REST interface, server

Question

Hello, the request is ok. I have a request and would now like to create a test server (mock sever).

To see if the interface works and I can develop with test data. All that is required is a defined response. What options do I have to achieve this?

I found SoapUi (REST) or Postman. They are very complex. Are there any instructions. Simply create a server Simply send a test response to C#.

<Response><Data>Answer</Data><Error code="0" description="No power" /></Response>";

<Response><Data>Answer</Data><Error code="1" description="" /></Response>";

static async Task Main(string[] args)
{
	// Your XML string
	string xmlData = @"<Request><Data>Hello, World!</Data></Request>";

	// The URL to send the POST request to
	string url = "https://example.com/api/endpoint";

	// Create a new HttpClient instance
	using (HttpClient client = new HttpClient())
	{
		// Set the content type to XML
		HttpContent content = new StringContent(xmlData, Encoding.UTF8, "application/xml");

		// Send the POST request
		HttpResponseMessage response = await client.PostAsync(url, content);

		// Ensure the response was successful, or throw an exception
		response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

		// Read the response content
		string responseContent = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();

		// Print the response
		Console.WriteLine(responseContent);
	}
}

Answer 1

Hi @Noah Aas , Welcome to Microsoft Q&A,

To set up a mock server to test the interface and receive predefined XML responses, you can use ASP.NET Core to Create a Mock Server. It's simpler than SoapUI or Postman for creating a mock server.

1. Create a New ASP.NET Core Web Application:
   • Open Visual Studio and create a new ASP.NET Core Web API project.
2. Define the Controller:

• Add a controller to handle incoming requests and send predefined XML responses.

     using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
     using System.Xml.Linq;
  
     namespace MockServer.Controllers
     {
         [Route("api/[controller]")]
         [ApiController]
         public class TestController : ControllerBase
         {
             [HttpPost]
             public IActionResult Post([FromBody] XElement request)
             {
                 // Define the response based on some logic or input request
                 XElement response = new XElement("Response",
                     new XElement("Data", "Answer"),
                     new XElement("Error", new XAttribute("code", "0"), new XAttribute("description", "No power"))
                 );
  
                 return Content(response.ToString(), "application/xml");
             }
         }
     }
  

3. Run the Server:
   • Build and run the project. This will host your mock server locally, typically on https://localhost:5001 or similar.

Testing with the C# Client

Here’s the C# client code to send a request to your mock server and receive the predefined response:

using System;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Your XML string
        string xmlData = @"<Request><Data>Hello, World!</Data></Request>";

        // The URL to send the POST request to (update with your local server URL)
        string url = "https://localhost:5001/api/endpoint";

        // Create a new HttpClient instance
        using (HttpClient client = new HttpClient())
        {
            // Set the content type to XML
            HttpContent content = new StringContent(xmlData, Encoding.UTF8, "application/xml");

            // Send the POST request
            HttpResponseMessage response = await client.PostAsync(url, content);

            // Ensure the response was successful, or throw an exception
            response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

            // Read the response content
            string responseContent = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();

            // Print the response
            Console.WriteLine(responseContent);
        }
    }
}

Using ASP.NET Core to create a mock server can be an easier and more integrated solution for .NET developers compared to using SoapUI or Postman.

Best Regards,

Jiale

---

If the answer is the right solution, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

Is there a reason you don't just use another .NET app for your mock server? Here's an example - bit rough & ready but should do the job:

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core;

using System.Xml.Serialization;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.Configure<KestrelServerOptions>(options => {
	options.AllowSynchronousIO = true;
});

var app = builder.Build();

app.MapPost("/mock", context => {
	var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Request));
	var request = serializer.Deserialize(context.Request.Body) as Request;

	context.Response.ContentType = "application/xml";

	return context.Response.WriteAsync(
		$"""
		<Response>
			<Echo>{request.Data}</Echo>
			<Data>Answer</Data>
			<Error code="0" description="No power" />
		</Response>
		""");
});

app.Run();

public class Request {
	public string Data { get; set; }
}

Then you could call it from your console app, or from another HTTP client like Postman:

Answer 3

It is more common to mock the rest caller rather than the server itself. You should define an api with an interface for calling the REST webservice. Then you can mock the api.