How to Combine Conventional and Attribute Routing in ASP.NET Core Web API?

Learn the fundamentals of combining `Conventional` and `Attribute Routing` in an ASP.NET Core Web API application to streamline your routing process and enhance control.
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How to Combine Conventional and Attribute Routing in ASP.NET Core Web API?

Routing in an ASP.NET Core Web API application is a core aspect that determines how your application's endpoints are mapped to the respective actions in your controllers. Utilizing routing efficiently can streamline the development process and ensure that the APIs are maintainable and scalable.

Understanding Conventional Routing

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In this example, the URL pattern {controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?} matches the incoming URL to a respective controller and action. This style is simple and effective when your API endpoints adhere to standard URL patterns.

Understanding Attribute Routing

Attribute Routing uses annotations directly on your controller actions to specify the URL pattern. This routing style provides greater flexibility and control over the URL structure, which can be particularly useful for complex APIs with non-standard patterns. An example is shown below:

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Here, [HttpGet("{id}")] denotes that this action should respond to GET requests with a specific ID.

Combining Conventional and Attribute Routing

Combining both Conventional and Attribute Routing allows you to leverage the benefits of both approaches. This hybrid approach can be particularly useful when you need the simplicity of conventional routing but also require the detailed control provided by attribute routing.

Here's how you can set this up in an ASP.NET Core Web API application:

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Use Attribute Routing on Specific Controllers/Actions:

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In this setup, the default route handles most of the controller actions, while specific actions may have custom attribute routes for greater flexibility.

Conclusion

Combining Conventional and Attribute Routing in an ASP.NET Core Web API provides a balanced approach, allowing you to manage standard URL patterns with conventional routes while leveraging the fine-grained control of attribute routing when necessary. This hybrid setup ensures you can maintain a clean, organized, and scalable routing structure in your application.