Dotnet JSON Polymorphic

Configure polymorphic JSON serialization using [JsonPolymorphic] and [JsonDerivedType] attributes for type-safe inheritance hierarchies.

When to Use

• Serializing inheritance hierarchies with System.Text.Json
• Adding type discriminators for polymorphic deserialization
• Preparing polymorphic types for AOT-compatible JSON source generation
• Replacing Newtonsoft.Json TypeNameHandling with [JsonPolymorphic]/[JsonDerivedType]

Requirements

• .NET 7 or higher

Steps

1. Ask scope:

   • Ask user: "Apply to entire solution or specific project?"
   • If specific project, ask which project

2. Search for existing [JsonPolymorphic] attributes:

   • Detect existing project conventions
   • Note any TypeDiscriminatorPropertyName values found

3. Extract discriminator conventions:

   • Search for TypeDiscriminatorPropertyName in existing attributes
   • Record all unique discriminator property names found

4. Find polymorphic candidates:

   • Search for abstract classes with derived types
   • Search for interfaces with implementing classes used in serialization
   • Look for classes with virtual members that are inherited

5. Ask about discriminator property name:

   • If existing discriminators found, show them to user
   • Ask: "What discriminator property name? (Default: $type, Found: [list existing])"

6. Check for consistency:

   • If multiple different discriminators found in codebase
   • Ask: "Found multiple discriminators: [list]. Standardize to single value?"

7. Apply attributes to base types:

   [JsonPolymorphic(TypeDiscriminatorPropertyName = "$type")]
   [JsonDerivedType(typeof(DerivedA), typeDiscriminator: "DerivedA")]
   [JsonDerivedType(typeof(DerivedB), typeDiscriminator: "DerivedB")]
   public abstract class BaseClass
   {
   }
   

   • Use full type name as discriminator value (e.g., "WeatherForecastWithCity")

8. Add using directive:

   • Ensure using System.Text.Json.Serialization; is present

9. Verify with build:

   dotnet build
   

10. Report results:

    • List all base types configured
    • List all derived type mappings added
    • Confirm build status

Example Conversion

Before:

public abstract class Notification
{
    public string Message { get; set; }
}

public class EmailNotification : Notification
{
    public string EmailAddress { get; set; }
}

public class SmsNotification : Notification
{
    public string PhoneNumber { get; set; }
}

After:

[JsonPolymorphic(TypeDiscriminatorPropertyName = "$type")]
[JsonDerivedType(typeof(EmailNotification), typeDiscriminator: "EmailNotification")]
[JsonDerivedType(typeof(SmsNotification), typeDiscriminator: "SmsNotification")]
public abstract class Notification
{
    public string Message { get; set; }
}

public class EmailNotification : Notification
{
    public string EmailAddress { get; set; }
}

public class SmsNotification : Notification
{
    public string PhoneNumber { get; set; }
}

JSON Output:

{
  "$type": "EmailNotification",
  "message": "Hello",
  "emailAddress": "user@example.com"
}

Notes

• AOT Compatibility: Metadata-based source generation is supported; fast-path source generation is NOT supported for polymorphic types
• Serialization requirement: Must serialize using the base type for polymorphism to work (e.g., JsonSerializer.Serialize<Notification>(emailNotification))
• Discriminator values: String discriminators are recommended over integers for readability and forward compatibility
• Nested hierarchies: Each level in the hierarchy needs its own [JsonPolymorphic] attribute if it has derived types
• Interface support: Interfaces can also use [JsonPolymorphic] when they define the contract for serialization

Documentation

• System.Text.Json Polymorphism