Connect to Hugging Face Data from Blazor Apps

Blazor is a framework for developing modern, client-side web UIs using .NET technology. Instead of coding in JavaScript, developers can use the familiar C# language and .NET libraries to build app UIs.

The CData API Driver for ADO.NET can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live Hugging Face data. Since Blazor supports .NET Core, developers can use CData ADO.NET Providers in Blazor apps. In this article, we will guide you to build a simple Blazor app that talks to Hugging Face using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

CData ADO.NET Providers allow users to access Hugging Face just like they would access SQL Server, using simple SQL queries.

Install the Hugging Face ADO.NET Data Provider from the CData website or from NuGet. Search NuGet for "Hugging Face ADO.NET Data Provider."

Create a Hugging Face-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

1. Create a Blazor project on Visual Studio.

2. From the Solution Explorer, right click Dependencies, then click Add Project Reference.
3. In the Reference Manager, click the Browse button, and choose the .dll file of the installed ADO.NET Provider (e.g. System.Data.CData.API.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData API Driver for ADO.NET\lib etstandard2.0).

SELECT Hugging Face Data from the Blazor App

1. Open the Index.razor file from the Project page.
2. In a APIConnection object, set the connection string:

   HuggingFace Hub uses token-based authentication to enable access to its API. The API provides access to machine learning models, datasets, spaces, papers, and other resources on the HuggingFace Hub platform.

   Using API Key Authentication

   To authenticate to HuggingFace Hub, you will need to provide an API Key (Access Token). To obtain your access token:

   1. Log in to your HuggingFace account at https://huggingface.co
   2. Navigate to Settings > Access Tokens
   3. Click "New token" to create a new access token
   4. Select the appropriate permissions (read or write)
   5. Copy the token value

   After obtaining your access token, set the following connection properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
   • APIKey: Set this to your HuggingFace access token.

   Example connection string

   Profile=C:\profiles\HuggingFace.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=hf_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx';
   

   For example: Profile=C:\profiles\HuggingFace.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=hf_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx';

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying Hugging Face data, using standard SQL to query Hugging Face just like SQL Server.

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.API;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (APIConnection connection = new APIConnection(
                   "Profile=C:\profiles\HuggingFace.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=hf_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx';"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT ,  FROM Collections WHERE  = ''";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     APIDataAdapter dataAdapter = new APIDataAdapter(sql, connection);
                     dataAdapter.Fill(results);
         
                     <table class="table table-bordered">
                         <thead class="thead-light">
                             <tr>
                                 @foreach (DataColumn item in results.Rows[0].Table.Columns)
                                 {
                                     <th scope="col">@item.ColumnName</th>
                                 }
                             </tr>
                         </thead>
                         <tbody>
                             @foreach (DataRow row in results.Rows)
                             {
                                 <tr>
                                     @foreach (var column in row.ItemArray)
                                     {
                                         <td>@column.ToString()</td>
                                     }
                                 </tr>
                             }
                         </tbody>
                     </table>
                 }
             </div>
         </div>
       

4. Rebuild and run the project. The ADO.NET Provider renders Hugging Face data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

   At this point, you have a Hugging Face-connected Blazor app, capable of working with live Hugging Face data just like you would work with a SQL Server instance. Download a free, 30-day trial and start working with live Hugging Face data in your Blazor apps today.