Build a RESTful Student Info API with ASP.NET MVC & C#.NET

Introduction

In this tutorial, we’ll walk through creating a simple RESTful API using ASP.NET MVC in C#. This API will return student information (such as student ID, name, date of birth, zip code, and major department) when queried with a specific student ID.

This guide is tailored for beginners and includes explanations, code walkthroughs, and practical steps to help you understand and implement 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; }          // Full name e.g. Aravind Raj
        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 = "Karthik Varma",
                DateOfBirth = new DateTime(2000, 3, 12),
                ZipCode = "600045",
                Major = "Mechanical Engineering"
            },
            new Student
            {
                StudentId = "S1002",
                Name = "Meenakshi R",
                DateOfBirth = new DateTime(2001, 7, 25),
                ZipCode = "641001",
                Major = "Electronics and Communication"
            },
            new Student
            {
                StudentId = "S1003",
                Name = "Sundar Rajan",
                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": "Meenakshi R",
  "DateOfBirth": "2001-07-25T00:00:00",
  "ZipCode": "641001",
  "Major": "Electronics and Communication"
}

Summary

In this tutorial, you’ve learned.

How to set up an ASP.NET Web API project.
How to create a model and controller.
How to simulate a student database using a list.
How to return JSON responses using RESTful routes.

Next Steps for Learning

Replace the static list with a database (SQL Server + Entity Framework).
Add endpoints for POST (create), PUT (update), and DELETE (remove).
Add input validation and error handling.

Hands-On Practice

Try adding a new student to the list.
Customize the model by adding more fields, such as phone number and email.
Add unit tests using NUnit or xUnit.

I encourage you to experiment with different student profiles and build upon this basic API to enhance your understanding.

Happy Learning!