What is ASP.NET Web API?

ASP.NET Web API series:

What is ASP.NET Web API?

Traditional ASMX web services and WCF services are SOAP based services.
WCF REST services (by using WEBHTTPBINDING) are HTTP based services, ASP.NET Web API also builds HTTP Services.
WCF requires more and more configuration – ASP.NET Web API doesn’t requires much configuration.
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is an XML based encoding – HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) can be served any content such as HTML, Images, Sound, Video etc.

WCF or ASP.NET Web API?

If you need to implement reliable messaging, ws*, message queues, duplex communication or any other requirement to support SOAP then WCF is a good option.
If you are looking for light weight, resource driven, rich media support etc then HTTP Services are good option, go for Web API.
Visit the below link for more explanation

ASP.NET Web API features

Web API is a technology which combines REST, Hypermedia and HTTP Services.
ASP.NET Web API is good to create apps for devices which has limited bandwidth like smart phones.
Web API supports ASP.NET MVC like features such as controllers, routing, filters, model binders etc.
Web API supports dependency injection and IOC container.
It supports CRUD operation in a simple way by using HTTP verbs like GET, PUT, POST and DELETE.
MediaTypeFormatter by Web API helps to format the responses into XML, JSON etc.
It supports ODATA (Open Data Protocol to allow the creation and consumption of query able and interoperable RESTful APIs in a simple and standard way)

[elizabethturner]

Very informative video.Can you make a video where you can port WCF to Web api or explain here ?