c# - ServiceStack REST API Design -

i'm starting play around servicestack , i'm enjoying far i'm thinking design flawed go. essentially, have mssql database i'm accessing via nhibernate. confusion coming due structure request / response dtos & services should take.

i have nhibernate mapping in separate project under myproject.common.models contains "client" class so:

namespace myproject.common.models {     public class client     {         public virtual int clientid { get; set; }         public virtual string name { get; set; }         public virtual string acronym { get; set; }         public virtual string website { get; set; }     }      public class clientmap : classmap<client>     {            public clientmap()         {             id(x => x.clientid, "clientid").generatedby.identity();              map(x => x.name, "name");             map(x => x.acronym, "acronym");             map(x => x.website, "website");         }     } } 

i want provide client ability crud single client, displaying list of clients. far, i've designed single client request so:

[route("/clients/{id}", "get")] public class clientrequest : ireturn<clientresponse> {     public string id { get; set; } }  public class clientresponse : ihasresponsestatus {     public myproject.common.models.client client { get; set; }     public responsestatus responsestatus { get; set; }      public clientresponse()     {         this.responsestatus = new responsestatus();     } } 

which can see returning model class client. sort of design, i'm @ loss of how post new client, or update existing client. also, if wanted return list of clients, i'm using following request/response dtos:

[route("/clients", "get")] public class clientsrequest : ireturn<clientsresponse> {  } public class clientsresponse : ihasresponsestatus {     public list<myproject.common.models.client> clients { get; set; }     public responsestatus responsestatus { get; set; }      public clientsresponse()     {         this.responsestatus = new responsestatus();     } } 

with service so:

public clientsresponse get(clientsrequest request) {     var result = currentsession.query<chronologic.eve.common.models.client>().tolist();      if (result == null)         throw new httperror(httpstatuscode.notfound, new argumentexception("no clients exist"));      return new clientsresponse     {         clients = result     }; } 

which works, though feel not best way achieve attempting do, , gives me ugly metadata page showing so:

i feel i'm overlooking quite simple design, , if suggest me how streamline design appreciated.

thank you.

you should check out these earlier posts api design servicestack:

• designing rest api servicestack
• how design message-based api
• the importance of dtos

rather re-hash of content contained above, i'll rewrite how i'd it.

you don't need responsestatus property services can return clean dtos.

[route("/clients", "get")] public class allclients : ireturn<list<client>> {}  [route("/clients/{id}", "get")] public class getclient : ireturn<client> {     public string id { get; set; } } 

the service implementation should straight forward based on above request dtos.

with above api, c# client call sites like:

list<client> clients = service.get(new allclients());  client client = service.get(new getclient { id = id });