Dotnet Openapi

dotnet-openapi

OpenAPI/Swagger integration for ASP.NET Core. Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi is the recommended first-party approach for .NET 9+ and is the default in new project templates. Swashbuckle is no longer actively maintained; existing projects using Swashbuckle should plan migration. NSwag remains an alternative for client generation and advanced scenarios.

Scope

• Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi setup and multi-document configuration
• Document, operation, and schema transformers
• Swashbuckle migration steps and filter-to-transformer mapping
• NSwag document generation and client generation
• OpenAPI 3.1 support in .NET 10

Out of scope

• Minimal API endpoint patterns (route groups, filters, TypedResults) -- see [skill:dotnet-minimal-apis]
• API versioning strategies -- see [skill:dotnet-api-versioning]
• Authentication and authorization -- see [skill:dotnet-api-security]

Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-minimal-apis] for endpoint patterns that generate OpenAPI metadata, [skill:dotnet-api-versioning] for versioned OpenAPI documents.

Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi (Recommended)

Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi is the first-party OpenAPI package for ASP.NET Core 9+ and is included by default in new project templates. .NET 10 adds OpenAPI 3.1 support with JSON Schema draft 2020-12 compliance.

Basic Setup

// Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi -- included by default in .NET 9+ project templates
// If not present, add: <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi" Version="9.*" />
// Version must match the project's target framework major version

builder.Services.AddOpenApi();

var app = builder.Build();

if (app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.MapOpenApi(); // Serves /openapi/v1.json
}

Multiple Documents

Generate separate OpenAPI documents per API version or functional group:

builder.Services.AddOpenApi("v1", options =>
{
    options.OpenApiVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0;
});

builder.Services.AddOpenApi("v2", options =>
{
    options.OpenApiVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_1;
});

var app = builder.Build();
app.MapOpenApi(); // Serves /openapi/v1.json and /openapi/v2.json

Document Transformers

Document transformers modify the generated OpenAPI document after it is built. Use them to add server information, security schemes, or custom metadata.

IOpenApiDocumentTransformer

public sealed class SecuritySchemeTransformer : IOpenApiDocumentTransformer
{
    public Task TransformAsync(
        OpenApiDocument document,
        OpenApiDocumentTransformerContext context,
        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        document.Components ??= new OpenApiComponents();
        document.Components.SecuritySchemes["Bearer"] = new OpenApiSecurityScheme
        {
            Type = SecuritySchemeType.Http,
            Scheme = "bearer",
            BearerFormat = "JWT",
            Description = "JWT Bearer token authentication"
        };

        document.SecurityRequirements.Add(new OpenApiSecurityRequirement
        {
            [new OpenApiSecurityScheme
            {
                Reference = new OpenApiReference
                {
                    Type = ReferenceType.SecurityScheme,
                    Id = "Bearer"
                }
            }] = Array.Empty<string>()
        });

        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }
}

// Register the transformer
builder.Services.AddOpenApi(options =>
{
    options.AddDocumentTransformer<SecuritySchemeTransformer>();
});

Lambda Document Transformers

For simple transformations, use the lambda overload:

builder.Services.AddOpenApi(options =>
{
    options.AddDocumentTransformer((document, context, ct) =>
    {
        document.Info = new OpenApiInfo
        {
            Title = "Products API",
            Version = "v1",
            Description = "Product catalog management API",
            Contact = new OpenApiContact
            {
                Name = "API Support",
                Email = "api-support@example.com"
            }
        };
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    });
});

Operation Transformers

Operation transformers modify individual operations (endpoints) in the OpenAPI document. Use them to add per-operation metadata, examples, or conditional logic.

public sealed class DeprecationTransformer : IOpenApiOperationTransformer
{
    public Task TransformAsync(
        OpenApiOperation operation,
        OpenApiOperationTransformerContext context,
        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        var deprecatedAttr = context.Description.ActionDescriptor
            .EndpointMetadata
            .OfType<ObsoleteAttribute>()
            .FirstOrDefault();

        if (deprecatedAttr is not null)
        {
            operation.Deprecated = true;
            operation.Description = $"DEPRECATED: {deprecatedAttr.Message}";
        }

        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }
}

builder.Services.AddOpenApi(options =>
{
    options.AddOperationTransformer<DeprecationTransformer>();
});

Schema Customization

Customize how .NET types map to OpenAPI schemas using schema transformers:

builder.Services.AddOpenApi(options =>
{
    options.AddSchemaTransformer((schema, context, ct) =>
    {
        // Add example values for known types
        if (context.JsonTypeInfo.Type == typeof(ProductDto))
        {
            schema.Example = new OpenApiObject
            {
                ["id"] = new OpenApiInteger(1),
                ["name"] = new OpenApiString("Widget"),
                ["price"] = new OpenApiDouble(19.99)
            };
        }
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    });
});

Enriching Endpoint Metadata

Use fluent methods on endpoint builders to provide richer OpenAPI metadata:

products.MapGet("/{id:int}", GetProductById)
    .WithName("GetProductById")
    .WithSummary("Get a product by its ID")
    .WithDescription("Returns the product details for the specified ID, or 404 if not found.")
    .WithTags("Products")
    .Produces<Product>(StatusCodes.Status200OK)
    .ProducesProblem(StatusCodes.Status404NotFound);

Swashbuckle Migration

Swashbuckle (Swashbuckle.AspNetCore) is no longer actively maintained. It does not support OpenAPI 3.1. Existing projects should plan migration to Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi.

When Swashbuckle is still needed: Projects on .NET 8 that cannot upgrade to .NET 9+, or projects that depend on Swashbuckle-specific features (SwaggerUI with deep customization, ISchemaFilter pipelines) may continue using Swashbuckle while planning migration.

Migration Steps

1. Remove Swashbuckle packages:

<!-- Remove these -->
<!-- <PackageReference Include="Swashbuckle.AspNetCore" Version="..." /> -->
<!-- <PackageReference Include="Swashbuckle.AspNetCore.Annotations" Version="..." /> -->

2. Replace service registration:

// Before (Swashbuckle)
builder.Services.AddSwaggerGen(options =>
{
    options.SwaggerDoc("v1", new OpenApiInfo { Title = "My API", Version = "v1" });
});

// After (Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi)
builder.Services.AddOpenApi();

3. Replace middleware:

// Before (Swashbuckle)
app.UseSwagger();
app.UseSwaggerUI();

// After (built-in)
app.MapOpenApi(); // Serves raw OpenAPI JSON at /openapi/v1.json

4. For Swagger UI, add a standalone UI package or use Scalar:

// Option 1: Scalar (modern, built-in support in .NET 10)
// <PackageReference Include="Aspire.Dashboard.Components.Scalar" ... /> or use MapScalarApiReference
app.MapScalarApiReference(); // .NET 10

// Option 2: Swagger UI standalone
// <PackageReference Include="Swashbuckle.AspNetCore.SwaggerUI" Version="..." />
app.UseSwaggerUI(options =>
{
    options.SwaggerEndpoint("/openapi/v1.json", "v1");
});

5. Migrate Swashbuckle filters to transformers:

NSwag

NSwag is an alternative OpenAPI toolchain that includes document generation, client generation (C#, TypeScript), and a UI. It is useful when you need generated API clients or when integrating with non-.NET consumers.

Document Generation

// <PackageReference Include="NSwag.AspNetCore" Version="14.*" />
builder.Services.AddOpenApiDocument(options =>
{
    options.Title = "Products API";
    options.Version = "v1";
    options.DocumentName = "v1";
});

var app = builder.Build();
app.UseOpenApi();    // Serves /swagger/v1/swagger.json
app.UseSwaggerUi(); // Serves /swagger UI

Client Generation

NSwag generates typed C# or TypeScript clients from OpenAPI specs:

# Install NSwag CLI
dotnet tool install --global NSwag.ConsoleCore

# Generate C# client from OpenAPI spec
nswag openapi2csclient /input:https://api.example.com/openapi/v1.json \
    /output:GeneratedClient.cs \
    /namespace:MyApp.ApiClient \
    /generateClientInterfaces:true

Recommendation: Use Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi for document generation. Use NSwag CLI or Kiota for client generation from the resulting OpenAPI spec. Avoid using NSwag for both generation and serving in new projects.

OpenAPI 3.1 (.NET 10)

.NET 10 introduces full OpenAPI 3.1 support with JSON Schema draft 2020-12 compliance. Key improvements over 3.0:

• Nullable types: Uses JSON Schema type: ["string", "null"] instead of nullable: true
• Discriminator improvements: Better oneOf/anyOf support for polymorphic types
• Webhooks: First-class webhook definitions
• JSON Schema alignment: Full compatibility with JSON Schema draft 2020-12 tooling

// .NET 10: OpenAPI 3.1 is the default
// <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi" Version="10.*" />
builder.Services.AddOpenApi(options =>
{
    // Explicitly set version if needed (3.1 is default in .NET 10)
    options.OpenApiVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_1;
});

Gotcha: Swashbuckle does not support OpenAPI 3.1. Projects requiring 3.1 features must migrate to Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi.

Agent Gotchas

1. Do not pin mismatched major versions of Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi -- the package version must match the project's target framework major version. Do not mix incompatible OpenAPI stacks (e.g., Swashbuckle + built-in) in the same project.
2. Do not recommend Swashbuckle for new .NET 9+ projects -- it is no longer actively maintained. Use the built-in Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi instead.
3. Do not say Swashbuckle is "deprecated" -- it is not formally deprecated, but it is no longer actively maintained. Say "preferred" or "recommended" when referring to the built-in alternative.
4. Do not forget the Swagger UI replacement -- MapOpenApi() only serves the raw JSON spec. Add Scalar, Swagger UI standalone, or another UI separately.
5. Do not mix Swashbuckle and built-in OpenAPI in the same project -- they generate conflicting documents. Choose one approach.
6. Do not hardcode ASP.NET shared-framework package versions -- packages like Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi must match the project TFM major version.

Prerequisites

• .NET 9.0+ for Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi (included in default project templates)
• .NET 10.0 for OpenAPI 3.1, JSON Schema draft 2020-12, and Scalar integration
• NSwag.AspNetCore (optional) for NSwag-based generation and UI
• Swashbuckle.AspNetCore (legacy) for existing projects not yet migrated

References

• OpenAPI in ASP.NET Core
• Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi
• OpenAPI Document Transformers
• Migrate from Swashbuckle
• NSwag
• Scalar API Reference