How to Enable REST and SOAP Both On The Same WCF Service
In this post I will show you how to create a WCF Service with both SOAP and REST paradigms. For purpose of this post, I am going to create a Calculator Service with the following characterstics
Serivice will have both SOAP and REST enabled
REST Service will have JOSN Message format
In the later part of the post, I will show you a way to consume both types of Service in a manged (console) client.
Idea
There would be two ServiceContract . One ServiceContract for SOAP and one for REST.
There would be one Service Defintion file
There would be two bindings enabled on the service. One binding corrosponds to SOAP and other to REST
For SOAP , basicHttpBinding would be used and for REST webHttpBinding would be used
Both SOAP and REST will have same base address
Note : I have created a different Service Contract for REST and SOAP. However you can have it on same ServiceContract also.
Create Service
Let us create two service contracts . One for SOAP and one for the REST Service. I have created a Service Contract IService1 for SOAP as below,
IService1.cs
[ServiceContract]
public interface IService1
{
[OperationContract]
int Add(int Number1, int Number2);
[OperationContract]
int Sub(int Number1, int Number2);
[OperationContract]
int Mul(int Number1, int Number2);
[OperationContract]
int Div(int Number1, int Number2);
}
Next I have created a Service Contract IService2 for REST as below,
IService2.cs
[ServiceContract]
public interface IService2
{
[OperationContract]
[WebGet(UriTemplate="/Add/{Number1}/{Number2}",RequestFormat=WebMessageFormat.Json,
ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json
)]
int AddRest(string Number1, string Number2);
[OperationContract]
[WebGet(UriTemplate="/Sub/{Number1}/{Number2}",RequestFormat=WebMessageFormat.Json,
ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json
)]
int SubRest(string Number1, string Number2);
[OperationContract]
[WebGet(UriTemplate="/Mul/{Number1}/{Number2}",RequestFormat=WebMessageFormat.Json,
ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json
)]
int MulRest(string Number1, string Number2);
[OperationContract]
[WebGet(UriTemplate="/Div/{Number1}/{Number2}",RequestFormat=WebMessageFormat.Json,
ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json
)]
int DivRest(string Number1, string Number2);
}In the above service I am explictly setting the message format to JSON. So the above service is a JSON enabled REST Service. Since REST based service does not take input parameter but string type so input parameters to functions is of string type.
Implementing Service
The service is implemented in a simple way. All the operation contracts from the service are performing trivial calculating functions.
Service1.svc.cs
using System;
namespace MultipleBindingWCF
{
public class Service1 : IService1,IService2
{
public int Add(int Number1, int Number2)
{
return Number1 + Number2;
}
public int Sub(int Number1, int Number2)
{
return Number1 - Number2;
}
public int Mul(int Number1, int Number2)
{
return Number1 * Number2;
}
public int Div(int Number1, int Number2)
{
return Number1 / Number2;
}
public int AddRest(string Number1, string Number2)
{
int num1 = Convert.ToInt32(Number1);
int num2 = Convert.ToInt32(Number2);
return num1 + num2;
}
public int SubRest(string Number1, string Number2)
{
int num1 = Convert.ToInt32(Number1);
int num2 = Convert.ToInt32(Number2);
return num1 - num2;
}
public int MulRest(string Number1, string Number2)
{
int num1 = Convert.ToInt32(Number1);
int num2 = Convert.ToInt32(Number2);
return num1 * num2;
}
public int DivRest(string Number1, string Number2)
{
int num1 = Convert.ToInt32(Number1);
int num2 = Convert.ToInt32(Number2);
return num1 / num2;
}
}}
Configuring Service
This section is very important. We need to configure the service for both basicHttpBinding and webHttpBinding .
Very first we need to set the service beahavior as below ,
SoapWCF1.jpg
After setting the Service behavior , we need to set EndPoint behavior for REST enabled EndPoint as below,
SoapWCF2.jpg
Next we need to create EndPoints , SOAP EndPoint with basicHttpBinding would get created as below,
SoapWCF3.jpg
In above configuration ,
Name of the endpoint is SOAPEndPoint. You are free to give any name. Howevere at time of consuming the service this endpoint name is required.
This endpoint will be available at baseaddress/soap address.
Binding used in endpoint is basicHttpBinding
Contract is IService1. If you remember , we created this contract for the SOAP .
Now we need to create REST EndPoint as below,
SoapWCF4.jpg
In above configuration ,
Name of the endpoint is RESTEndPoint.
REST Service will be called at the URL baseaddress/rest/add/parameter1/parameter2
Binding used is webHttpBinding
Endpoint configuration is restbehavior .We set endpoint behavior with this name previously.
Putting all together service configuration will look like as below,
<endpoint name ="RESTEndPoint"
contract ="MultipleBindingWCF.IService2"
binding ="webHttpBinding"
address ="rest"
behaviorConfiguration ="restbehavior"/>
<endpoint contract="IMetadataExchange"
binding="mexHttpBinding"
address="mex" />
</service>
</services> </system.serviceModel>
<system.webServer>
</system.webServer>
Now service is ready to be hosted. For purose of this post I am hosting it cassini server.
Consuming Service
Service is enabled for both SOAP and REST version. So consumption of service needs to be done accordingly.
Consumption of SOAP Service can be done in usual way in .Net client by adding Service Reference and making a call to the service as below,
static void CallingSOAPfunction()
{
Service1Client proxy = new Service1Client("SOAPEndPoint");
var result = proxy.Add(7, 2);
Console.WriteLine(result);
}If you notice, I am providing endpoint name to explicitly say which endpoint of the service need to be called.
REST Service is working on JSON message format. For deserlization of the message, I am using DataContractJsonSerializer. This class is in the namespace System.Runtime.Serialization.Json.
static void CallingRESTfunction()
{
WebClient RESTProxy = new WebClient();
byte[] data= RESTProxy.DownloadData(new Uri("http://localhost:30576/Service1.svc/Rest/add/7/2"));
Stream stream = new MemoryStream(data);
DataContractJsonSerializer obj = new DataContractJsonSerializer(typeof(string));
string result = obj.ReadObject(stream).ToString();
Console.WriteLine(result);
}In above code I am downloading data from REST Uri using WebClient and deserlaizing that using DataContractJsonSerializer.
Now you know how to enable REST and SOAP on same WCF Service. I hope this post is useful. Thanks for reading.
