services quickly by combining familiar WCF concepts with HTTP-friendly conventions. This guide introduces the core ideas, shows how to set up a basic service, explains routing and serialization, covers common patterns (CRUD, versioning, authentication), and offers tips for testing and deployment. It’s intended for developers who know .NET/WCF basics but are new to RESTful APIs or WcfStorm.Rest specifically.

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What is WcfStorm.Rest?

WcfStorm.Rest is a toolkit built around WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) to simplify building RESTful HTTP services. Instead of writing low-level HTTP handlers or switching to a different stack, WcfStorm.Rest allows you to keep using WCF-style service contracts, attributes, and dependency injection patterns while producing clean, resource-oriented endpoints that speak JSON/XML and follow REST principles.

Key features:

• Attribute-driven routing mapped to HTTP verbs (GET/POST/PUT/DELETE)
• Automatic request/response serialization (JSON, XML)
• Integration-friendly with existing WCF services and DI containers
• Lightweight pipeline for filters, error handling, and logging

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When to use WcfStorm.Rest

Use WcfStorm.Rest if:

• You have an existing WCF codebase and want to add RESTful endpoints without a full rewrite.
• You prefer WCF service contract patterns but need HTTP-first behavior.
• You need quick setup for internal APIs where full ASP.NET Core migration isn’t justified.

Avoid it when:

• Starting a large greenfield public API—consider ASP.NET Core Web API for broader ecosystem support.
• You need deep integration with modern middleware available in newer frameworks.

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Installing and setting up a basic service

1. Create a new .NET Framework project (WCF-compatible). WcfStorm.Rest targets classic .NET WCF hosting scenarios.
2. Add the WcfStorm.Rest NuGet package (or include the library in your solution).
3. Define a service contract and implementation.

Example service contract and implementation:

using System.ServiceModel; using WcfStorm.Rest; [ServiceContract] public interface IProductsService {     [OperationContract]     [Get("/products")]     IEnumerable<ProductDto> GetAll();     [OperationContract]     [Get("/products/{id}")]     ProductDto GetById(int id);     [OperationContract]     [Post("/products")]     ProductDto Create(ProductDto product);     [OperationContract]     [Put("/products/{id}")]     ProductDto Update(int id, ProductDto product);     [OperationContract]     [Delete("/products/{id}")]     void Delete(int id); } public class ProductsService : IProductsService {     // In-memory store for demo     private static readonly List<ProductDto> _store = new List<ProductDto>();     public IEnumerable<ProductDto> GetAll() => _store;     public ProductDto GetById(int id) =>         _store.FirstOrDefault(p => p.Id == id);     public ProductDto Create(ProductDto product)     {         product.Id = _store.Count + 1;         _store.Add(product);         return product;     }     public ProductDto Update(int id, ProductDto product)     {         var existing = _store.FirstOrDefault(p => p.Id == id);         if (existing == null) return null;         existing.Name = product.Name;         existing.Price = product.Price;         return existing;     }     public void Delete(int id)     {         var existing = _store.FirstOrDefault(p => p.Id == id);         if (existing != null) _store.Remove(existing);     } } public class ProductDto {     public int Id { get; set; }     public string Name { get; set; }     public decimal Price { get; set; } } 

1. Host the service in IIS or a self-hosted WCF ServiceHost. Configure endpoints to use the WcfStorm.Rest behaviors so that routes map to the HTTP pipeline and JSON formatting is enabled.

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Routing, parameters, and serialization

• Routes are defined via attributes like [Get(“/items/{id}”)] on service operations.
• Path parameters map to method parameters by name. Query parameters map from remaining parameters or via a dedicated model.
• JSON is the default serialization format; XML can be supported via content negotiation or explicit settings.
• For complex types, ensure DTOs are plain POCOs with public getters/setters.

Example: optional query parameter

[Get("/products")] IEnumerable<ProductDto> GetAll(string category = null) {     return string.IsNullOrEmpty(category)         ? _store         : _store.Where(p => p.Category == category); } 

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Error handling and status codes

WcfStorm.Rest lets you control HTTP status codes by throwing specialized exceptions or returning an IHttpResult-like wrapper (depending on its API). Typical patterns:

• Return 200 (OK) with the resource for successful GET/PUT.
• Return 201 (Created) with Location header for POST creating a resource.
• Return 204 (No Content) for successful DELETE.
• Return 404 (Not Found) when resource absent — either by returning null and letting a behavior translate it, or throwing a NotFoundException.
• Return 400 (Bad Request) for validation failure.

Example of returning Created:

public IHttpResult Create(ProductDto product) {     var created = CreateInternal(product); // returns ProductDto     return Results.Created($"/products/{created.Id}", created); } 

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Authentication, authorization, and security

WcfStorm.Rest integrates with standard WCF authentication mechanisms and can be configured to use:

• Windows Authentication (IIS-hosted)
• Token-based schemes (e.g., JWT) by inspecting Authorization headers in a message inspector/filter
• API keys via custom headers

Always enforce HTTPS, validate inputs, and apply rate-limiting or throttling at the gateway if exposing the API publicly.

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Versioning and backward compatibility

Common strategies:

• URL versioning: /v1/products
• Header versioning: Accept: application/vnd.myapp.v1+json
• Query string: /products?version=1

Pick one and remain consistent. For breaking changes, introduce a new version and keep old versions available while clients migrate.

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Testing and tooling

• Unit test service methods directly (they’re plain classes).
• Integration test over HTTP using HttpClient or tools like Postman.
• Use automated tests to assert status codes, headers (Location), and response serialization.

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Performance and caching

• Implement output caching on GET endpoints for frequently requested resources.
• Use pagination for list endpoints.
• Avoid returning heavy object graphs — use DTOs tailored to the endpoint.
• Enable GZIP compression at hosting level.

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Migration tips from WCF SOAP to WcfStorm.Rest

• Convert service contracts: change SOAP attributes to HTTP verb route attributes.
• Replace complex message contracts with simple DTOs.
• Move client code to HttpClient-based callers or generate OpenAPI/Swagger clients if you expose a spec.

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Production deployment checklist

• Host behind HTTPS and enforce HSTS.
• Configure proper logging and structured error responses.
• Add health checks and monitoring.
• Secure secrets and tokens used for authentication.
• Limit payload sizes and use request validation.

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Further resources

• Official docs for WcfStorm.Rest (if available) and WCF routing/reference docs.
• REST design resources: guidelines for status codes, HATEOAS basics, and RFC 7231 for HTTP semantics.
• Tools: Postman, curl, Swagger/OpenAPI generators for documenting REST endpoints.

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If you want, I can:

• Provide a full working sample project (Visual Studio solution) with hosting config.
• Convert a specific WCF SOAP contract you have into WcfStorm.Rest endpoints.