Explain the HttpRequest Class in C#.

Question

ICSM Computer · Answer

The HttpRequest class in C# (specifically in ASP.NET) represents the
incoming HTTP request from the client (browser) to the server. It is used to access
form data, query strings, headers, cookies, request type, and other request-related info.
Namespace
using System.Web;
You access it in ASP.NET MVC via:
Request  // This is an instance of HttpRequestBase
In Web Forms:
HttpContext.Current.Request
Class Overview
public sealed class HttpRequest
This class encapsulates all HTTP-specific information about a single HTTP request.
Common Properties
Property
Description
HttpMethod
Returns GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.
Url
Full URL of the request
RawUrl
The raw URL as requested by the client
QueryString
Collection of query string values (?id=5)
Form
Collection of form data (from POST body)
Headers
Collection of request headers
Cookies
Cookies sent by the browser
UserAgent
Info about the browser or client
ContentType
The MIME type of the request body
InputStream
The raw binary input stream (e.g., for file uploads)
Files
Collection of uploaded files
IsAuthenticated
Indicates whether the user is authenticated
Examples
Read Query String Value
string id = Request.QueryString["id"]; // from ?id=123
Read Form Data (POST)
string username = Request.Form["username"];
Get Full URL and Method
string fullUrl = Request.Url.ToString();
string method = Request.HttpMethod;  // GET or POST etc.
Get Client IP Address
string ip = Request.UserHostAddress;
Or if using reverse proxy:
string ip = Request.ServerVariables["HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR"] ?? Request.UserHostAddress;
Access Uploaded File
HttpPostedFile file = Request.Files["upload"];
if (file != null andand file.ContentLength andgt; 0)
{
    string filename = Path.GetFileName(file.FileName);
    file.SaveAs(Server.MapPath("~/Uploads/" + filename));
}
Access Request Headers
string token = Request.Headers["Authorization"];
Use in ASP.NET MVC
In MVC, Request is of type HttpRequestBase, which is an abstracted/testable version of
HttpRequest.
You can still do:
public ActionResult Example()
{
    string userAgent = Request.UserAgent;
    string referer = Request.UrlReferrer?.ToString();
    return View();
}
Summary Table
Use Case
Code
Get method type
Request.HttpMethod
Read query string
Request.QueryString["key"]
Read form field
Request.Form["field"]
Uploaded file
Request.Files["name"]
Client IP
Request.UserHostAddress
Headers
Request.Headers["HeaderName"]
Cookies
Request.Cookies["cookieName"]
and

Property	Description
`HttpMethod`	Returns `GET`, `POST`, `PUT`, `DELETE`, etc.
`Url`	Full URL of the request
`RawUrl`	The raw URL as requested by the client
`QueryString`	Collection of query string values (`?id=5`)
`Form`	Collection of form data (from POST body)
`Headers`	Collection of request headers
`Cookies`	Cookies sent by the browser
`UserAgent`	Info about the browser or client
`ContentType`	The MIME type of the request body
`InputStream`	The raw binary input stream (e.g., for file uploads)
`Files`	Collection of uploaded files
`IsAuthenticated`	Indicates whether the user is authenticated

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Explain the HttpRequest Class in C#.

ICSM Computer

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1 Answers

Namespace

Class Overview

Common Properties

Examples

Use in ASP.NET MVC

Summary Table

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Use Case	Code
Get method type	`Request.HttpMethod`
Read query string	`Request.QueryString["key"]`
Read form field	`Request.Form["field"]`
Uploaded file	`Request.Files["name"]`
Client IP	`Request.UserHostAddress`
Headers	`Request.Headers["HeaderName"]`
Cookies	`Request.Cookies["cookieName"]`