Refitter is a tool for generating a C# REST API Client using the Refit library. Refitter can generate the Refit interface and contracts from OpenAPI specifications. Refitter could format the generated Refit interface to be managed by Apizr (v6+) and generate some registration helpers too.
Refitter comes in 3 forms:
- A .NET CLI Tool distributed via nuget.org that outputs a single C# file on disk
- An MSBuild Task via the Refitter.MSBuild package that integrates seamlessly into your build pipeline and automatically generates code at build time based on .refitter files within the project directory
- A C# Source Generator via the Refitter.SourceGenerator package that generates code on compile time based on a .refitter within the project directory
The tool is packaged as a .NET Tool and is published to nuget.org. You can install the latest version of this tool like this:
dotnet tool install --global Refitterrefitter --helpUSAGE:
refitter [URL or input file] [OPTIONS]
EXAMPLES:
refitter ./openapi.json
refitter https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/openapi.yaml
refitter ./openapi.json --settings-file ./openapi.refitter --output ./GeneratedCode.cs
refitter ./openapi.json --namespace "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode" --output ./GeneratedCode.cs
refitter ./openapi.json --namespace "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode" --internal
refitter ./openapi.json --output ./IGeneratedCode.cs --interface-only
refitter ./openapi.json --output ./GeneratedContracts.cs --contract-only
refitter ./openapi.json --use-api-response
refitter ./openapi.json --cancellation-tokens
refitter ./openapi.json --no-operation-headers
refitter ./openapi.json --no-accept-headers
refitter ./openapi.json --use-iso-date-format
refitter ./openapi.json --additional-namespace "Your.Additional.Namespace" --additional-namespace "Your.Other.Additional.Namespace"
refitter ./openapi.json --multiple-interfaces ByEndpoint
refitter ./openapi.json --tag Pet --tag Store --tag User
refitter ./openapi.json --match-path '^/pet/.*'
refitter ./openapi.json --trim-unused-schema
refitter ./openapi.json --trim-unused-schema --keep-schema '^Model$' --keep-schema '^Person.+'
refitter ./openapi.json --no-deprecated-operations
refitter ./openapi.json --operation-name-template '{operationName}Async'
refitter ./openapi.json --optional-nullable-parameters
refitter ./openapi.json --use-polymorphic-serialization
refitter ./openapi.json --collection-format Csv
refitter ./openapi.json --simple-output
refitter ./openapi.json --no-inline-json-converters
ARGUMENTS:
[URL or input file] URL or file path to OpenAPI Specification file
OPTIONS:
DEFAULT
-h, --help Prints help information
-v, --version Prints version information
-s, --settings-file Path to .refitter settings file. Specifying this will ignore all other settings (except for --output)
-n, --namespace GeneratedCode Default namespace to use for generated types
--contracts-namespace Default namespace to use for generated contracts
-o, --output Output.cs Path to Output file or folder (if multiple files are generated)
--contracts-output Output path for generated contracts. Enabling this automatically enables generating multiple files
--no-auto-generated-header Don't add <auto-generated> header to output file
--no-accept-headers Don't add <Accept> header to output file
--interface-only Don't generate contract types
--contract-only Don't generate clients
--use-api-response Return Task<IApiResponse<T>> instead of Task<T>
--use-observable-response Return IObservable instead of Task
--internal Set the accessibility of the generated types to 'internal'
--cancellation-tokens Use cancellation tokens
--no-operation-headers Don't generate operation headers
--no-logging Don't log errors or collect telemetry
--additional-namespace Add additional namespace to generated types
--exclude-namespace Exclude namespace on generated types
--use-iso-date-format Explicitly format date query string parameters in ISO 8601 standard date format using delimiters (2023-06-15)
--multiple-interfaces Generate a Refit interface for each endpoint. May be one of ByEndpoint, ByTag
--multiple-files Generate multiple files instead of a single large file.
The output files can be the following:
- RefitInterfaces.cs
- DependencyInjection.cs
- Contracts.cs
--match-path Only include Paths that match the provided regular expression. May be set multiple times
--tag Only include Endpoints that contain this tag. May be set multiple times and result in OR'ed evaluation
--skip-validation Skip validation of the OpenAPI specification
--no-deprecated-operations Don't generate deprecated operations
--operation-name-template Generate operation names using pattern. When using --multiple-interfaces ByEndpoint, this is name of the Execute() method in the interface where all instances of the string '{operationName}' is replaced with 'Execute'
--optional-nullable-parameters Generate nullable parameters as optional parameters
--trim-unused-schema Removes unreferenced components schema to keep the generated output to a minimum
--keep-schema Force to keep matching schema, uses regular expressions. Use together with "--trim-unused-schema". Can be set multiple times
--include-inheritance-hierarchy Keep all possible inherited types/union types even if they are not directly used
--no-banner Don't show donation banner
--simple-output Generate simple, plain-text console output without ASCII art, tables, emojis, or color formatting (suitable for IDE output windows)
--skip-default-additional-properties Set to true to skip default additional properties
--collection-format Multi Determines the format of collection parameters. May be one of Multi, Csv, Ssv, Tsv, Pipes
--operation-name-generator Default The NSwag IOperationNameGenerator implementation to use.
May be one of:
- Default
- MultipleClientsFromOperationId
- MultipleClientsFromPathSegments
- MultipleClientsFromFirstTagAndOperationId
- MultipleClientsFromFirstTagAndOperationName
- MultipleClientsFromFirstTagAndPathSegments
- SingleClientFromOperationId
- SingleClientFromPathSegments
See https://refitter.github.io/api/Refitter.Core.OperationNameGeneratorTypes.html for more information
--immutable-records Generate contracts as immutable records instead of classes
--use-apizr Use Apizr by:
- Adding a final IApizrRequestOptions options parameter to all generated methods
- Providing cancellation tokens by Apizr request options instead of a dedicated parameter
- Using method overloads instead of optional parameters
See https://refitter.github.io for more information and https://www.apizr.net to get started with Apizr
--use-dynamic-querystring-parameters Enable wrapping multiple query parameters into a single complex one. Default is no wrapping.
See https://github.com/reactiveui/refit?tab=readme-ov-file#dynamic-querystring-parameters for more information
--use-polymorphic-serialization Use System.Text.Json polymorphic serialization.
Replaces NSwag JsonInheritanceConverter attributes with System.Text.Json JsonPolymorphicAttributes.
To have the native support of inheritance (de)serialization and fallback to base types when
payloads with (yet) unknown types are offered by newer versions of an API
See https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/serialization/system-text-json/polymorphism for more information
--disposable Generate refit clients that implement IDisposable
--no-inline-json-converters Don't inline JsonConverter attributes for enum properties. When disabled, enum properties will not have [JsonConverter(typeof(JsonStringEnumConverter))] attributes
--integer-type int The .NET type to use for OpenAPI integer types without a format specifier. Common values: 'int' (default), 'long'
To generate code from an OpenAPI specifications file, run the following:
refitter [path to OpenAPI spec file] --namespace "[Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode]"This will generate a file called Output.cs which contains the Refit interface and contract classes generated using NSwag
Here's what the console output looks like when running the Refitter CLI tool:
For integration with IDEs and build tools that don't support rich console formatting, Refitter provides a --simple-output option:
refitter ./openapi.json --simple-outputThis mode generates plain text output without:
- ASCII art and banners
- Colored text and rich formatting
- Unicode characters and emojis
- Tables and panels
This is particularly useful when:
- Running Refitter from Visual Studio extensions
- Integrating with build systems that capture console output
- Using tools that don't support ANSI escape sequences
- Running in environments with limited console capabilities
The following is an example .refitter file
{
"openApiPath": "/path/to/your/openAPI", // Required
"namespace": "Org.System.Service.Api.GeneratedCode", // Optional. Default=GeneratedCode
"contractsNamespace": "Org.System.Service.Api.GeneratedCode.Contracts", // Optional. Default=GeneratedCode
"naming": {
"useOpenApiTitle": false, // Optional. Default=true
"interfaceName": "MyApiClient" // Optional. Default=ApiClient
},
"generateContracts": true, // Optional. Default=true
"generateClients": true, // Optional. Default=true
"generateXmlDocCodeComments": true, // Optional. Default=true
"generateStatusCodeComments": true, // Optional. Default=true
"addAutoGeneratedHeader": true, // Optional. Default=true
"addAcceptHeaders": true, // Optional. Default=true
"addContentTypeHeaders": true, // Optional. Default=true
"returnIApiResponse": false, // Optional. Default=false
"responseTypeOverride": { // Optional. Default={}
"File_Upload": "IApiResponse",
"File_Download": "System.Net.Http.HttpContent"
},
"generateOperationHeaders": true, // Optional. Default=true
"typeAccessibility": "Public", // Optional. Values=Public|Internal. Default=Public
"useCancellationTokens": false, // Optional. Default=false
"useIsoDateFormat": false, // Optional. Default=false
"multipleInterfaces": "ByEndpoint", // Optional. May be one of "ByEndpoint" or "ByTag"
"generateDeprecatedOperations": false, // Optional. Default=true
"operationNameTemplate": "{operationName}Async", // Optional. Must contain {operationName}. When multipleInterfaces == "ByEndpoint", this is name of the Execute() method in the interface where all instances of the string '{operationName}' is replaced with 'Execute'
"optionalParameters": false, // Optional. Default=false
"outputFolder": "../CustomOutput" // Optional. Default=./Generated
"outputFilename": "RefitInterface.cs", // Optional. Default=Output.cs for CLI tool
"contractsOutputFolder": "../Contracts", // Optional. Default=NULL
"generateMultipleFiles": false, // Optional. Default=false
"additionalNamespaces": [ // Optional
"Namespace1",
"Namespace2"
],
"includeTags": [ // Optional. OpenAPI Tag to include when generating code
"Pet",
"Store",
"User"
],
"includePathMatches": [ // Optional. Only include Paths that match the provided regular expression
"^/pet/.*",
"^/store/.*"
],
"trimUnusedSchema": false, // Optional. Default=false
"keepSchemaPatterns": [ // Optional. Force to keep matching schema, uses regular expressions. Use together with trimUnusedSchema=true
"^Model$",
"^Person.+"
],
"includeInheritanceHierarchy": false, // Optional. Default=false. Set to true to keep all possible type-instances of inheritance/union types. This works in conjunction with trimUnusedSchema.
"generateDefaultAdditionalProperties": true, // Optional. default=true
"operationNameGenerator": "Default", // Optional. May be one of Default, MultipleClientsFromOperationId, MultipleClientsFromPathSegments, MultipleClientsFromFirstTagAndOperationId, MultipleClientsFromFirstTagAndOperationName, MultipleClientsFromFirstTagAndPathSegments, SingleClientFromOperationId, SingleClientFromPathSegments
"immutableRecords": false,
"useDynamicQuerystringParameters": true, // Optional. Default=false
"usePolymorphicSerialization": true, // Optional. Default=false
"generateDisposableClients": true, // Optional. Default=false
"dependencyInjectionSettings": { // Optional
"baseUrl": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3", // Optional. Leave this blank to set the base address manually
"httpMessageHandlers": [ // Optional
"AuthorizationMessageHandler",
"TelemetryMessageHandler"
],
"usePolly": true, // DEPRECATED - Use "transientErrorHandler": "None|Polly|HttpResilience" instead
"transientErrorHandler": "HttpResilience", // Optional. Set this to configure transient error handling with a retry policy that uses a jittered backoff. May be one of None, Polly, HttpResilience
"maxRetryCount": 3, // Optional. Default=6
"firstBackoffRetryInSeconds": 0.5 // Optional. Default=1.0
},
"apizrSettings": { // Optional
"withRequestOptions": true, // Optional. Default=true
"withRegistrationHelper": true, // Optional. Default=false
"withCacheProvider": "InMemory", // Optional. Values=None|Akavache|MonkeyCache|InMemory|DistributedAsString|DistributedAsByteArray. Default=None
"withPriority": true, // Optional. Default=false
"withMediation": true, // Optional. Default=false
"withOptionalMediation": true, // Optional. Default=false
"withMappingProvider": "AutoMapper", // Optional. Values=None|AutoMapper|Mapster. Default=None
"withFileTransfer": true // Optional. Default=false
},
"codeGeneratorSettings": { // Optional. Default settings are the values set in this example
"requiredPropertiesMustBeDefined": true,
"generateDataAnnotations": true,
"anyType": "object",
"dateType": "System.DateTimeOffset",
"dateTimeType": "System.DateTimeOffset",
"timeType": "System.TimeSpan",
"timeSpanType": "System.TimeSpan",
"arrayType": "System.Collections.Generic.ICollection",
"dictionaryType": "System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary",
"arrayInstanceType": "System.Collections.ObjectModel.Collection",
"dictionaryInstanceType": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary",
"arrayBaseType": "System.Collections.ObjectModel.Collection",
"dictionaryBaseType": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary",
"integerType": "Int32", // Optional. Default="Int32". The .NET type for OpenAPI integers without a format. Possible values: "Int32", "Int64"
"propertySetterAccessModifier": "",
"generateImmutableArrayProperties": false,
"generateImmutableDictionaryProperties": false,
"handleReferences": false,
"jsonSerializerSettingsTransformationMethod": null,
"generateJsonMethods": false,
"enforceFlagEnums": false,
"inlineNamedDictionaries": false,
"inlineNamedTuples": true,
"inlineNamedArrays": false,
"generateOptionalPropertiesAsNullable": false,
"generateNullableReferenceTypes": false,
"generateNativeRecords": false,
"generateDefaultValues": true,
"inlineNamedAny": false,
"inlineJsonConverters": true, // Optional. Default=true. Set to false to not generate JsonConverter attributes for enum properties
"dateFormat": "yyyy-MM-dd",
"dateTimeFormat": "yyyy-MM-dd",
"excludedTypeNames": [
"ExcludedTypeFoo",
"ExcludedTypeBar"
]
}
}openApiPath- points to the OpenAPI Specifications file. This can be the path to a file stored on disk, relative to the.refitterfile. This can also be a URL to a remote file that will be downloaded over HTTP/HTTPSnamespace- the namespace used in the generated code. If not specified, this defaults toGeneratedCodenaming.useOpenApiTitle- a boolean indicating whether the OpenApi title should be used. Default istruenaming.interfaceName- the name of the generated interface. The generated code will automatically prefix this withIso if this set toMyApiClientthen the generated interface is calledIMyApiClient. Default isApiClientgenerateContracts- a boolean indicating whether contracts should be generated. A use case for this is several API clients use the same contracts. Default istruegenerateClients: - a boolean indicating whether clients should be generated. A use case for this is to seperate clients and contracts in two generationgenerateXmlDocCodeComments- a boolean indicating whether XML doc comments should be generated. Default istruegenerateStatusCodeComments- a boolean indicating whether the XML docs forApiExceptionandIApiResponsecontain detailed descriptions for every documented status code. Default istrueaddAutoGeneratedHeader- a boolean indicating whether XML doc comments should be generated. Default istrueaddAcceptHeaders- a boolean indicating whether to add accept headers [Headers("Accept: application/json")]. Default istruereturnIApiResponse- a boolean indicating whether to returnIApiResponse<T>objects. Default isfalseresponseTypeOverride- a dictionary with operation ids (as specified in the OpenAPI document) and a particular return type to use. The types are wrapped in a task, but otherwise unmodified (so make sure to specify or import their namespaces). Default is{}generateOperationHeaders- a boolean indicating whether to use operation headers in the generated methods. Default istruetypeAccessibility- the generated type accessibility. Possible values arePublicandInternal. Default isPublicuseCancellationTokens- Use cancellation tokens in the generated methods. Default isfalseuseIsoDateFormat- Set totrueto explicitly format date query string parameters in ISO 8601 standard date format using delimiters (for example: 2023-06-15). Default isfalsemultipleInterfaces- Set toByEndpointto generate an interface for each endpoint, orByTagto group Endpoints by their Tag (like SwaggerUI groups them).outputFolder- a string describing a relative path to a desired output folder. Default is./GeneratedoutputFilename- Output filename. Default isOutput.cswhen used from the CLI tool, otherwise its the .refitter filename. SoPetstore.refitterbecomesPetstore.cs.additionalNamespaces- A collection of additional namespaces to include in the generated file. A use case for this is when you want to reuse contracts from a different namespace than the generated code. Default is emptyincludeTags- A collection of tags to use a filter for including endpoints that contain this tag.includePathMatches- A collection of regular expressions used to filter paths.generateDeprecatedOperations- a boolean indicating whether deprecated operations should be generated or skipped. Default istrueoperationNameTemplate- Generate operation names using pattern. This must contain the string {operationName}. An example usage of this could be{operationName}Asyncto suffix all method names with Async. When using multiple interfaces withByEndpoint, this is name of the Execute() method in the interface where all instances of the string '{operationName}' is replaced with 'Execute'optionalParameters- Generate non-required parameters as nullable optional parameterstrimUnusedSchema- Removes unreferenced components schema to keep the generated output to a minimumkeepSchemaPatterns: A collection of regular expressions to force to keep matching schema. This is used together withtrimUnusedSchemaincludeInheritanceHierarchy: Set to true to keep all possible type-instances of inheritance/union types. If this is false only directly referenced types will be kept. This works in conjunction withtrimUnusedSchemagenerateDefaultAdditionalProperties: Set tofalseto skip default additional properties. Default istrueoperationNameGenerator: The NSwagIOperationNameGeneratorimplementation to use. See https://refitter.github.io/api/Refitter.Core.OperationNameGeneratorTypes.htmlimmutableRecords: Set totrueto generate contracts as immutable records instead of classes. Default isfalseuseDynamicQuerystringParameters: Set totrueto wrap multiple query parameters into a single complex one. Default isfalse(no wrapping). See https://github.com/reactiveui/refit?tab=readme-ov-file#dynamic-querystring-parameters for more information.dependencyInjectionSettings- Setting this will generated extension methods toIServiceCollectionfor configuring Refit clientsbaseUrl- Used as the HttpClient base address. Leave this blank to manually set the base URLhttpMessageHandlers- A collection ofHttpMessageHandlerthat is added to the HttpClient pipelineusePolly- Set this totrueto configure the HttpClient to use Polly using a retry policy with a jittered backoff. This is DEPRECATED, usetransientErrorHandlerinsteadtransientErrorHandler: Set this to configure transient error handling with a retry policy that uses a jittered backoff. See https://refitter.github.io/api/Refitter.Core.TransientErrorHandler.htmlfirstBackoffRetryInSeconds- This is the duration of the initial retry backoff. Default is 1 second
apizrSettings- Setting this will format Refit interface to be managed by Apizr. See https://www.apizr.net for more informationwithRequestOptions- Tells if the Refit interface methods should have a final IApizrRequestOptions options parameterwithRegistrationHelper- Tells if Refitter should generate Apizr registration helpers (extended with dependencyInjectionSettings set, otherwise static)withCacheProvider- Set the cache provider to be usedwithPriority- Tells if Apizr should handle request prioritywithMediation- Tells if Apizr should handle request mediation (extended only)withOptionalMediation- Tells if Apizr should handle optional request mediation (extended only)withMappingProvider- Set the mapping provider to be usedwithFileTransfer- Tells if Apizr should handle file transfer
codeGeneratorSettings- Setting this allows customization of the NSwag generated types and contractsrequiredPropertiesMustBeDefined- Default is true,generateDataAnnotations- Default is true,anyType- Default isobject,dateType- Default isSystem.DateTimeOffset,dateTimeType- Default isSystem.DateTimeOffset,timeType- Default isSystem.TimeSpan,timeSpanType- Default isSystem.TimeSpan,arrayType- Default isSystem.Collections.Generic.ICollection,dictionaryType- Default isSystem.Collections.Generic.IDictionary,arrayInstanceType- Default isSystem.Collections.ObjectModel.Collection,dictionaryInstanceType- Default isSystem.Collections.Generic.Dictionary,arrayBaseType- Default isSystem.Collections.ObjectModel.Collection,dictionaryBaseType- Default isSystem.Collections.Generic.Dictionary,integerType- Default isInt32. The .NET type to use for OpenAPI integer types without a format specifier. Possible values:Int32,Int64propertySetterAccessModifier- Default is ``,generateImmutableArrayProperties- Default is false,generateImmutableDictionaryProperties- Default is false,handleReferences- Default is false,jsonSerializerSettingsTransformationMethod- Default is null,generateJsonMethods- Default is false,enforceFlagEnums- Default is false,inlineNamedDictionaries- Default is false,inlineNamedTuples- Default is true,inlineNamedArrays- Default is false,generateOptionalPropertiesAsNullable- Default is false,generateNullableReferenceTypes- Default is false,generateNativeRecords- Default is falsegenerateDefaultValues- Default is trueinlineNamedAny- Default is falseinlineJsonConverters- Default is true. When set to false, enum properties will not have[JsonConverter(typeof(JsonStringEnumConverter))]attributesdateFormat- Default is nulldateTimeFormat- Default is nullexcludedTypeNames- Default is empty
This is the recommended approach for generating code from OpenAPI specifications at build time. The MSBuild approach integrates seamlessly into your build pipeline, automatically generates code at build time
The MSBuild task offers several advantages over the Source Generator:
- Build-time Generation: Code is generated during the pre-build process, which ensures that the Refit source generator will work without needing to rebuild a second time.
- No Manual Commits: Generated files are created automatically during build, eliminating the need to commit generated code to source control
- No Additional Tools Required: Works out of the box without requiring separate CLI tool installation
The MSBuild task is distributed as a NuGet package:
dotnet add package Refitter.MSBuildOnce installed, the MSBuild task will automatically scan your project for .refitter files and generate code during build. Simply create a .refitter file in your project directory with your OpenAPI specification settings.
The MSBuild package includes a custom .target file which executes the RefitterGenerateTask custom task:
<UsingTask TaskName="RefitterGenerateTask"
AssemblyFile="$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)Refitter.MSBuild.dll"
Condition="Exists('$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)Refitter.MSBuild.dll')" />
<Target Name="RefitterGenerate" BeforeTargets="BeforeCompile">
<RefitterGenerateTask ProjectFileDirectory="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)"
DisableLogging="$(RefitterNoLogging)"
SkipValidation="$(RefitterSkipValidation)">
<Output TaskParameter="GeneratedFiles" ItemName="RefitterGeneratedFiles" />
</RefitterGenerateTask>
<ItemGroup>
<Compile Include="@(RefitterGeneratedFiles)" />
</ItemGroup>
</Target>The RefitterGenerateTask task will scan the project folder for .refitter files and execute them all.
By default, telemetry collection is enabled. To opt-out, add the following to your .csproj file:
<PropertyGroup>
<RefitterNoLogging>true</RefitterNoLogging>
</PropertyGroup>You can also skip OpenAPI validation by setting:
<PropertyGroup>
<RefitterSkipValidation>true</RefitterSkipValidation>
</PropertyGroup>Create a .refitter file in your project:
{
"openApiPath": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/openapi.json",
"namespace": "Petstore.Api",
"outputFolder": "./Generated"
}Now, every time you build your project, Refitter will automatically generate the API client code based on your OpenAPI specification.
If you prefer more control or need to use the CLI tool directly, you can invoke the Refitter CLI from MSBuild pre-build events:
<Target Name="Refitter" AfterTargets="PreBuildEvent">
<Exec WorkingDirectory="$(ProjectDir)" Command="dotnet tool restore" />
<Exec WorkingDirectory="$(ProjectDir)" Command="refitter --settings-file .refitter --skip-validation" />
</Target>This approach requires that Refitter is installed as a local tool using a manifest file, as described in this tutorial.
Note: We recommend using the MSBuild approach instead of the Source Generator because the code is generated at pre-compile, ensuring that the Refit source generator will generated code from the Refit interfaces added to the compilation
Refitter is available as a C# Source Generator that uses the Refitter.Core library for generating a REST API Client using the Refit library. Refitter can generate the Refit interface from OpenAPI specifications. Refitter could format the generated Refit interface to be managed by Apizr and generate some registration helpers too.
The Refitter source generator is a bit untraditional in a sense that it creates a folder called Generated in the same location as the .refitter file and generates files to disk under the Generated folder (can be changed with --outputFolder). The source generator output should be included in the project and committed to source control. This is done because there is no other way to trigger the Refit source generator to pickup the Refitter generated code
(Translation: I couldn't for the life of me figure how to get that to work, sorry)
The source generator is distributed as a NuGet package and should be installed to the project that will contain the generated code
dotnet add package Refitter.SourceGeneratorThis source generator generates code based on any .refitter file included to the project as AdditionalFiles.
The generator can automatically detect all .refitter files inside the project that referenced the Refitter.SourceGenerator package and there is no need to include them manually as AdditionalFiles
Here's an example generated output from the Swagger Petstore example using the default settings
CLI Tool
refitter ./openapi.json --namespace "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode"Source Generator .refitter file
{
"openApiPath": "./openapi.json",
"namespace": "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode"
}Output (Snippet)
Full output is available here
using Refit;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode
{
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCode("Refitter", "1.0.0.0")]
public partial interface ISwaggerPetstore
{
/// <summary>Update an existing pet</summary>
/// <remarks>Update an existing pet by Id</remarks>
/// <param name="body">Update an existent pet in the store</param>
/// <returns>Successful operation</returns>
/// <exception cref="ApiException">
/// Thrown when the request returns a non-success status code:
/// <list type="table">
/// <listheader>
/// <term>Status</term>
/// <description>Description</description>
/// </listheader>
/// <item>
/// <term>400</term>
/// <description>Invalid ID supplied</description>
/// </item>
/// <item>
/// <term>404</term>
/// <description>Pet not found</description>
/// </item>
/// <item>
/// <term>405</term>
/// <description>Validation exception</description>
/// </item>
/// </list>
/// </exception>
[Headers("Accept: application/xml, application/json")]
[Put("/pet")]
Task<Pet> UpdatePet([Body] Pet body);
...
}
}Here's an example generated output from the Swagger Petstore example configured to wrap the return type in IApiResponse<T>
CLI Tool
refitter ./openapi.json --namespace "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode" --use-api-responseSource Generator .refitter file
{
"openApiPath": "./openapi.json",
"namespace": "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode",
"returnIApiResponse": true
}Output (Snippet)
Full output is available here
using Refit;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode
{
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCode("Refitter", "1.0.0.0")]
public partial interface ISwaggerPetstore
{
/// <summary>Update an existing pet</summary>
/// <remarks>Update an existing pet by Id</remarks>
/// <param name="body">Update an existent pet in the store</param>
/// <returns>
/// A <see cref="Task"/> representing the <see cref="IApiResponse"/> instance containing the result:
/// <list type="table">
/// <listheader>
/// <term>Status</term>
/// <description>Description</description>
/// </listheader>
/// <item>
/// <term>200</term>
/// <description>Successful operation</description>
/// </item>
/// <item>
/// <term>400</term>
/// <description>Invalid ID supplied</description>
/// </item>
/// <item>
/// <term>404</term>
/// <description>Pet not found</description>
/// </item>
/// <item>
/// <term>405</term>
/// <description>Validation exception</description>
/// </item>
/// </list>
/// </returns>
[Headers("Accept: application/xml, application/json")]
[Put("/pet")]
Task<IApiResponse<Pet>> UpdatePet([Body] Pet body);
...
}
}Here's an example generated output from the Swagger Petstore example configured to generate an interface for each endpoint
CLI Tool
refitter ./openapi.json --namespace "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode" --multiple-interfaces ByEndpointSource Generator .refitter file
{
"openApiPath": "./openapi.json",
"namespace": "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode",
"multipleInterfaces": "ByEndpoint"
}Output (Snippet)
Full output is available here
/// <summary>Update an existing pet</summary>
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCode("Refitter", "1.0.0.0")]
public partial interface IUpdatePetEndpoint
{
/// <summary>Update an existing pet</summary>
/// <remarks>Update an existing pet by Id</remarks>
/// <param name="body">Update an existent pet in the store</param>
/// <returns>Successful operation</returns>
/// <exception cref="ApiException">
/// Thrown when the request returns a non-success status code:
/// <list type="table">
/// <listheader>
/// <term>Status</term>
/// <description>Description</description>
/// </listheader>
/// <item>
/// <term>400</term>
/// <description>Invalid ID supplied</description>
/// </item>
/// <item>
/// <term>404</term>
/// <description>Pet not found</description>
/// </item>
/// <item>
/// <term>405</term>
/// <description>Validation exception</description>
/// </item>
/// </list>
/// </exception>
[Headers("Accept: application/xml, application/json")]
[Put("/pet")]
Task<Pet> Execute([Body] Pet body);
}Here's an example generated output from the Swagger Petstore example configured to generate an interface with dynamic querystring parameters
CLI Tool
refitter ./openapi.json --namespace "Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode" --use-dynamic-querystring-parametersOutput (Snippet)
Full output is available here
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCode("Refitter", "1.0.0.0")]
public partial interface ISwaggerPetstoreOpenAPI30
{
/// <summary>Updates a pet in the store with form data</summary>
/// <param name="petId">ID of pet that needs to be updated</param>
/// <param name="queryParams">The dynamic querystring parameter wrapping all others.</param>
/// <returns>A <see cref="Task"/> that completes when the request is finished.</returns>
/// <exception cref="ApiException">
/// Thrown when the request returns a non-success status code:
/// <list type="table">
/// <listheader>
/// <term>Status</term>
/// <description>Description</description>
/// </listheader>
/// <item>
/// <term>405</term>
/// <description>Invalid input</description>
/// </item>
/// </list>
/// </exception>
[Post("/pet/{petId}")]
Task UpdatePetWithForm(long petId, [Query] UpdatePetWithFormQueryParams queryParams);
}
public class UpdatePetWithFormQueryParams
{
/// <summary>
/// Name of pet that needs to be updated
/// </summary>
[Query]
public string Name { get; set; }
/// <summary>
/// Status of pet that needs to be updated
/// </summary>
[Query]
public string Status { get; set; }
}Here's an example usage of the generated code above
using Refit;
using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode;
internal class Program
{
private static async Task Main(string[] args)
{
var client = RestService.For<ISwaggerPetstore>("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3");
var pet = await client.GetPetById(1);
Console.WriteLine("## Using Task<T> as return type ##");
Console.WriteLine($"Name: {pet.Name}");
Console.WriteLine($"Category: {pet.Category.Name}");
Console.WriteLine($"Status: {pet.Status}");
Console.WriteLine();
var client2 = RestService.For<WithApiResponse.ISwaggerPetstore>("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3");
var response = await client2.GetPetById(2);
Console.WriteLine("## Using Task<IApiResponse<T>> as return type ##");
Console.WriteLine($"HTTP Status Code: {response.StatusCode}");
Console.WriteLine($"Name: {response.Content.Name}");
Console.WriteLine($"Category: {response.Content.Category.Name}");
Console.WriteLine($"Status: {response.Content.Status}");
}
}The RestService class generates an implementation of ISwaggerPetstore that uses HttpClient to make its calls.
The code above when run will output something like this:
## Using Task<T> as return type ##
Name: Gatitotototo
Category: Chaucito
Status: Sold
## Using Task<IApiResponse<T>> as return type ##
HTTP Status Code: OK
Name: Gatitotototo
Category: Chaucito
Status: Sold
Here's an example Minimal API with the Refit.HttpClientFactory library:
using Refit;
using Your.Namespace.Of.Choice.GeneratedCode;
var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
builder.Services.AddEndpointsApiExplorer();
builder.Services.AddSwaggerGen();
builder.Services
.AddRefitClient<ISwaggerPetstore>()
.ConfigureHttpClient(c => c.BaseAddress = new Uri("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3"));
var app = builder.Build();
app.MapGet(
"/pet/{id:long}",
async (ISwaggerPetstore petstore, long id) =>
{
try
{
return Results.Ok(await petstore.GetPetById(id));
}
catch (Refit.ApiException e)
{
return Results.StatusCode((int)e.StatusCode);
}
})
.WithName("GetPetById")
.WithOpenApi();
app.UseHttpsRedirection();
app.UseSwaggerUI();
app.UseSwagger();
app.Run();.NET Core supports registering the generated ISwaggerPetstore interface via HttpClientFactory
The following request to the API above
curl -X 'GET' 'https://localhost:5001/pet/1' -H 'accept: application/json'Returns a response that looks something like this:
{
"id": 1,
"name": "Special_char_owner_!@#$^&()`.testing",
"photoUrls": [
"https://petstore3.swagger.io/resources/photos/623389095.jpg"
],
"tags": [],
"status": "Sold"
}Refitter supports generating bootstrapping code that allows the user to conveniently configure all generated Refit interfaces by calling a single extension method to IServiceCollection.
This is enabled through the .refitter settings file like this:
{
"openApiPath": "../OpenAPI/v3.0/petstore.json",
"namespace": "Petstore",
"dependencyInjectionSettings": {
"baseUrl": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3",
"httpMessageHandlers": [ "TelemetryDelegatingHandler" ],
"transientErrorHandler": "Polly",
"maxRetryCount": 3,
"firstBackoffRetryInSeconds": 0.5
}
}which will generate an extension method to IServiceCollection called ConfigureRefitClients(). The generated extension method depends on Refit.HttpClientFactory library and looks like this:
public static IServiceCollection ConfigureRefitClients(
this IServiceCollection services,
Action<IHttpClientBuilder>? builder = default,
RefitSettings? settings = default)
{
var clientBuilderISwaggerPetstore = services
.AddRefitClient<ISwaggerPetstore>(settings)
.ConfigureHttpClient(c => c.BaseAddress = new Uri("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3"))
.AddHttpMessageHandler<TelemetryDelegatingHandler>();
clientBuilderISwaggerPetstore
.AddPolicyHandler(
HttpPolicyExtensions
.HandleTransientHttpError()
.WaitAndRetryAsync(
Backoff.DecorrelatedJitterBackoffV2(
TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.5),
3)));
builder?.Invoke(clientBuilderISwaggerPetstore);
return services;
}This comes in handy especially when generating multiple interfaces, by tag or endpoint. For example, the following .refitter settings file
{
"openApiPath": "../OpenAPI/v3.0/petstore.json",
"namespace": "Petstore",
"multipleInterfaces": "ByTag",
"dependencyInjectionSettings": {
"baseUrl": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3",
"httpMessageHandlers": [ "TelemetryDelegatingHandler" ],
"transientErrorHandler": "Polly",
"maxRetryCount": 3,
"firstBackoffRetryInSeconds": 0.5
}
}Will generate a single ConfigureRefitClients() extension methods that may contain dependency injection configuration code for multiple interfaces like this
public static IServiceCollection ConfigureRefitClients(
this IServiceCollection services,
Action<IHttpClientBuilder>? builder = default,
RefitSettings? settings = default)
{
var clientBuilderIPetApi = services
.AddRefitClient<IPetApi>(settings)
.ConfigureHttpClient(c => c.BaseAddress = new Uri("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3"))
.AddHttpMessageHandler<TelemetryDelegatingHandler>();
clientBuilderIPetApi
.AddPolicyHandler(
HttpPolicyExtensions
.HandleTransientHttpError()
.WaitAndRetryAsync(
Backoff.DecorrelatedJitterBackoffV2(
TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.5),
3)));
builder?.Invoke(clientBuilderIPetApi);
var clientBuilderIStoreApi = services
.AddRefitClient<IStoreApi>(settings)
.ConfigureHttpClient(c => c.BaseAddress = new Uri("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3"))
.AddHttpMessageHandler<TelemetryDelegatingHandler>();
clientBuilderIStoreApi
.AddPolicyHandler(
HttpPolicyExtensions
.HandleTransientHttpError()
.WaitAndRetryAsync(
Backoff.DecorrelatedJitterBackoffV2(
TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.5),
3)));
builder?.Invoke(clientBuilderIStoreApi);
var clientBuilderIUserApi = services
.AddRefitClient<IUserApi>(settings)
.ConfigureHttpClient(c => c.BaseAddress = new Uri("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3"))
.AddHttpMessageHandler<TelemetryDelegatingHandler>();
clientBuilderIUserApi
.AddPolicyHandler(
HttpPolicyExtensions
.HandleTransientHttpError()
.WaitAndRetryAsync(
Backoff.DecorrelatedJitterBackoffV2(
TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.5),
3)));
builder?.Invoke(clientBuilderIUserApi);
return services;
}Personally, they I use Refitter is to generate an interface per endpoint, so when generating code for a large and complex API, I might have several interfaces.
Apizr is a Refit client manager that provides a set of features to enhance requesting experience with resilience, caching, priority, mediation, mapping, logging, authentication, file transfer capabilities and many more...
Refitter supports generating Apizr formatted Refit interfaces that can be managed then by Apizr (v6+).
You can enable Apizr formatted Refit interface generation either:
- With the
--use-apizrcommand line argument - By setting the
apizrSettingssection in the.refittersettings file
Note that --use-apizr uses default Apizr settings with withRequestOptions set to true as recommended, while the .refitter settings file allows you to configure it deeper.
In both cases, it will format the generated Refit interfaces to be Apizr ready by:
- Adding a final IApizrRequestOptions options parameter to all generated methods (if
withRequestOptionsis set totrue) - Providing cancellation tokens by Apizr request options instead of a dedicated parameter (if
withRequestOptionsis set totrue) - Using method overloads instead of optional parameters (note that setting
useDynamicQuerystringParameterstotrueimprove overloading experience)
From here, you're definitely free to use the formatted interface with Apizr by registering, configuring and using it following the Apizr documentation. But Refitter can go further by generating some helpers to make the configuration easier.
Refitter supports generating Apizr (v6+) bootstrapping code that allows the user to conveniently configure all generated Apizr formatted Refit interfaces by calling a single method.
It could be either an extension method to IServiceCollection if DependencyInjectionSettings are set, or a static builder method if not.
To enable Apizr registration code generation for IServiceCollection, you need at least to set the withRegistrationHelper property to true and configure the DependencyInjectionSettings section in the .refitter settings file.
This is what the .refitter settings file may look like, depending on you configuration:
{
"openApiPath": "../OpenAPI/v3.0/petstore.json",
"namespace": "Petstore",
"useDynamicQuerystringParameters": true,
"dependencyInjectionSettings": {
"baseUrl": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3",
"httpMessageHandlers": [ "MyDelegatingHandler" ],
"transientErrorHandler": "HttpResilience",
"maxRetryCount": 3,
"firstBackoffRetryInSeconds": 0.5
},
"apizrSettings": {
"withRequestOptions": true, // Recommended to include an Apizr request options parameter to Refit interface methods
"withRegistrationHelper": true, // Mandatory to actually generate the Apizr registration extended method
"withCacheProvider": "InMemory", // Optional, default is None
"withPriority": true, // Optional, default is false
"withMediation": true, // Optional, default is false
"withOptionalMediation": true, // Optional, default is false
"withMappingProvider": "AutoMapper", // Optional, default is None
"withFileTransfer": true // Optional, default is false
}
}which will generate an extension method to IServiceCollection called ConfigurePetstoreApiApizrManager(). The generated extension method depends on Apizr.Extensions.Microsoft.DependencyInjection library and looks like this:
public static IServiceCollection ConfigurePetstoreApiApizrManager(
this IServiceCollection services,
Action<IApizrExtendedManagerOptionsBuilder>? optionsBuilder = null)
{
optionsBuilder ??= _ => { }; // Default empty options if null
optionsBuilder += options => options
.WithBaseAddress("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3", ApizrDuplicateStrategy.Ignore)
.WithDelegatingHandler<MyDelegatingHandler>()
.ConfigureHttpClientBuilder(builder => builder
.AddStandardResilienceHandler(config =>
{
config.Retry = new HttpRetryStrategyOptions
{
UseJitter = true,
MaxRetryAttempts = 3,
Delay = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.5)
};
}))
.WithInMemoryCacheHandler()
.WithAutoMapperMappingHandler()
.WithPriority()
.WithOptionalMediation()
.WithFileTransferOptionalMediation();
return services.AddApizrManagerFor<IPetstoreApi>(optionsBuilder);
}This comes in handy especially when generating multiple interfaces, by tag or endpoint. For example, the following .refitter settings file
{
"openApiPath": "../OpenAPI/v3.0/petstore.json",
"namespace": "Petstore",
"useDynamicQuerystringParameters": true,
"multipleInterfaces": "ByTag",
"naming": {
"useOpenApiTitle": false,
"interfaceName": "Petstore"
},
"dependencyInjectionSettings": {
"baseUrl": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3",
"httpMessageHandlers": [ "MyDelegatingHandler" ],
"transientErrorHandler": "HttpResilience",
"maxRetryCount": 3,
"firstBackoffRetryInSeconds": 0.5
},
"apizrSettings": {
"withRequestOptions": true, // Recommended to include an Apizr request options parameter to Refit interface methods
"withRegistrationHelper": true, // Mandatory to actually generate the Apizr registration extended method
"withCacheProvider": "InMemory", // Optional, default is None
"withPriority": true, // Optional, default is false
"withMediation": true, // Optional, default is false
"withOptionalMediation": true, // Optional, default is false
"withMappingProvider": "AutoMapper", // Optional, default is None
"withFileTransfer": true // Optional, default is false
}
}Will generate a single ConfigurePetstoreApizrManagers() extension method that may contain dependency injection configuration code for multiple interfaces like this
public static IServiceCollection ConfigurePetstoreApizrManagers(
this IServiceCollection services,
Action<IApizrExtendedCommonOptionsBuilder>? optionsBuilder = null)
{
optionsBuilder ??= _ => { }; // Default empty options if null
optionsBuilder += options => options
.WithBaseAddress("https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3", ApizrDuplicateStrategy.Ignore)
.WithDelegatingHandler<MyDelegatingHandler>()
.ConfigureHttpClientBuilder(builder => builder
.AddStandardResilienceHandler(config =>
{
config.Retry = new HttpRetryStrategyOptions
{
UseJitter = true,
MaxRetryAttempts = 3,
Delay = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.5)
};
}))
.WithInMemoryCacheHandler()
.WithAutoMapperMappingHandler()
.WithPriority()
.WithOptionalMediation()
.WithFileTransferOptionalMediation();
return services.AddApizr(
registry => registry
.AddManagerFor<IPetApi>()
.AddManagerFor<IStoreApi>()
.AddManagerFor<IUserApi>(),
optionsBuilder);
}Here, IPetApi, IStoreApi and IUserApi are the generated interfaces which share the same common configuration defined from the .refitter file.
To enable Apizr static builder code generation, you need at least to set the withRegistrationHelper property to true and leave the DependencyInjectionSettings section to null in the .refitter settings file.
This is what the .refitter settings file may look like, depending on you configuration:
{
"openApiPath": "../OpenAPI/v3.0/petstore.json",
"namespace": "Petstore",
"useDynamicQuerystringParameters": true,
"apizrSettings": {
"withRequestOptions": true, // Recommended to include an Apizr request options parameter to Refit interface methods
"withRegistrationHelper": true, // Mandatory to actually generate the Apizr registration extended method
"withCacheProvider": "Akavache", // Optional, default is None
"withPriority": true, // Optional, default is false
"withMappingProvider": "AutoMapper", // Optional, default is None
"withFileTransfer": true // Optional, default is false
}
}which will generate a static builder method called BuildPetstore30ApizrManager(). The generated builder method depends on Apizr library and looks like this:
public static IApizrManager<ISwaggerPetstoreOpenAPI30> BuildPetstore30ApizrManager(Action<IApizrManagerOptionsBuilder> optionsBuilder)
{
optionsBuilder ??= _ => { }; // Default empty options if null
optionsBuilder += options => options
.WithAkavacheCacheHandler()
.WithAutoMapperMappingHandler(new MapperConfiguration(config => { /* YOUR_MAPPINGS_HERE */ }))
.WithPriority();
return ApizrBuilder.Current.CreateManagerFor<ISwaggerPetstoreOpenAPI30>(optionsBuilder);
}This comes in handy especially when generating multiple interfaces, by tag or endpoint. For example, the following .refitter settings file
{
"openApiPath": "../OpenAPI/v3.0/petstore.json",
"namespace": "Petstore",
"useDynamicQuerystringParameters": true,
"multipleInterfaces": "ByTag",
"naming": {
"useOpenApiTitle": false,
"interfaceName": "Petstore"
},
"dependencyInjectionSettings": {
"baseUrl": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3",
"httpMessageHandlers": [ "MyDelegatingHandler" ],
"transientErrorHandler": "HttpResilience",
"maxRetryCount": 3,
"firstBackoffRetryInSeconds": 0.5
},
"apizrSettings": {
"withRequestOptions": true, // Recommended to include an Apizr request options parameter to Refit interface methods
"withRegistrationHelper": true, // Mandatory to actually generate the Apizr registration extended method
"withCacheProvider": "InMemory", // Optional, default is None
"withPriority": true, // Optional, default is false
"withMediation": true, // Optional, default is false
"withOptionalMediation": true, // Optional, default is false
"withMappingProvider": "AutoMapper", // Optional, default is None
"withFileTransfer": true // Optional, default is false
}
}Will generate a single BuildPetstoreApizrManagers() builder method that may contain configuration code for multiple interfaces like this
public static IApizrRegistry BuildPetstoreApizrManagers(Action<IApizrCommonOptionsBuilder> optionsBuilder)
{
optionsBuilder ??= _ => { }; // Default empty options if null
optionsBuilder += options => options
.WithAkavacheCacheHandler()
.WithAutoMapperMappingHandler(new MapperConfiguration(config => { /* YOUR_MAPPINGS_HERE */ }))
.WithPriority();
return ApizrBuilder.Current.CreateRegistry(
registry => registry
.AddManagerFor<IPetApi>()
.AddManagerFor<IStoreApi>()
.AddManagerFor<IUserApi>(),
optionsBuilder);
}Here, IPetApi, IStoreApi and IUserApi are the generated interfaces which share the same common configuration defined from the .refitter file.
You may want to adjust apis configuration, for example, to add a custom header to requests. This can be done using the Action<TApizrOptionsBuilder> parameter while calling the generated method.
To know how to make Apizr fit your needs, please refer to the Apizr documentation.
Once you called the generated method, you will get an IApizrManager<T> instance that you can use to make requests to the API. Here's an example of how to use it:
var result = await petstoreManager.ExecuteAsync((api, opt) => api.GetPetById(1, opt),
options => options // Whatever final request options you want to apply
.WithPriority(Priority.Background)
.WithHeaders(["HeaderKey1: HeaderValue1"])
.WithRequestTimeout("00:00:10")
.WithCancellation(cts.Token));Please head to the Apizr documentation to get more.
.NET 8.0 or .NET 9.0
Please read our contribution guidelines if you'd like to contribute to the project.
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