What is better for REST API? WCF Web API (Preview 4) or OpenRasta or something else?

Question

I see in this question that WCF Web API is still in preview and I've just started looking at OpenRasta.

Though OpenRasta looks more mature than WCF Web API, I'm still a bit confused. Or please suggest if there is any other better framework for building REST API on .NET stack.

Also, I observed that in OpenRasta aspx view containing HTML can also be rendered as a response (in ASP.NET MVC fashion) apart from other JSON/XML representations. So, is it that I can even (or it is recommended that I should) build a web application which will also serve as a service layer to 3^rd party client developer using it? Or it is just for use as a service layer?

Answer 1

OpenRasta is much more mature than WCF Web API. OpenRasta is an opinionated REST framework. WCF Web API currently has no opinions on how you should do REST, it only has opinions on how you use HTTP.

If you share OpenRasta's opinions on how to do REST then it will do a great job for you. WCF Web API is still a preview. It has great potential but there is still a long way to go.

Answer 2

please read a closed question

OpenRasta vs FubuMVC vs Asp.net MVC just some thoughts

Video with the question and answers, use the PAUSE to hold the scroll and read it.

http://gape.cc/jz822d

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Err, It's been deleted though I can see deleted questions, let me make a screenshot of it.

Answer 3

OpenRasta works for both services and html sites, it's what it was built for. There's codecs for webforms, razor, sparkview and new ones are easy enough to just plugin.