How to Resolve 'Self Referencing Loop Detected' Errors When Serializing Entity Framework POCO Objects with JSON.NET?

Solving "JSON.NET Error: Self Referencing Loop Detected"

Serializing Plain Old CLR Objects (POCOs) from Entity Data Models (.edmx) using JsonConvert.SerializeObject can sometimes throw this error:

<code>Error: Self referencing loop detected for type System.data.entity occurs.</code>

This happens because Entity Framework's entity classes often have self-referencing relationships. The solution lies in using JsonSerializerSettings to control serialization behavior.

Using JsonSerializerSettings

JsonSerializerSettings offers several options for handling circular references:

• ReferenceLoopHandling.Error (Default): Throws an exception (the error you're seeing).
• ReferenceLoopHandling.Serialize: Serializes nested objects, but can lead to infinite loops with deeply nested structures. Useful for objects with relationships but not infinite nesting.
• ReferenceLoopHandling.Ignore: Skips the serialization of objects that reference themselves.

Implementing JsonSerializerSettings

Here's how to apply these settings:

For objects with finite nesting, use ReferenceLoopHandling.Serialize:

<code class="language-csharp">JsonConvert.SerializeObject(YourPOCOHere, Formatting.Indented, new JsonSerializerSettings { ReferenceLoopHandling = ReferenceLoopHandling.Serialize });</code>

For objects with potentially infinite nesting, use PreserveReferencesHandling.Objects to avoid StackOverflowException:

<code class="language-csharp">JsonConvert.SerializeObject(YourPOCOHere, Formatting.Indented, new JsonSerializerSettings { PreserveReferencesHandling = PreserveReferencesHandling.Objects });</code>

Choosing the Right Setting

The best setting depends on your POCO's structure. Carefully consider the relationships within your data to select the most appropriate option and avoid self-referencing loop errors during JSON serialization.

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