Key takeaways: APIs in C#: Create a
Student Management API
Last updated on: August 21, 2024
Introduction
This document provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts and skills you've
acquired throughout the guided project. It serves as a valuable resource to reinforce your
understanding and apply your knowledge to future projects.
To review the guided project in more detail, please visit the following link:
https://www.coursera.org/learn/apis-c-sharp-create-student-management-api/
Tak 1: Setup an API project
● Use the dotnet CLI command:
○ dotnet new webapi -o MyWebApi
● Install Swagger package:
○ Swashbuckle.AspNetCore
● Add Swagger services
○ services.AddSwaggerGen();
● Enable Swagger middleware:
○ app.UseSwagger();
○ app.UseSwaggerUI();
Task 2: Build the data layer
● The DbContext class represents a session with the database and is the
primary way to interact with your data.
● Use the UseSqlite() method to configure the connection string to your
SQLite database file.
● use dotnet tool install --global dotnet-ef to install entity framework tools
● Create initial migration: dotnet ef migrations add InitialCreate.
● Apply migrations: Use dotnet ef database update.
Task 3: Create an API Endpoint to Retrieve Students
● The app.MapGet() method provides a concise way to define HTTP GET
endpoints within your application.
● The framework automatically binds the values from the URL to
corresponding parameters in your endpoint handler.
● You can define route parameters within the path template using curly braces
({}).
● Delegate-based: The endpoint handler can be defined as a lambda
expression.
Task 4: Create an API Endpoint to Create a Student
● Direct mapping: The app.MapPost() method provides a concise way to
define HTTP POST endpoints within your application.
● The endpoint handler can be defined as a lambda expression.
● Model binding: The framework can automatically bind the request body to a
strongly typed object, allowing you to process complex data structures.
● Results.Ok(): This method returns a 200 OK HTTP status code with an optional
object as the response body.
Task 5: Create an endpoint to delete a student
● Direct mapping: The app.MapDelete() method provides a concise way to
define HTTP DELETE endpoints within your application.
● You can define route parameters within the path template using curly braces
({}).
● The endpoint handler can be defined as a lambda expression.
● Results.NoContent(): Typically used to indicate successful deletion without
returning any content.
● Results.NotFound(): Returns a 404 Not Found status code when the
requested resource is not found.
Task 6: Create API endpoint to update a student
● The app.MapPut() method provides a concise way to define HTTP PUT
endpoints within your application.
● The endpoint automatically binds the values from the URL to corresponding
parameters in your endpoint handler.
● The endpoint handler can be defined as a lambda expression.
● Results.Ok(): Typically used to indicate successful update, often returning
the updated resource.