URI template for POST / PUT service

Question

I am going to write a restful API, my requirement is to call methods in the Transaction object, I was wondering how I should call Post / PUT with the corresponding URI template so that I can create / update the transaction resource without using "verbs" in the Uri display.

[OperationContract] [WebInvoke(Method = "POST", UriTemplate = "/Transaction/{**What to write here ????**}", RequestFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json, ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json)] public Transaction AddTransaction(Transaction transaction) { return AddTransactionToRepository(transaction); } [OperationContract] [WebInvoke(Method = "PUT", UriTemplate = "/Transaction/{**What to write here ????**}", RequestFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json, ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json)] public Transaction UpdateTransaction(Transaction transaction) { return UpdateTransactionInRepository(transaction); } 

Please note that I want to apply the best practice for matching uri and do not want it to have “verbs”, but only “nouns”. Also tell how the client will gain access to these methods for Post and Put with a unique URI. Thanks

Answer 1

You need to map the URI as shown below for Transaction .

Get transaction by ID - GET - transaction / id

Create a new transaction - POST - transaction

Update transaction - PUT - transaction / id

Delete transaction - DELETE - transaction / id

URI templates should be changed below

 [OperationContract] [WebInvoke(Method = "POST", UriTemplate = "/Transaction", RequestFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json, ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json)] public Transaction AddTransaction(Transaction transaction) { // } [OperationContract] [WebInvoke(Method = "PUT", UriTemplate = "/Transaction/{id}", RequestFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json, ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json)] public Transaction UpdateTransaction(int id, Transaction transaction) { // } 

how the client will access these methods for Post and Put with a unique URI

You do not need a unique URI for POST and PUT. There URIs may be the same.

Links: http://www.asp.net/web-api/overview/creating-web-apis/creating-a-web-api-that-supports-crud-operations

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb412172(v=vs.90).aspx

Answer 2

PUT is designed to create or update a known resource, for example: PUT / Transactions / 1234

This will create (or update, if it already exists) a transaction with an identifier of 1234. This means that you can use PUT only if you know the URL of the resource.

POST creates a new child resource, for example: POST / Transactions /

This will create a new transaction resource.

Note that I am pluralizing a transaction, so now it represents a collection.

Not being a C # developer, I don’t know how easily this maps to WCF, but this approach is technology independent.

Answer 3

To create the correct URLs and api design principles ... I found this book (not mine!), Should read: http://offers.apigee.com/api-design-ebook-rr/