websocket rpc

WebSokcetRPC - RPC over WebSocket for .NET
WebSocket RPC library for .NET with auto JavaScript client code generation, supporting ASP.NET Core.

Tutorial: CodeProject article

Why WebSocketRPC ?

• Lightweight
  The only dependency is JSON.NET library used for serialization/deserialization.

• Simple
  There are only two relevant methods: Bind for binding object/interface onto a connection, and CallAsync for making RPCs.

• Use 3rdParty assemblies as API(s)
  Implemented API, if used only for RPC, does not use anything from the library.

• Automatic JavaScript code generation
  The JavaScript WebSocket client code is automatically generated (with JsDoc comments) from an existing .NET interface (API contract).

Samples

Check the samples by following the link above. The snippets below demonstrate the base RPC functionality.

1) .NET <- .NET

The server implements a math API containing a single function.

Server (C#)

//server's API
class MathAPI //:IMathAPI
{
    public int Add(int a, int b)
    {
        return a + b;
    }
}

...
//run the server and bind the local and remote API to a connection
Server.ListenAsync(8000, CancellationToken.None, 
                   (c, wc) => c.Bind<MathAPI>(new MathAPI()))
      .Wait(0);

Client (C#)

//server's API contract
interface IMathAPI
{
    int Add(int a, int b);
}

...
//run the client and bind the APIs to the connection
Client.ConnectAsync("ws://localhost:8000/", CancellationToken.None, 
                    (c, ws) => c.Bind<IMathAPI>())
      .Wait(0);
      
...
//make an RPC (there is only one connection)
var r = await RPC.For<IMathAPI>().CallAsync(x => Add(5, 3)); 
Console.WriteLine("Result: " + r.First()); //Output: 'Result: 8'

2) .NET <- JavaScript

The server’s code is the same, but the client is written in JavaScript. The support is given by the WebSocketRPC.JS package.

Server (C#)

//the server code is the same as in the previous sample

//generate JavaScript client (file)
var code = RPCJs.GenerateCallerWithDoc<MathAPI>();
File.WriteAllText("MathAPI.js", code);

Client (JavaScript)

//init API
var api = new MathAPI("ws://localhost:8000");

//connect and excecute (when connection is opened)
api.connect(async () => {
   var r = await api.add(5, 3);
   console.log("Result: " + r);
});

3) ASP.NET Core

To incorporate server’s code into the ASP.NET Core use WebSocketRPC.AspCore package. The initialization is done in a startup class in the Configure method. Everything the rest is the same.

class Startup
{
    public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IHostingEnvironment env) 
    {
        //the MVC initialization, etc.

        //initialize web-sockets
        app.UseWebSockets();
        //define route for a new connection and bind the API
        app.MapWebSocketRPC("/mathAPI", (httpCtx, c) => c.Bind<MathAPI>(new MathAPI()));
    }
}  

Related Libraries

SimpleHTTP library - adds the HTTP listener functionality (see the article).

How to Engage, Contribute and Provide Feedback

Remember: Your opinion is important and will define the future roadmap.

• questions, comments - Github
• spread the word

Final word

If you like the project please star it in order to help to spread the word. That way you will make the framework more significant and in the same time you will motivate me to improve it, so the benefit is mutual.