C# Bindings

We distribute the C# bindings as a Nuget package. Internally, the C API is called using P/Invoke The bindings are .NET Standard 2.0 compatible and include platform-specific shared libraries for 64-bit Windows and Linux. They are automatically loaded by the .NET runtime.

Mapping

C# is an object-oriented language that supports all the abstract patterns modeled in the code generator. Here's what you need to know.

Errors

C API errors are transformed into exceptions that contain the error enum.

danger

Uncaught exceptions thrown in callbacks will terminate the program. Your code should always wrap callback logic with try/catch syntax if there's a chance that the callback will throw.

Iterators

The code generator transforms iterators into ICollection<T>. This means that the collections returned by callbacks may be used outside the callback. For example, you can send them to another thread for processing.

Structs

Native structs are mapped to C# classes. They have public member visibility, and the constructor ensures that all values are initialized.

Classes

Abstract classes are mapped to C# classes. They have a private pointer to the underlying native resource. There are two types of generated classes in C#:

• Generated classes that only have a private finalizer: These are automatically garbage collected, while native resources are deallocated in the class's finalize method. These types of classes are typically builder objects such as Commands, Request, and AddressFilter.
• Generated classes that also provide a public Shutdown method: These represent long-lived resources such as Runtime, Master, or TCPServer. They map to an asynchronous Rust task executing on the Tokio runtime. The Shutdown method lets you precisely control when the resource/task will stop.

Asynchronous Methods

Abstract asynchronous methods are transformed into methods that return Task<T>. You can block on the task or await it in an async method.