This article will demonstrate how to use ASP.NET MVC in C# to create a basic RESTful API. When a specific student ID is searched, this API will return student data (including name, date of birth, zip code, major department, and student ID). This beginner-friendly guide offers step-by-step instructions, code walkthroughs, and explanations to help you comprehend and complete the project.

Tools Required

  • Visual Studio 2019/2022 (Community Edition is free)
  • .NET Framework (4.7 or later)
  • Basic knowledge of C# syntax

Step 1. Create a New Web API Project

  • Open Visual Studio.
  • Click on File > New > Project.
  • Choose ASP.NET Web Application (.NET Framework).
  • Name your project StudentAPI and click OK.
  • Select the Web API template and click Create.

This sets up a basic project with preconfigured folders for Models, Controllers, and API routes.

Step 2. Create the Student Model
This model defines the structure of the student data.

File: Models/Student.cs
using System;

namespace StudentAPI.Models
{
    public class Student
    {
        public string StudentId { get; set; }     // Alphanumeric ID e.g. S1001
        public string Name { get; set; }          
        public DateTime DateOfBirth { get; set; } // e.g. 2001-06-15
        public string ZipCode { get; set; }       // e.g. 600001
        public string Major { get; set; }         // e.g. Computer Science
    }
}

Explanation

  • StudentId: Alphanumeric identifier for the student.
  • Name: Full name of the student.
  • DateOfBirth: The date of birth, stored as a DateTime object.
  • ZipCode: Postal code of the student’s residence.
  • Major: The department or field of study.

Step 3. Create the API Controller
The controller processes incoming HTTP requests and returns responses.

File: Controllers/StudentController.cs
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web.Http;
using StudentAPI.Models;

namespace StudentAPI.Controllers
{
public class StudentController : ApiController
{
    private static List<Student> students = new List<Student>
    {
        new Student
        {
            StudentId = "S1001",
            Name = "Carlos",
            DateOfBirth = new DateTime(2000, 3, 12),
            ZipCode = "600045",
            Major = "Mechanical Engineering"
        },
        new Student
        {
            StudentId = "S1002",
            Name = "Peter",
            DateOfBirth = new DateTime(2001, 7, 25),
            ZipCode = "641001",
            Major = "Electronics and Communication"
        },
        new Student
        {
            StudentId = "S1003",
            Name = "Scott",
            DateOfBirth = new DateTime(1999, 12, 30),
            ZipCode = "500081",
            Major = "Computer Science"
        }
    };

    // GET api/student/{id}
    public IHttpActionResult GetStudentById(string id)
    {
        var student = students.FirstOrDefault(
            s => s.StudentId.Equals(id, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));

        if (student == null)
        {
            return NotFound();
        }

        return Ok(student);
    }
}
}

Explanation

  • We use an in-memory List<Student> to simulate a database.
  • The method GetStudentById accepts an ID as input.
  • It searches for the student in the list using LINQ.
  • If found, it returns the student data in JSON format.
  • If not found, it returns a 404 (Not Found) HTTP response.

Step 4. Configure Web API Routing
Ensure your app correctly maps incoming API requests.

File: App_Start/WebApiConfig.cs
using System.Web.Http;

namespace StudentAPI
{
public static class WebApiConfig
{
    public static void Register(HttpConfiguration config)
    {
        // Enable attribute routing
        config.MapHttpAttributeRoutes();

        // Define default route
        config.Routes.MapHttpRoute(
            name: "DefaultApi",
            routeTemplate: "api/{controller}/{id}",
            defaults: new { id = RouteParameter.Optional }
        );
    }
}
}

Explanation

  • Enables attribute routing.
  • Sets a default route pattern: api/{controller}/{id}.
  • This means a call to api/student/S1001 will map to StudentController.

Step 5. Run and Test Your API

  • Press F5 or click Start Debugging in Visual Studio.
  • The browser will open. Change the URL to:

http://localhost:1234/api/student/S1002

(Replace the port 1234 with your actual port number.)

Example Output
{
  "StudentId": "S1002",
  "Name": "peter",
  "DateOfBirth": "2000-08-25 T00:00:00",
  "ZipCode": "641001",
  "Major": "Electronics and Communication"
}

Happy Learning!