Web API 2 DELETE method always returns 500

Question

I have a an action on my Email Web API 2 controller:

[Authorize]
[RoutePrefix("api/Email")]
public class EmailController : ApiController {

    //...

    [HttpDelete]
    [Route("Remove/{id}")]
    private void Remove(int id) {
        _repo.Remove(id);
    }
}

When I call the action from Fiddler with DELETE http://localhost:35191/api/Email/Remove/35571 (or by any other method) I get a 500 back with the generic IIS error page that gives me no information on the error.

It seems the error is occurring before my action is ever called because setting a breakpoint within the action results in the breakpoint never being hit.

Is there some sort of configuration required to allow DELETE methods in IIS (Express)?

I've tried explicitly allowing DELETE in my web.config:

  <add name="ExtensionlessUrlHandler-Integrated-4.0" path="*." verb="GET,HEAD,POST,DEBUG,PUT,DELETE,PATCH,OPTIONS" type="System.Web.Handlers.TransferRequestHandler" preCondition="integratedMode,runtimeVersionv4.0" />

but to no avail.

Do you have a SyntaxView installed in Fiddler (it holds a bit more details about the error usually)? — Milen, Oct 06 '14 at 16:48
Show your routing. Do you have a `[RoutePrefix(...)]` attribute on the `ApiController`? Is it `api/Email`? Furthermore, both your controller class and your action method must be `public` I believe. — Timothy Shields, Oct 06 '14 at 16:49
SyntaxView only gives me a syntax-highlighted version of the HTML page IIS gives me. — Stephen Collins, Oct 06 '14 at 16:49

score 13 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 06 '14 at 16:49

13

You have to make your exposed methods public:

[HttpDelete]
[Route("Remove/{id}")]
public void Remove(int id) {
    _repo.Remove(id);
}

If that didn't work then you probally need to remove the WebDav(web.config):

<system.webServer>
   <modules>
      <remove name="WebDAVModule" />
   </modules>
   <handlers>
      <remove name="WebDAV" />
   </handlers>
</system.webServer>

answered Oct 06 '14 at 16:49

Amir Popovich

29,350
9
53
99

I can't believe I missed that. Thank you. – Stephen Collins Oct 06 '14 at 16:52
adding remove WebDAV fixed it. Route had no affect. – MIKE Feb 17 '16 at 22:42
by removing webdav I understand it fixed the problem but what else did it remove? – MIKE Feb 17 '16 at 22:43

Web API 2 DELETE method always returns 500

1 Answers1