Make an HTTP GET request in C#

This post will discuss how to make an HTTP GET request in C#.

1. Using `WebClient.DownloadString()` method

The System.Net.WebClient class provides several utility methods for sending data and receiving data from a URI resource. You can use the WebClient.DownloadString() method to download a resource as a string. The following example illustrates the usage of this method.

using System;

using System.Net;

public class Example

{

public static string Get(string url)

{

var web = new WebClient();

return web.DownloadString(url);

}

public static void Main()

{

String url = "https://reqres.in/api/users?page=1";

String content = Get(url);

Console.WriteLine(content);

}

Download Run Code

Note that the WebClient.DownloadString() method blocks the calling thread while downloading the resource. To download a resource asynchronously without waiting for the server’s response, consider using the WebClient.DownloadStringAsync() method.

2. Using `HttpWebRequest` Class

Alternatively, you can use the System.Net.HttpWebRequest class, which is an HTTP-specific implementation of the WebRequest class. For more information on this class, see the official documentation.

using System;

using System.Net;

public class Example

{

public static string Get(string url)

{

HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(url);

request.AutomaticDecompression = DecompressionMethods.GZip |

DecompressionMethods.Deflate;

using (HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse())

using (Stream stream = response.GetResponseStream())

using (StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(stream))

{

return reader.ReadToEnd();

}

public static void Main()

{

String url = "https://reqres.in/api/users?page=1";

String content = Get(url);

Console.WriteLine(content);

}

Download Run Code

3. Using `HttpClient` Class

The HttpWebRequest class is not recommended anymore. It is preferable to use the System.Net.Http.HttpClient class instead.

using System;

using System.Net;

public class Example

{

private static HttpClient client = null;

public static string Get(string url)

{

if (client == null)

{

HttpClientHandler handler = new HttpClientHandler() {

AutomaticDecompression = DecompressionMethods.GZip |

DecompressionMethods.Deflate

};

client = new HttpClient(handler);

}

client.BaseAddress = new Uri(url);

HttpResponseMessage response = client.GetAsync("").Result;

response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

return response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result;

}

public static void Main()

{

String url = "https://reqres.in/api/users";

String content = Get(url);

Console.WriteLine(content);

}

Download Run Code

That’s all about making an HTTP GET request in C#.

Make an HTTP GET request in C#

1. Using WebClient.DownloadString() method

2. Using HttpWebRequest Class

3. Using HttpClient Class

1. Using `WebClient.DownloadString()` method

2. Using `HttpWebRequest` Class

3. Using `HttpClient` Class