connect-owin

Implement node.js connect middleware in .NET using OWIN.

Versions are incremented according to semver.

This is a fork of Tomasz Janczuk's original code; thanks go to him for getting this thing started!

Introduction

OWIN itself is not a technology, just a specification to decouple Web applications from the Web server. The goal of connect-owin is to implement this specification to use node.js, through connect framework, as the Web Server.

The connect-owin exports a function that returns a connect middleware. The function takes the path of the OWIN .NET assembly file as a parameter. The following code shows how to use connect-owin with express.js, a Web framework built on connect:

var owin = require('connect-owin'),
    express = require('express');

var app = express();
app.all('/net', owin('MyAssembly.dll'));
// ...
app.listen(3000);

.NET OWIN middlewares can be implemented in two ways with connect-owin:

By implementing the OWIN primary interface Func<IDictionary<string, object>, Task>:

public class Startup
{
  public Task Invoke(IDictionary<string, object> env) 
  {
    // ...
  }
}

By using the IAppBuilder interface that acts as the glue for any .NET OWIN middleware, exactly how connect in node.js works:

public class Startup
{
  public void Configuration(IAppBuilder builder)
  {
    // ...
  }
}

The connect-owin function uses <assembly name>.Startup as default type name, and Configuration as default method name. Custom type and method name can be provided via an options object:

owin({
    assemblyFile: 'MyAssembly.dll',
    typeName: 'MyNamespace.MyType',
    methodName: 'MyMethodName'
});

Requirements

Windows, Linux or MacOS
node.js 0.8.x or later
.NET Framework 4.5 or Mono 3.4

Building

Grunt is used to build, test and preview the sample on all platforms.

First, install connect-owin dependencies:

$ npm install

Then, you'll need to install Grunt's command line interface (CLI) globally:

$ npm install -g grunt-cli

You can build sources, run tests and preview the sample by using the default Grunt task:

$ grunt

Building sources

$ grunt build

The build creates the lib\clr\Connect.Owin.dll file required by the lib\connect-owin.js library.

Running the sample

Using Grunt

The following command uses the grunt-contrib-connect task to start a connect web server with the .NET OWIN application plugged in as a middleware and open the page in your default browser:

$ grunt hello

Using express.js

An express.js sample is also provided to run the .NET OWIN application:

$ cd examples\hello
$ npm install express
$ node server.js

Then go to http://localhost:3000/node. This should display a message from an express middleware in node.js.

If you go to http://localhost:3000/net, you should see a similar message from the .NET OWIN application in Owin.Connect.Examples.Hello.dll plugged in as a middleware to the express pipeline.

Using webpack-dev-server

A webpack sample is also provided to allow the webpack development server to serve your .NET OWIN application:

$ npm install -g webpack
$ npm install -g webpack-dev-server
$ webpack-dev-server --config webpack.config.js

Then go to http://localhost:8080/net. This should display a message from the .NET OWIN application.

More samples available @ connect-owin-samples

Running tests

$ grunt test

mocha is used to run tests.

bbaia / connect-owin

readme