Should we close HttpPostedFile.Inputstream, once we are done using it?

Question

I am uploading a file and directly feeding Inputstream to one of my objects. My Question is should we close and flush it once we are done processing it?

Answer 1

You don't need to explicitly close it, the resources allocated on your server are disposed when the request ends. See the final remark in the MSDN docs.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.web.httppostedfile.aspx

However if the question is should you close it (or at least dispose of it) - then I'd say yes. Why not? It may release resources earlier than they would otherwise be released and you know you don't need them any more.

Answer 2

All objects that extend System.IO.Stream objects implement IDisposable. It would be best practice to put your Input stream in a using block, to ensure it is properly closed and disposed even in the event of an exception being thrown.