Return json by default using ASP.NET Web API

Question

Is it possible to return json by default from the ASP.NET Web API instead of XML?

This sort of breaks the pattern of keeping the web api agnostic. If you send an Accept : application/json in the headers of your ajax request, WebAPI will respond in Json. Can I see your ajax request? — gideon
– gideon, Commented Dec 1, 2012 at 17:11
Thanks mate. Thats all I needed. I just seen a video tutorial from pluralsight using the web api and the bloke put in the api url route and it responded with json straight in the browser. So there was no ajax request. It was only website.com/api/control — Wesley Skeen
– Wesley Skeen, Commented Dec 1, 2012 at 17:17
You shouldn't even need the Accept header. If you don't have an Accept header on a GET request, you should get JSON back from WebAPI. — Youssef Moussaoui
– Youssef Moussaoui, Commented Dec 2, 2012 at 3:21

tugberk · Accepted Answer · 2012-12-01 18:08:18Z

18

It's what is done by default. JsonMediaTypeFormatter is registered as the first MediaTypeFormatter and if the client doesn't request the response in a specific format, ASP.NET Web API pipeline gives you the response in application/json format.

If what you want is to only support application/json, remove all other formatters and only leave JsonMediaTypeFormatter:

public static void Configure(HttpConfiguration config) {

    var jqueryFormatter = config.Formatters.FirstOrDefault(x => x.GetType() == typeof(JQueryMvcFormUrlEncodedFormatter));
    config.Formatters.Remove(config.Formatters.XmlFormatter);
    config.Formatters.Remove(config.Formatters.FormUrlEncodedFormatter);
    config.Formatters.Remove(jqueryFormatter);
}

answered Dec 1, 2012 at 18:08

tugberk

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Chris Staley · Accepted Answer · 2014-05-15 19:44:22Z

8

@tugberk's solution doesn't really accomplish the goal of changing the default formatter. It simply makes JSON the only option. If you want to make JSON the default and still support all of the other types, you can do the following:

public static void Configure(HttpConfiguration config) {
    // move the JSON formatter to the front of the line
    var jsonFormatter = config.Formatters.JsonFormatter;
    config.Formatters.Remove(jsonFormatter);
    config.Formatters.Insert(0, jsonFormatter);
}

Note: JSON is the default formatter as of Web API 2.0.

edited May 15, 2014 at 19:44

answered May 15, 2014 at 19:27

Chris Staley

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1 Comment

Phil Over a year ago

Works for me. Much better.

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