How to compress web service response json in ajax call

Question

I am using asmx web service and calling it through ajax as

        $.ajax({
        url: 'xxxxxxx.asmx/Getxxxxxxxx',
        method: 'post',
        contentType: 'application/json; charset=utf-8',
        dataType: 'json',
        success: function (data) {
            $(data.d).each(function (index, category) {

My service returns a list of objects. I was reading on how to compress the response of a web service and it seems to me that to do this I need to override the GetWebRequest method and use Gzip/Deflate (in a class derived from web service proxy class).

The next step would be to use an instance of this class (which overrides GetWebRequest) and use this in application.

Since, I am using ajax call, I am not sure how to use this instance of class which overrides GetWebRequest method.

Thank you.

Answer 1

In order to send the compressed response to client, from your web-service, you must be using content-encoding field and set its value to compress.

   content-encoding: gzip

But, before that you must check the value of "Accept-Encoding" header send by client. The possible values for this header is

   Accept-Encoding: compress, gzip
   Accept-Encoding:
   Accept-Encoding: *
   Accept-Encoding: compress;q=0.5, gzip;q=1.0
   Accept-Encoding: gzip;q=1.0, identity; q=0.5, *;q=0

The above mentioned guidelines are applicable, irrespective of whatever language/technology you are using.

For more information of HTTP protocol headers, refer to

https://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616-sec14.html

EDIT

"Accept-Encoding" request header must be set in your ajax request. You can do that, by setting "headers" in your ajax request as follow :

  $.ajax({
    url: 'xxxxxxx.asmx/Getxxxxxxxx',
    method: 'post',
    contentType: 'application/json; charset=utf-8',
    dataType: 'json',
    headers: {
       "My-First-Header":"first value",
       "My-Second-Header":"second value"
    }
    success: function (data) {}
  });