Build in-house API as ASP.NET Core Last updated: 2026-11-10

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio or the .NET 10 SDK.
• Download Postman - it's an application to consume/test your API.
• The native library for your platform:

Download ediFabric Native Library

Put the library in the repository root or in EdiFabric.Api.ASPNET, or set LibraryPath in appsettings.json / EDIFABRIC_X12_LIB. The project copies it next to the executable on build when it is found in those folders.

• X12 test file(s). If you don't have a test file, use one of ours - X12 HIPAA, X12.

License

Set ApiKey in appsettings.json to your serial. The free-plan serial is:

bd96a836feca45cb91c86ee65d281f52

ensure_token licenses the process on every plan. On the free plan it checks the serial online on each operation, and on the paid plans it caches a token on disk. The token cache in this sample (TokenFileCache) is for Enterprise and Perpetual hosts that store offline tokens themselves with set_token.

Setup

Rebuild the solution. If there are any build errors, contact us at https://support.edifabric.com/hc/en-us/requests/new for assistance.

The C# bindings live in EdiFabric.Api.ASPNET/Native (NativeMethods.cs and EdiFabricX12.cs), copied from the edifabric-csharp-bindings repository.

By default the API uses the online spec service (SetMap with "default": "<serial>"). To use local JSON models instead, place a map/map.json next to the web project (see the bindings README for the map format). The online models need the serial key of a free ediFabric account on the Community plan or a paid plan.

Debug the ASP.NET application in Visual Studio

1. Open solution EdiFabric.Api.ASPNET.sln in Visual Studio.

2. Open the file appsettings.json and change ApiKey to your paid key or leave it to use the free key.

   

3. Rebuild the solution and ensure all package dependencies were installed correctly.
4. Run the EdiFabric.Api.ASPNET project in debug mode.

Test the ASP.NET application

1. Download and open Postman. Let's test the X12 read operation first.

2. Open a new tab in Postman, select the POST method, and add the following request URL (full API reference):

   {Your ASP.NET application URL}/x12/read

3. Go to the Body tab, select the "binary" content, and then browse to your text X12/HIPAA file.

   Note

   If you don't have a test file, use one of ours - X12 HIPAA, X12.

   

4. Finally, hit the Send button and inspect the response body:

   

Cache tokens

By default ediFabric Native would request a token from the Authentication API every time. To avoid these calls altogether and work in a fully offline mode, implement a token cache.

To implement the token cache, open the file X12Controller.cs and follow the instructions in the comments:

Cache models

By default ediFabric Native would request a new JSON model from the Authentication API every time a new transaction needs to be parsed. To avoid these calls altogether and work in a fully offline mode, create a model map.

SetMap tells the engine where to find transaction-set models. Keys are message:version. Set default to your serial to resolve unmapped transaction sets through the online spec service, or leave it null and map everything locally.

{
  "default": null,
  "maps": {
    "837:005010X222A1": { "type": 1, "name": "837P.json", "location": "/opt/models" },
    "850:005010":       { "type": 1, "name": "850.json",  "location": "/opt/models" }
  }
}

Every X12 transaction, such as 837P, 834 or 850, is described by a model, a JSON file that ediFabric Native loads through the map. Every plan, Community or paid, uses the same models. Download a standard model from the EDI spec library, or a custom model from the EDI Spec Builder, where you create and change models in the OpenEDI format. Downloading from the EDI spec library, except the free sample, and using the EDI Spec Builder need a free ediFabric account on the Community plan or a paid plan.

To download a standard model, open the transaction in the EDI spec library and, under Download, select Native model. You sign in (free with the Community plan) and accept the spec licence once, and every plan includes 50 spec downloads a day, of any shape. The specs the public examples use, such as 837P, 834, 835, 850 and 810, are a free sample that downloads without signing in.

To download a custom model, select it in the EDI Spec Builder, select the ediFabric Native tab, then select Download Native:

Models are JSON files, and must be included, together with the map, in the deployment package.