In this article I will explain with an example, how to upload Files using jQuery AJAX and Generic Handler (ASHX) in ASP.Net using C# and VB.Net.
The Generic Handler will be will be called using jQuery AJAX and the file will be uploaded to Folder (Directory) with Progress Bar using HTML5 Form Data and XmlHttpRequest (XHR).
 
 

Adding Generic Handler

You will need to add a new Generic Handler (ASHX) file using Add New Item Dialog of Visual Studio as shown below.
Uploading files using jQuery AJAX and Generic Handler (ASHX) in ASP.Net
 
 

Building the Generic Handler for uploading the Files

The uploaded File is read from the Request.Files collection and is saved to a Folder (Directory) on Server’s Disk.
Then Name of the uploaded file is returned back to the Client in JSON format.
C#
<%@ WebHandler Language="C#" Class="HandlerCS" %>
 
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Net;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.Script.Serialization;
 
public class HandlerCS : IHttpHandler
{
 
    public void ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)
    {
        //Check if Request is to Upload the File.
        if (context.Request.Files.Count > 0)
        {
            //Fetch the Uploaded File.
            HttpPostedFile postedFile context.Request.Files[0];
            
            //Set the Folder Path.
            string folderPath context.Server.MapPath("~/Uploads/");
 
            //Set the File Name.
            string fileName = Path.GetFileName(postedFile.FileName);
            
            //Save the File in Folder.
            postedFile.SaveAs(folderPath + fileName);
 
            //Send File details in a JSON Response.
            string json = new JavaScriptSerializer().Serialize(
                new
                {
                    name = fileName
                });
            context.Response.StatusCode = (int)HttpStatusCode.OK;
            context.Response.ContentType "text/json";
            context.Response.Write(json);
            context.Response.End();
        }
    }
 
    public bool IsReusable
    {
        get
        {
            return false;
        }
    }
}
 
VB.Net
<%@ WebHandler Language="VB" Class="HandlerVB" %>
 
Imports System
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Net
Imports System.Web
Imports System.Web.Script.Serialization
 
Public Class HandlerVB : Implements IHttpHandler
    
    Public Sub ProcessRequest(ByVal context As HttpContext) Implements IHttpHandler.ProcessRequest
        'Check if Request is to Upload the File.
        If context.Request.Files.Count > 0 Then
            
            'Fetch the Uploaded File.
             Dim postedFile As HttpPostedFile context.Request.Files(0)
            
            'Set the Folder Path.
            Dim folderPath As String context.Server.MapPath("~/Uploads/")
 
            'Set the File Name.
            Dim fileName As String Path.GetFileName(postedFile.FileName)
            
            'Save the File in Folder.
            postedFile.SaveAs(folderPath + fileName)
            
            'Send File details in a JSON Response.
            Dim json As String = New JavaScriptSerializer().Serialize(New With {
                .name = fileName
            })
            context.Response.StatusCode = CInt(HttpStatusCode.OK)
            context.Response.ContentType "text/json"
            context.Response.Write(json)
            context.Response.End()
        End If
    End Sub
 
    Public ReadOnly Property IsReusable() As Boolean Implements IHttpHandler.IsReusable
        Get
            Return False
        End Get
    End Property
 
End Class
 
 

HTML Markup

The HTML Markup consists of a Form with an HTML FileUpload element and a Button. Below the Form there is a Bootstrap Progress Bar for displaying the progress of the uploading File with percentage.
The Upload Button has been assigned a jQuery Click event handler. When the Upload button is clicked, an AJAX call is made to the Generic Handler using jQuery.
The data of the selected File is read into an HTML5 FormData JavaScript object and the File is uploaded using XmlHttpRequest (XHR).
A Progress event handler is attached to the XmlHttpRequest (XHR), which displays the progress of the File being uploaded using the Bootstrap Progress Bar with percentage.
Finally, the received Name of the uploaded File is displayed in an HTML SPAN element.
<form id="form1" runat="server">
    <input type="file" name="postedFile" /><input type="button" id="btnUpload" value="Upload" />
    <div class="progress" style="display:none">
        <div class="progress-bar" role="progressbar"></div>
    </div>
    <div id="lblMessage" style="color:Green"></div>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.7.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.2/css/bootstrap.min.css" />
 
    <script type="text/javascript">
        $("body").on("click""#btnUpload"function () {
            $.ajax({
                 url: 'HandlerCS.ashx',
                 type: 'POST',
                 data: new FormData($('form')[0]),
                 cache: false,
                 contentType: false,
                 processData :false,
                 success: function (file) {
                    setTimeout(function () {
                        $(".progress").hide();
                        $("#lblMessage").html("<b>" + file.name + "</b> has been uploaded.");
                    }, 1000);
                },
                 error:function (a) {
                    $("#lblMessage").html(a.responseText);
                },
                 failure:function (a) {
                    $("#lblMessage").html(a.responseText);
                },
                xhr:function () {
                    var fileXhr = $.ajaxSettings.xhr();
                    if (fileXhr.upload) {
                        $(".progress").show();
                        fileXhr.upload.addEventListener("progress"function (e) {
                            if (e.lengthComputable) {
                                var percentage = Math.ceil(((e.loaded /e.total) * 100));
                                $('.progress-bar').text(percentage + '%');
                                $('.progress-bar').width(percentage + '%');
                                if (percentage == 100) {
                                    $('.progress-bar').text('100%');
                                }
                            }
                         }, false);
                    }
                    return fileXhr;
                }
            });
        });
    </script>
</form>
 
 

Web.Config Settings for uploading Large Files

Below is the Web.Config configuration for uploading files upto 2GB.
<configuration>
    <system.web>
        <compilation debug"true" targetFramework"4.8.1"/>
        <httpRuntime executionTimeout"120" maxRequestLength"2147483647"/>
        <pages controlRenderingCompatibilityVersion"4.0"/>
    </system.web>
    <system.webServer>
        <security>
          <requestFiltering>
            <requestLimits maxAllowedContentLength"2147483648"/>
          </requestFiltering>
        </security>
    </system.webServer>
</configuration>
 
 

Screenshot

Uploading files using jQuery AJAX and Generic Handler (ASHX) in ASP.Net
 
 

Browser Compatibility

The above code has been tested in the following browsers.
Microsoft Edge   FireFox  Chrome  Safari  Opera
* All browser logos displayed above are property of their respective owners.
 
 

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