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Windows Communication Foundation.
| Original author(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | .NET Foundation |
| Initial release | November 21, 2006 |
| Stable release | v3.3.0 / February 2, 2022 |
| Repository | github.com/dotnet/wcf |
What is WCF in Windows 10?
Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a framework for building service-oriented applications. Using WCF, you can send data as asynchronous messages from one service endpoint to another. A service endpoint can be part of a continuously available service hosted by IIS, or it can be a service hosted in an application.
Is WCF interoperable with other services?
It is interoperable with respect to other services. This is in sharp contrast to .NET Remoting in which both the client and the service must have .Net. WCF services offer enhanced reliability as well as security in comparison to ASMX (Active Server Methods) web services.
What is the difference between WCF service and WCF client?
Normally, metadata for a WCF service is generated automatically when enabled, and this is done by inspection of service and its endpoints. A client application that gets created for exposing the service operations in the form of methods is known as a WCF client. This can be hosted by any application, even the one that does service hosting.
What is the service model in WCF?
WCF platform is also known as the Service Model. This is a communication unit that comprises of several parts apart from the body. Message instances are sent as well as received for all types of communication between the client and the service. It defines the address where a message is to be sent or received.
What is replacing WCF?
gRPC as a migration path for WCF to . NET Core and . NET 5 marks a shift in the way that Microsoft delivers remote communication solutions to developers who want to deliver services across a range of platforms. . NET Core and .
Is WCF still in use?
NET Framework. With a lot of WCF code still in use, it's good to see a supported route that helps bring that code to newer platforms and the . NET cross-platform world where WCF code can now run on Linux servers as well as on Windows.
Is WCF supported in .NET standard?
WCF server APIs are not supported on . NET Standard or . NET Core/. NET 5+, so there's no good way to migrate such an app forward.
Which .NET framework supports WCF?
In the . NET Framework 3.5, the WCF artifacts have to be defined and configured using the WCF programming and configuration model, while the workflow is defined using a different model.
Is WCF in .NET 5?
NET Core and . NET 5 support calling WCF services, but won't offer server-side support for hosting WCF. There are two recommended paths for modernizing WCF apps: gRPC is built on modern technologies and has emerged as the most popular choice across the developer community for RPC apps.
Does Web API replace WCF?
The programming model of ASP.NET Web API resembles ASP.NET MVC in being simple, instead of requiring you to define interfaces, create implementation classes, and decorate them with several attributes. However, the ASP.NET Web API is not supposed to replace WCF anymore.
Can we use WCF in .NET Core?
NET Core. Applications with WCF dependencies can be updated to use CoreWCF in-place on . NET framework, which then will work the same when updated to use .
What is WCF service in C#?
Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a framework for building service-oriented applications. Using WCF, you can send data as asynchronous messages from one service endpoint to another. A service endpoint can be part of a continuously available service hosted by IIS, or it can be a service hosted in an application.
Can we call WCF service from .NET Core?
The WCF Web Service Reference tool is a Visual Studio connected service extension that lets you connect your . NET 5+, . NET Core, or ASP.NET Core project to a web service.
Which are the four major layers of WCF?
WCF ArchitectureContracts and Descriptions. Contracts define various aspects of the message system. ... Service Runtime. The service runtime layer contains the behaviors that occur only during the actual operation of the service, that is, the runtime behaviors of the service. ... Messaging. ... Hosting and Activation.
Is WCF supported in .NET 6?
NET Core 3 (and subsequent versions like . NET 5 and 6) supported client-side WCF APIs but not server-side ones, I was able to migrate the Bean Trader client but had to leave the server running on .
Does WCF use SOAP?
Normally, a WCF service will use SOAP, but if you build a REST service, clients will be accessing your service with a different architectural style (calls, serialization like JSON, etc.). Exposing a WCF service with both SOAP and REST endpoints, requires just a few updates to the codebase and configuration.
Can we use WCF in .NET Core?
NET Core. Applications with WCF dependencies can be updated to use CoreWCF in-place on . NET framework, which then will work the same when updated to use .
Where is WCF used?
Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a framework for building service-oriented applications. Using WCF, you can send data as asynchronous messages from one service endpoint to another. A service endpoint can be part of a continuously available service hosted by IIS, or it can be a service hosted in an application.
How long has WCF been around?
NET Core 1.0, released 2016, did not support WCF server side code. WCF support was added to the platform with support for ....Windows Communication Foundation.Original author(s)MicrosoftInitial releaseNovember 21, 2006Stable releasev3.3.0 / February 2, 2022Repositorygithub.com/dotnet/wcfWritten inC#9 more rows
What's the difference between Grpc and WCF?
GRPC is only concerned with RPC style communication. WCF supports and promotes REST and POX style services in addition to RPC. GRPC provides support for multiple programming languages. WCF supports C# (and the other .
Features of WCF
WCF includes the following set of features. For more information, see WCF Feature Details.
WCF Integration with Other Microsoft Technologies
WCF is a flexible platform. Because of this extreme flexibility, WCF is also used in several other Microsoft products. By understanding the basics of WCF, you have an immediate advantage if you also use any of these products.
What has replaced WCF?
The Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a communication platform for the creation of distributed applications developed by Microsoft for the . NET Framework. Microsoft generally recommends two alternatives, gRPC and Web API, to replace WCF.
Can we create WCF in .NET Core?
Core WCF is a port of Windows Communication Framework (WCF) to . NET Core. Used to build service-oriented applications based on the . NET Framework, WCF enabled applications to asynchronously send data, packaged as messages, between service endpoints.
Can we use WCF in .NET Core?
To use WCF services in . NET Core, you need to create a proxy client of the required service. Proxy is actually a contract equivalent of actual service and contains complete details of the Interface and method exposed by WCF service. One can also use the Channel factory technique to connect to the WCF service easily.
Should we use WCF?
WCF is useful when building applications or services that need to communicate with each other. You can use WCF to easily build programs that communicate, whether it’s across processes, across servers, or across the world.
What is WCF and Web API?
WCF is used for developing SOAP-based services whereas Web API is used for both SOAP-based and RESTful services. … WCF supports HTTP, UDP, and custom transport protocol whereas Web API supports only HTTP protocol. WCF offers Text, MTOM, and Binary Encoding support whereas Web API supports the UTF-8 encoding format.
Is .NET Framework 4.8 the latest version?
NET Framework 4.8 is the last version of . NET Framework. . NET Framework is serviced monthly with security and reliability bug fixes. . NET Framework will continue to be included with Windows, with no plans to remove it.
Does gRPC replace WCF?
With WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) no longer being actively developed, gRPC (remote procedure call) appears to be the natural replacement when it comes to developing greenfield service applications on .
What is WCF 4.5?from docs.microsoft.com
Beginning with WCF 4.5 the WCF binary encoder adds support for compression. The type of compression is configured with the CompressionFormat property. Both the client and the service must configure the CompressionFormat property. Compression will work for HTTP, HTTPS, and TCP protocols. If a client specifies to use compression but the service does not support it a protocol exception is thrown indicating a protocol mismatch. For more information, see Choosing a Message Encoder.
Where is WCF located?from worldcocoafoundation.org
Bill Guyton became president of the newly independent organization and, in 2007, WCF, which then counted just over 60 member companies and organizations, moved its head offices to their present location in downtown Washington, D.C.
How does a WCF client work?from en.wikipedia.org
A WCF client connects to a WCF service via an endpoint. Each service exposes its contract via one or more endpoints. An endpoint has an address (which is a URL specifying where the endpoint can be accessed) and binding properties that specify how the data will be transferred.
What is WCF routing?from docs.microsoft.com
The WCF Routing Service uses content-based routing, in other words, it uses information within the message to determine where to route the message. For more information about the WCF Routing Service see Routing Service. For an example of how to use the WCF Routing Service for service versioning see How To: Service Versioning.
What is a client configuration file in Visual Studio?from docs.microsoft.com
When you add a service reference in Visual Studio or use the SvcUtil.exe tool, a client configuration file is generated . In previous versions of WCF these configuration files contained the value of every binding property even if its value is the default value. In WCF 4.5 the generated configuration files contain only those binding properties that are set to a non-default value.
When is strict versioning needed?from docs.microsoft.com
The general data contract versioning guidance when strict versioning is needed is to treat data contracts as immutable and create new ones when changes are required. A new class needs to be created for each new data contract, so a mechanism is needed to avoid having to take existing code that was written in terms of the old data contract class and rewrite it in terms of the new data contract class.
What is service contract versioning?from docs.microsoft.com
Similar to data contract versioning, service contract versioning also involves adding, changing, and removing operations.
When was WCF released?
WCF was released for the first time in 2006 as a part of the .NET framework with Windows Vista, and then got updated several times. WCF 4.5 is the most recent version that is now widely used. A WCF application consists of three components −. WCF service client.
What is WCF in Microsoft?
WCF stands for Windows Communication Foundation. The elementary feature of WCF is interoperability. It is one of the latest technologies of Microsoft that is used to build service-oriented applications. Based on the concept of message-based communication, in which an HTTP request is represented uniformly, WCF makes it possible to have ...
What is WCF metadata?
Normally, metadata for a WCF service is generated automatically when enabled, and this is done by inspection of service and its endpoints.
What is a client application that gets created for exposing the service operations in the form of methods?
A client application that gets created for exposing the service operations in the form of methods is known as a WCF client. This can be hosted by any application, even the one that does service hosting.
Does WCF require coding changes?
Implementing the security model and binding change in WCF do not require a major change in coding. Just a few configuration changes is required to meet the constraints.
What is the WCF?
The Windows Communication Foundation ( WCF ), previously known as Indigo, is a free and open-source runtime and a set of APIs in the .NET Framework for building connected, service-oriented applications.
What is WCF in NET?
The Windows Communication Foundation ( WCF ), previously known as Indigo, is a free and open-source runtime and a set of APIs in the .NET Framework for building connected, service-oriented applications.
How does a WCF client work?
A WCF client connects to a WCF service via an endpoint. Each service exposes its contract via one or more endpoints. An endpoint has an address (which is a URL specifying where the endpoint can be accessed) and binding properties that specify how the data will be transferred.
What is WCF binding?
WCF includes predefined bindings for most common communication protocols such as SOAP over HTTP, SOAP over TCP, and SOAP over Message Queues, etc. Interaction between WCF endpoint and client is done using a SOAP envelope. SOAP envelopes are in simple XML form, which makes WCF platform-independent.
What is WSDL in WCF?
Services typically have a WSDL interface (Web Services Description Language) that any WCF client can use to consume the service, regardless of which platform the service is hosted on. WCF implements many advanced Web services (WS) standards such as WS-Addressing, WS-ReliableMessaging and WS-Security.
What is the mnemonic for WCF?
The mnemonic "ABC" can be used to remember address / binding / contract. Binding specifies what communication protocols are used to access the service, whether security mechanisms are to be used, and the like. WCF includes predefined bindings for most common communication protocols such as SOAP over HTTP, SOAP over TCP, and SOAP over Message Queues, etc. Interaction between WCF endpoint and client is done using a SOAP envelope. SOAP envelopes are in simple XML form, which makes WCF platform-independent. When a client wants to access the service via an endpoint, it not only needs to know the contract, but it also has to adhere to the binding specified by the endpoint. Thus, both client and server must have compatible endpoints.
When did.NET Framework 3.5 come out?
With the release of the .NET Framework 3.5 in November 2007, Microsoft released an encoder that added support for the JSON serialization format to WCF.
What is WCF routing?from docs.microsoft.com
The WCF Routing Service uses content-based routing, in other words, it uses information within the message to determine where to route the message. For more information about the WCF Routing Service see Routing Service. For an example of how to use the WCF Routing Service for service versioning see How To: Service Versioning.
What is contract versioning?from docs.microsoft.com
Contract Versioning. Contracts used by a client do not need to be the same as the contract used by the service; they need only to be compatible. For service contracts, compatibility means new operations exposed by the service can be added but existing operations cannot be removed or changed semantically. For data contracts, compatibility means new ...
When is strict versioning needed?from docs.microsoft.com
The general data contract versioning guidance when strict versioning is needed is to treat data contracts as immutable and create new ones when changes are required. A new class needs to be created for each new data contract, so a mechanism is needed to avoid having to take existing code that was written in terms of the old data contract class and rewrite it in terms of the new data contract class.
Is a list of faults described in a service contract considered exhaustive?from docs.microsoft.com
The list of faults described in a service's contract is not considered exhaustive. At any time, an operation may return faults that are not described in its contract. Therefore changing the set of faults described in the contract is not considered breaking. For example, adding a new fault to the contract using the FaultContractAttribute or removing an existing fault from the contract.
Can headers be added to WCF?from docs.microsoft.com
Message headers can always be added, even if strict versioning is in use. The MustUnderstand flag may affect versioning. In general, the versioning model for headers in WCF is as described in the SOAP specification.
License
This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)
About the Author
Imran Abdul Ghani has more than 10 years of experience in designing/developing enterprise level applications. He is Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for .NET (MCSD.NET) since 2005. You can reach his blogging at WCF Tutorials, Web Development, SharePoint for Dummies .
Message
- This is a communication unit that comprises of several parts apart from the body. Message instances are sent as well as received for all types of communication between the client and the service.
Endpoint
- It defines the address where a message is to be sent or received. It also specifies the communication mechanism to describe how the messages will be sent along with defining the set of messages. A structure of an endpoint comprises of the following parts −
Address
- Address specifies the exact location to receive the messages and is specified as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). It is expressed as scheme://domain[:port]/[path]. Take a look at the address mentioned below − net.tcp://localhost:9000/ServiceA Here, 'net.tcp' is the scheme for the TCP protocol. The domain is 'localhost' which can be the name of a machine or a web domain, a…
Binding
- It defines the way an endpoint communicates. It comprises of some binding elements that make the infrastructure for communication. For example, a binding states the protocols used for transport like TCP, HTTP, etc., the format of message encoding, and the protocols related to security as well as reliability.
Contracts
- It is a collection of operations that specifies what functionality the endpoint exposes to the client. It generally consists of an interface name.
Hosting
- Hosting from the viewpoint of WCF refers to the WCF service hosting which can be done through many available options like self-hosting, IIS hosting, and WAS hosting.
Metadata
- This is a significant concept of WCF, as it facilitates easy interaction between a client application and a WCF service. Normally, metadata for a WCF service is generated automatically when enabled, and this is done by inspection of service and its endpoints.
WCF Client
- A client application that gets created for exposing the service operations in the form of methods is known as a WCF client. This can be hosted by any application, even the one that does service hosting.
Channel
- Channel is a medium through which a client communicates with a service. Different types of channels get stacked and are known as Channel Stacks.
Soap
- Although termed as ‘Simple Object Access Protocol’, SOAP is not a transport protocol; instead it is an XML document comprising of a header and body section.