System.Text.Json Serialization

The AdoNet.Async.Serialization.SystemTextJson package provides System.Text.Json converters for AsyncDataTable and AsyncDataSet. These converters produce the same wire format as the Newtonsoft.Json converters, enabling full cross-library compatibility.

Installation

dotnet add package AdoNet.Async.Serialization.SystemTextJson

This package depends on:

• AdoNet.Async.DataSet
• System.Text.Json (included in the .NET SDK)

Converter Registration

Register the converters on your JsonSerializerOptions:

using System.Data.Async.Converters.SystemTextJson;
using System.Text.Json;

var options = new JsonSerializerOptions();
options.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataTableJsonConverter());
options.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataSetJsonConverter());

Converter	Handles
AsyncDataTableJsonConverter	AsyncDataTable
AsyncDataSetJsonConverter	AsyncDataSet

Both converters live in the System.Data.Async.Converters.SystemTextJson namespace.

Serializing an AsyncDataTable

using System.Data.Async.Converters.SystemTextJson;
using System.Data.Async.DataSet;
using System.Text.Json;

var table = new AsyncDataTable("Products");
table.Columns.Add("Id", typeof(int));
table.Columns.Add("Name", typeof(string));
table.Columns.Add("Price", typeof(decimal));

await table.Rows.AddAsync([1, "Widget", 9.99m]);
await table.Rows.AddAsync([2, "Gadget", 19.99m]);
await table.AcceptChangesAsync();

var options = new JsonSerializerOptions { WriteIndented = true };
options.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataTableJsonConverter());

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(table, options);

Deserializing an AsyncDataTable

var restored = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<AsyncDataTable>(json, options);

foreach (AsyncDataRow row in restored!.Rows)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{row["Id"]}: {row["Name"]} - ${row["Price"]}");
}

Serializing an AsyncDataSet

var options = new JsonSerializerOptions { WriteIndented = true };
options.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataTableJsonConverter());
options.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataSetJsonConverter());

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(dataSet, options);

Deserializing an AsyncDataSet

var restored = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<AsyncDataSet>(json, options);

foreach (AsyncDataTable table in restored!.Tables)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Table: {table.TableName}, Rows: {table.Rows.Count}");
}

Same Wire Format as Newtonsoft.Json

Both serialization libraries produce structurally identical JSON. The wire format includes:

• Table and DataSet metadata (name, locale, case sensitivity, etc.)
• Full column definitions with assembly-qualified type names
• Constraints (unique/primary key)
• Row data with row state preservation (Unchanged, Added, Modified, Deleted)
• Relations (in DataSet serialization)
• Extended properties

For a detailed breakdown of the wire format and row state handling, see the Newtonsoft.Json page.

Cross-Library Compatibility

Because the wire format is identical, you can freely mix serializers:

using System.Data.Async.Converters;
using System.Data.Async.Converters.SystemTextJson;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using STJ = System.Text.Json;

// --- Serialize with System.Text.Json, deserialize with Newtonsoft.Json ---

var stjOptions = new STJ.JsonSerializerOptions();
stjOptions.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataTableJsonConverter());
string json = STJ.JsonSerializer.Serialize(table, stjOptions);

var newtonsoftSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings();
newtonsoftSettings.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataTableConverter());
var restored = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<AsyncDataTable>(json, newtonsoftSettings);

// --- Serialize with Newtonsoft.Json, deserialize with System.Text.Json ---

string json2 = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(table, newtonsoftSettings);
var restored2 = STJ.JsonSerializer.Deserialize<AsyncDataTable>(json2, stjOptions);

tip

This cross-library compatibility is validated by the SystemTextJsonCrossCompatibilityTests suite, which verifies that JSON produced by one library round-trips through the other for all row states and data types.

Performance Comparison

System.Text.Json converters are generally faster and allocate less memory than the Newtonsoft.Json converters, especially for serialization:

Operation	10 rows	100 rows
STJ Serialize	10 us / 12 KB	39 us / 66 KB
Newtonsoft Serialize	12 us / 29 KB	70 us / 115 KB
STJ Deserialize	55 us / 33 KB	143 us / 99 KB
Newtonsoft Deserialize	61 us / 34 KB	165 us / 101 KB

For detailed benchmark data, see the Performance page.

ASP.NET Core Integration

When using System.Text.Json with ASP.NET Core (the default serializer), configure the converters in Program.cs:

builder.Services.AddControllers()
    .AddJsonOptions(options =>
    {
        options.JsonSerializerOptions.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataTableJsonConverter());
        options.JsonSerializerOptions.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataSetJsonConverter());
    });

Or for minimal APIs:

builder.Services.ConfigureHttpJsonOptions(options =>
{
    options.SerializerOptions.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataTableJsonConverter());
    options.SerializerOptions.Converters.Add(new AsyncDataSetJsonConverter());
});

See the JSON API with Typed DataSets cookbook for a complete example.