How to send HTTP requests in your .NET Core Application using RestSharp

.NET

Intro

RestSharp is a popular open-source library used for making HTTP requests and working with RESTful APIs in .NET applications. It provides a simple and intuitive API that allows developers to easily interact with various web services by handling HTTP requests and responses in a more organized and structured way.

RestSharp is built on top of the .NET Framework, and it supports various serialization formats like XML, JSON, and BSON. It also supports a variety of authentication methods like OAuth 1.0, OAuth 2.0, and Basic Authentication. Additionally, RestSharp provides features like automatic deserialization of response data into objects, asynchronous requests, and support for uploading and downloading files.



Integrate the RestSharp NuGet package in your application

To use RestSharp in your .NET Core application, you'll need to first install it using NuGet. In Visual Studio, right-click on your project and select "Manage NuGet Packages", then search for "RestSharp" and install the latest version.


Install RestSharp NuGet Package


Once you have RestSharp installed, you can create a new instance of the RestClient class to send HTTP requests. The RestClient class is responsible for sending requests to a remote server and receiving the response. You can create a new instance like this:


var client = new RestClient("https://api.example.com");


Replace https://api.example.com with the URL of the remote server you want to send requests to.



Send GET HTTP requests using RestSharp

To send a GET request, you can use the RestRequest class:


var request = new RestRequest("/products", Method.GET);


Replace /products with the path of the API endpoint you want to call. The Method.GET parameter specifies that this is a GET request.



To add parameters to the request, you can use the AddParameter method:


request.AddParameter("limit", 10);


This will add a query parameter to the request with the name limit and the value 10.



To send the request and receive the response, you can use the Execute method:


var response = client.Execute(request);


This will send the request to the remote server and return a RestResponse object with the response. You can access the response content like this:


var content = response.Content;


This will give you the raw response content as a string. If you want to parse the response content into a specific type, you can use RestSharp's built-in deserialization using System.Text.Json by default since .NET 6:


var products = _client.Execute<IEnumerable<Product>>(getRequest);


Replace Product with the name of your model class.



Send POST HTTP requests using RestSharp

RestSharp also supports sending POST, PUT, DELETE, and other types of requests. To send a POST request, for example, you can use the Method.POST parameter when creating the RestRequest:


var request = new RestRequest("/products", Method.POST);


You can then add the request body using the AddJsonBody method:


request.AddJsonBody(new Product { Name = "Widget", Price = 9.99 });


This will serialize the Product object to JSON and send it in the request body.

To send the request and receive the response, you can use the same Execute method as before.



RestSharp vs HttpClient

HttpClient is a built-in class in the .NET Framework that provides functionality for making HTTP requests. While RestSharp is a third-party library that provides additional features and a more user-friendly API. Here are some key differences between the two:

    1. API: The RestSharp API is more intuitive and easier to use than the HttpClient API. It provides a simple and concise syntax for making HTTP requests and handling responses.
    2. Serialization: RestSharp supports various serialization formats like XML, JSON, and BSON, while HttpClient only supports JSON serialization.
    3. Authentication: RestSharp supports various authentication methods like OAuth 1.0, OAuth 2.0, and Basic Authentication, while HttpClient only supports Basic Authentication.
    4. Response Handling: RestSharp provides automatic deserialization of response data into objects, while HttpClient requires manual deserialization of response data.



Conclusions

RestSharp is a popular open-source library used for making HTTP requests and working with RESTful APIs in .NET applications. It provides a simple and intuitive API that allows developers to easily interact with various web services. RestSharp is built on top of the .NET Framework, and it supports various serialization formats like XML, JSON, and BSON. Additionally, it provides features like automatic deserialization of response data into objects, asynchronous requests, and support for uploading and downloading files.

HttpClient is a built-in class in the .NET Framework that provides functionality for making HTTP requests. It is less feature-rich than RestSharp, but it provides a solid foundation for making HTTP requests. HttpClient is a good choice for simple applications that don't require advanced features like authentication or serialization. However, for more complex applications, RestSharp provides a more robust and user-friendly solution.