Re-Send HttpRequestMessage - Exception

I want to send the exact same request more than once, for example:

HttpClient client = new HttpClient();
HttpRequestMessage req = new HttpRequestMessage(HttpMethod.Get, "http://example.com");

await client.SendAsync(req, HttpCompletionOption.ResponseContentRead);
await client.SendAsync(req, HttpCompletionOption.ResponseContentRead);

Sending the request for a second time will throw an exception with the message:

The request message was already sent. Cannot send the same request message multiple times.

Is their a way to "clone" the request so that I can send again?

My real code has more variables set on the HttpRequestMessage than in the example above, variables like headers and request method.

Solution 1:

I wrote the following extension method to clone the request.

public static HttpRequestMessage Clone(this HttpRequestMessage req)
{
    HttpRequestMessage clone = new HttpRequestMessage(req.Method, req.RequestUri);

    clone.Content = req.Content;
    clone.Version = req.Version;

    foreach (KeyValuePair<string, object> prop in req.Properties)
    {
        clone.Properties.Add(prop);
    }

    foreach (KeyValuePair<string, IEnumerable<string>> header in req.Headers)
    {
        clone.Headers.TryAddWithoutValidation(header.Key, header.Value);
    }

    return clone;
}

Solution 2:

Here is an improvement to the extension method proposed by @drahcir. The improvement is to ensure the content of the request is cloned as well as the request itself:

public static HttpRequestMessage Clone(this HttpRequestMessage request)
{
    var clone = new HttpRequestMessage(request.Method, request.RequestUri)
    {
        Content = request.Content.Clone(),
        Version = request.Version
    };
    foreach (KeyValuePair<string, object> prop in request.Properties)
    {
        clone.Properties.Add(prop);
    }
    foreach (KeyValuePair<string, IEnumerable<string>> header in request.Headers)
    {
        clone.Headers.TryAddWithoutValidation(header.Key, header.Value);
    }

    return clone;
}

public static HttpContent Clone(this HttpContent content)
{
    if (content == null) return null;

    var ms = new MemoryStream();
    content.CopyToAsync(ms).Wait();
    ms.Position = 0;

    var clone = new StreamContent(ms);
    foreach (KeyValuePair<string, IEnumerable<string>> header in content.Headers)
    {
        clone.Headers.Add(header.Key, header.Value);
    }
    return clone;
}

Edit 05/02/18: here's Async version

public static async Task<HttpRequestMessage> CloneAsync(this HttpRequestMessage request)
{
    var clone = new HttpRequestMessage(request.Method, request.RequestUri)
    {
        Content = await request.Content.CloneAsync().ConfigureAwait(false),
        Version = request.Version
    };
    foreach (KeyValuePair<string, object> prop in request.Properties)
    {
        clone.Properties.Add(prop);
    }
    foreach (KeyValuePair<string, IEnumerable<string>> header in request.Headers)
    {
        clone.Headers.TryAddWithoutValidation(header.Key, header.Value);
    }

    return clone;
}

public static async Task<HttpContent> CloneAsync(this HttpContent content)
{
    if (content == null) return null;

    var ms = new MemoryStream();
    await content.CopyToAsync(ms).ConfigureAwait(false);
    ms.Position = 0;

    var clone = new StreamContent(ms);
    foreach (KeyValuePair<string, IEnumerable<string>> header in content.Headers)
    {
        clone.Headers.Add(header.Key, header.Value);
    }
    return clone;
}

Solution 3:

I am passing around an instance of Func<HttpRequestMessage> instead of an instance of HttpRequestMessage. The func points to a factory method so I get a brand new message each time it is called instead of re-using.