NacncyFx Web Framework

NancyFx is a lightweight, open-source web framework for building web applications in .NET.

It is inspired by the simplicity and elegance of Ruby's Sinatra framework. NancyFx focuses on providing a simple and clean API for building HTTP-based services and websites.

History of NancyFx

NancyFx was first released in 2010 by Andreas Håkansson and Steven Robbins. It gained popularity due to its simplicity and flexibility compared to other popular .NET web frameworks like ASP.NET MVC. Since then, NancyFx has been actively maintained and improved by a community of contributors.

Features of NancyFx

1. Routing

NancyFx provides a powerful routing engine that allows you to define routes using a fluent and expressive syntax. Here's an example of how to define a route in NancyFx:

public class MyModule : NancyModule
{
    public MyModule()
    {
        Get("/hello/{name}", parameters =>
        {
            var name = parameters.name;
            return $"Hello, {name}!";
        });
    }
}

In this example, the route /hello/{name} will match any URL that starts with /hello/ followed by a string parameter name. When a request is made to this route, the corresponding lambda expression will be executed, and the interpolated string "Hello, {name}!" will be returned as the response.

2. Model Binding

NancyFx provides built-in support for model binding, allowing you to easily map HTTP request data to strongly-typed model objects. Here's an example:

public class User
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
}

public class MyModule : NancyModule
{
    public MyModule()
    {
        Post("/user", parameters =>
        {
            var user = this.Bind<User>();
            return $"Hello, {user.Name}! You are {user.Age} years old.";
        });
    }
}

In this example, the request body will be automatically deserialized and bound to the User object. The interpolated string will then be returned as the response, including the values from the bound object.

3. Content Negotiation

NancyFx supports content negotiation, allowing your application to respond with different representations of the same resource based on the client's requested content type. Here's an example:

public class MyModule : NancyModule
{
    public MyModule()
    {
        Get("/hello", _ =>
        {
            Negotiate.WithAllowedMediaRange("text/html")
                .WithModel("Hello, world!")
                .WithView("Index");

            Negotiate.WithAllowedMediaRange("application/json")
                .WithModel(new { Message = "Hello, world!" });
        });
    }
}

In this example, if the client requests the URL /hello with an Accept header of text/html, the response will be rendered using the Index view. If the client requests the same URL with an Accept header of application/json, the response will be serialized as JSON.

4. Dependency Injection

NancyFx has built-in support for dependency injection, allowing you to easily integrate with your favorite IoC container. Here's an example using the popular Autofac container:

public class MyModule : NancyModule
{
    private readonly ILogger logger;

    public MyModule(ILogger logger)
    {
        this.logger = logger;

        Get("/log/{message}", parameters =>
        {
            var message = parameters.message;
            this.logger.Log(message);
            return $"Logged message: {message}";
        });
    }
}

In this example, the ILogger dependency is injected into the MyModule constructor. You can then use it within your routes to perform logging or any other desired functionality.

Examples of NancyFx Usage

Example 1: Hello World

public class MyModule : NancyModule
{
    public MyModule()
    {
        Get("/", _ => "Hello, world!");
    }
}

In this example, the route / will match the root URL, and the response will be the string "Hello, world!".

Example 2: File Upload

public class MyModule : NancyModule
{
    public MyModule()
    {
        Post("/upload", _ =>
        {
            var file = Request.Files.FirstOrDefault();
            // Handle file upload logic
            return "File uploaded!";
        });
    }
}

In this example, the route /upload will handle a file upload request. The uploaded file can be accessed through the Request.Files collection.

Conclusion

NancyFx is a lightweight and flexible web framework that simplifies the process of building web applications in .NET. Its intuitive API, powerful routing engine, and support for features like model binding and content negotiation make it a popular choice among .NET developers. Check out the official NancyFx website for more information and documentation.