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ApplicationBuilderExtensions

Namespace: RA.Utilities.Api.Middlewares.Extensions

The ApplicationBuilderExtensions class provides a set of convenient "shortcut" methods for registering your custom middlewares with the ASP.NET Core application pipeline. This is a common and recommended practice in the .NET ecosystem.

In ASP.NET Core, the standard way to add a middleware to the request pipeline is by calling app.UseMiddleware<TMiddleware>(). While this works perfectly, it can be a bit generic and less descriptive.

The extension methods in this class, such as UseHttpLoggingMiddleware() and UseDefaultHeadersMiddleware(), wrap the UseMiddleware<T>() call in a more readable and discoverable function.

Instead of writing:

app.UseMiddleware<HttpLoggingMiddleware>();
app.UseMiddleware<DefaultHeadersMiddleware>();

You can use the more fluent and discoverable extension methods:

app.UseHttpLoggingMiddleware();
app.UseDefaultHeadersMiddleware();

🔑 Key Benefits:​

  1. Readability: Code in Program.cs becomes cleaner and more self-documenting. app.UseHttpLoggingMiddleware() is more explicit about its intent than app.UseMiddleware<HttpLoggingMiddleware>().
  2. Discoverability: When a developer types app. in the editor, IntelliSense will suggest these descriptive method names, making it easier to find and use the middlewares provided by your library.
  3. Consistency: It aligns with the pattern used by Microsoft and other popular .NET libraries for registering middleware, creating a consistent developer experience.

In short, this class is all about improving the developer experience by providing a fluent and intuitive API for pipeline configuration.

🧩 Available Extensions​

UseHttpLoggingMiddleware()​

Registers the HttpLoggingMiddleware to the application's request pipeline. This middleware is responsible for logging detailed information about HTTP requests and responses.

Usage:

// Program.cs
using RA.Utilities.Api.Middlewares.Extensions;

var app = builder.Build();

app.UseHttpLoggingMiddleware();

app.UseRouting();
// ...

UseDefaultHeadersMiddleware()​

Registers the DefaultHeadersMiddleware to the application's request pipeline. This middleware enforces the presence of required headers, such as X-Request-Id.

Usage:

// Program.cs
using RA.Utilities.Api.Middlewares.Extensions;

var app = builder.Build();

app.UseRouting();

app.UseDefaultHeadersMiddleware();

app.MapControllers();
// ...