What is SimpleW?

SimpleW is a .NET Core library designed for building fast and secure web applications. It is based in the the great NetCoreServer socket server.

Just want to try it out? Skip to the Quickstart.

Architecture

SimpleW is lightweight, easy to integrate, fast, with a minimal footprint :

• written in pure C# 100% managed code
• NET7
• crossplateform (windows/linux/macos)
• only one dependancy, Newtonsoft.Json for serialization/deserialization

Note : Reflection is only used to list routes, once, before server start. An expression tree is built to call method fast without using any slow T.GetMethod().Invoke().

Use Cases

• static site

SimpleW can server static files in a ....

• api

Why i wrote this library

To my opinion, modern web application architecture should be based on a REST API which acts as a contract between 2 parts :

• backend (only one) : developer feels free to use/change the technology he wants (C#, Go, Rust, PHP...) but must provide and follow the REST API.
• frontend (one or many) : developer feels free to use/change the technology he wants (SPA/Vue, SPA/React, Mobile/Android...) but must consume and follow the REST API.

So, my needs

Frontend

I prefer SPA using Vite, Vue and Vuetify.

Backend

• written in C#, the language i 😍.
• must be easy to integrate, lightweight with a minimal footprint.
• must support Routing, Websocket, CORS.
• don't need to have template engine as i write frontend in a separated project.
• must serve static files (static files are the result of my npm run build vite project)

The existings projects

• ASP.NET Core :
  • too many features i don't need, i don't want (Razor, Blazor...).
  • overcomplicated to customize some behaviour
  • too heavy, sometimes i have a very small API.
• IIS an old « usine à gaz » on Windows, Kestrel and SignalR the same on Linux.
• EmbedIO : long time v2 user, i dislike the rewrite of the v3. Moreover, it uses the old Microsoft HttpListener and the websocket-sharp alternative was not perfect.
• GenHttp : feels promising but i was in the process of writting my own.
• NetCoreServer : WHOA 😮 ! Fast, simple, extremly well design, extendable BUT no RESTAPI... Wait, what if i use the whole OnReceivedRequest() event to do exactly what i want 🤔

This project

SimpleW is the result of adding basic RESTAPI features to the OnReceivedRequest() of NetCoreServer.

After 3 years grade production, SimpleW serves many APIs without any issue, gains some cool features but still always lightweight and easy to integrate.

Feel free to report issue.