WCF Service Hosting Options


Here I am going to explain what are the ways you can host WCF service.
We were able to host webservices only in IIS, but for WCF we have many hosting options,

1. Internet Information Services (IIS)
IIS is suited for hosting HTTP-based WCF services because it is integrated with ASMX and ASP.NET. It helps you host unattended services that start and stop with the system. Services hosted using IIS 6 can only use an HTTP protocol, but IIS 7 can be implemented with WAS to use non-HTTP protocols.

2. Windows Process Activation Services (WAS)
WAS enables services to use non-HTTP protocols, such as such as TCP, MSMQ, and named pipes. So it is suited for services that use protocols other than HTTP.

3. Self-hosting in a managed Windows service
Using a managed service helps you create a customized hosting environment, which allows the SCM to choose features. However, it requires you to write some hosting code in the service application.
4. Desktop Application
Using a desktop application enables you to implement a service that requires user interaction.
5. Console Application
Console applications provide a simplified debugging process, so they are suited for testing services.

Refer below link if you wanted to know more details on how to host,
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb332338.aspx

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