Entity framework self referencing loop detected

Well the correct answer for the default Json formater based on Json.net is to set ReferenceLoopHandling to Ignore.

Just add this to the Application_Start in Global.asax:

HttpConfiguration config = GlobalConfiguration.Configuration;

config.Formatters.JsonFormatter
            .SerializerSettings
            .ReferenceLoopHandling = Newtonsoft.Json.ReferenceLoopHandling.Ignore;

This is the correct way. It will ignore the reference pointing back to the object.

Other responses focused in changing the list being returned by excluding data or by making a facade object and sometimes that is not an option.

Using the JsonIgnore attribute to restrict the references can be time consuming and if you want to serialize the tree starting from another point that will be a problem.

I had same problem and found that you can just apply the [JsonIgnore] attribute to the navigation property you don't want to be serialised. It will still serialise both the parent and child entities but just avoids the self referencing loop.

This happens because you're trying to serialize the EF object collection directly. Since department has an association to employee and employee to department, the JSON serializer will loop infinetly reading d.Employee.Departments.Employee.Departments etc...

To fix this right before the serialization create an anonymous type with the props you want

example (psuedo)code:

departments.select(dep => new { 
    dep.Id, 
    Employee = new { 
        dep.Employee.Id, dep.Employee.Name 
    }
});