I want to send dynamic object like
new { x = 1, y = 2 };
as body of HTTP POST message. So I try to write
var client = new HttpClient();
but I can't find method
client.PostAsJsonAsync()
So I tried to add Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http.Extensions package to project.json and add
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http.Extensions;
to uses clause. However It didn't help me.
So what is the easiest way to send POST request with JSON body in ASP.NET Core?
You should add reference to "Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Client" package (read this article for samples).
Without any additional extension, you may use standard PostAsync
method:
client.PostAsync(uri, new StringContent(jsonInString, Encoding.UTF8, "application/json"));
where jsonInString
value you can get by calling JsonConvert.SerializeObject(<your object>);
I use this class:
public class JsonContent : StringContent
{
public JsonContent(object obj) :
base(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(obj), Encoding.UTF8, "application/json")
{ }
}
Sample of usage:
new HttpClient().PostAsync("http://...", new JsonContent(new { x = 1, y = 2 }));
Content-Length:
HTTP header?
HttpClient
settings, e.g. if one set client.DefaultRequestHeaders.TransferEncodingChunked = true
Content-Length
header wouldn't be set and Transfer-Encoding: chunked
would be set instead. However, if one creates the client like var client = new HttpClient();
, the header Content-Length
would be set for this content class by default.
I would add to the accepted answer that you would also want to add the Accept
header to the httpClient
:
httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Clear();
httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/json"));
Microsoft now recommends using an IHttpClientFactory
with the following benefits:
Provides a central location for naming and configuring logical HttpClient instances. For example, a client named github could be registered and configured to access GitHub. A default client can be registered for general access.
Codifies the concept of outgoing middleware via delegating handlers in HttpClient. Provides extensions for Polly-based middleware to take advantage of delegating handlers in HttpClient.
Manages the pooling and lifetime of underlying HttpClientMessageHandler instances. Automatic management avoids common DNS (Domain Name System) problems that occur when manually managing HttpClient lifetimes.
Adds a configurable logging experience (via ILogger) for all requests sent through clients created by the factory.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/http-requests?view=aspnetcore-3.1
Setup:
public class Startup
{
public Startup(IConfiguration configuration)
{
Configuration = configuration;
}
public IConfiguration Configuration { get; }
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
services.AddHttpClient();
// Remaining code deleted for brevity.
POST example:
public class BasicUsageModel : PageModel
{
private readonly IHttpClientFactory _clientFactory;
public BasicUsageModel(IHttpClientFactory clientFactory)
{
_clientFactory = clientFactory;
}
public async Task CreateItemAsync(TodoItem todoItem)
{
var todoItemJson = new StringContent(
JsonSerializer.Serialize(todoItem, _jsonSerializerOptions),
Encoding.UTF8,
"application/json");
var httpClient = _clientFactory.CreateClient();
using var httpResponse =
await httpClient.PostAsync("/api/TodoItems", todoItemJson);
httpResponse.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
}
_jsonSerializerOptions
part? Do you know if any options need to be set?
If you are using .NET 5 or above, you can (and should) use the PostAsJsonAsync
extension method from System.Net.Http.Json:
httpClient.PostAsJsonAsync(url, new {
x = 1,
y = 2
});
If you are using an older version of .NET Core, you can implement the extension function yourself:
public static class HttpClientExtensions
{
public static Task<HttpResponseMessage> PostJsonAsync(this HttpClient httpClient, string url, object body)
{
var bodyJson = JsonSerializer.Serialize(body);
var stringContent = new StringContent(bodyJson, Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");
return httpClient.PostAsync(url, stringContent);
}
}
You are right that this has long since been implemented in .NET Core.
At the time of writing (September 2019), the project.json
file of NuGet 3.x+ has been superseded by PackageReference
(as explained at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/archive/project-json).
To get access to the *Async
methods of the HttpClient
class, your .csproj
file must be correctly configured.
Open your .csproj
file in a plain text editor, and make sure the first line is
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web">
(as pointed out at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/tools/project-json-to-csproj#the-csproj-format).
To get access to the *Async
methods of the HttpClient
class, you also need to have the correct package reference in your .csproj
file, like so:
<ItemGroup>
<!-- ... -->
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.App" />
<!-- ... -->
</ItemGroup>
(See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/consume-packages/package-references-in-project-files#adding-a-packagereference. Also: We recommend applications targeting ASP.NET Core 2.1 and later use the Microsoft.AspNetCore.App metapackage, https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/metapackage)
Methods such as PostAsJsonAsync
, ReadAsAsync
, PutAsJsonAsync
and DeleteAsync
should now work out of the box. (No using directive needed.)
Update: The PackageReference tag is no longer needed in .NET Core 3.0.
Success story sharing
HttpClient
extension method(PostAsJsonAsync
) to use the second way. It enables you to avoid code repetition.