Utilize request decompression middleware in ASP.NET Core 7 to allow your API to handle compressed request payloads efficiently.
In ASP.NET Core, minimal APIs provide a streamlined way to create RESTful services with minimal boilerplate code and configuration. Regardless of the API’s function, reducing the size of data transferred over the network is critical to improving application performance. Compressing payloads for requests and responses can significantly decrease bandwidth usage and boost response times.
When an API receives compressed data, it must decompress that data to process it. ASP.NET Core 7 introduces built-in request decompression middleware, which allows API endpoints to accept and automatically decompress incoming compressed data. This feature simplifies the handling of compressed requests and ensures efficient data transfer between clients and servers.
Request decompression is especially useful when dealing with large datasets or files. Clients can compress data before sending it, and the API server can decompress it seamlessly, saving time and resources on both ends. The middleware supports various compression formats, such as gzip and Brotli, which are commonly used to reduce payload size.
In this article, we’ll explore how to leverage request compression and decompression in ASP.NET Core 7 Minimal APIs. While we have previously covered response compression in ASP.NET Core, here we’ll focus specifically on handling incoming compressed data. To get started, ensure that Visual Studio 2022 is installed on your machine. You can download the latest version from the official Microsoft website if you haven’t done so already.
By implementing request decompression, developers can create more efficient APIs that handle large or compressed data streams effortlessly. It’s a crucial feature for applications where data efficiency and performance optimization are top priorities.