What exactly is "Web API" in ASP.Net MVC4?

Posted by James P. Wright on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by James P. Wright
Published on 2012-08-12T16:22:55Z Indexed on 2012/09/16 21:51 UTC
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ASP.NET

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asp.net-mvc-4

I know what a Web API is.
I've written API's in multiple languages (including in MVC3).
I'm also well practiced in ASP.Net.
I just discovered that MVC4 has "Web API" and without going through the video examples I can't find a good explanation of what exactly it IS.
From my past experience, Microsoft technologies (especially ASP.Net) have a tendency to take a simple concept and wrap it in a bunch of useless overhead that is meant to make everything "easier".
Can someone please explain to me what Web API in MVC4 is exactly? Why do I need it? Why can't I just write my own API?

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