Before you start reading the Windows Communication Foundation’s feature, the basic question that strikes common people’s minds is what is wcf web service? wcf is the short form of
Windows Communication Foundation; it is a framework that is commonly used in creating service-oriented applications or, in simple words preparing the applications that offer services to the final users.
The main purpose of using these applications is to transfer the data from one place to another, or it can be like from one service endpoint to another. The message that you send via this service application can be a single word message or anything significant that is sent through an XML file. Some of the sample scenarios of using a service application may include:-
- It should be secure to perform all the transactions that are related to the business.
- This application should provide the service of exchanging data from one person to another in real-time.
- They should process different types of data and present them in a logical way.
Features of Windows Communication Foundation
Here are the features that a common user will get when they start using WCF:
Service orientation
The definition of WCF explains about the core feature of using WCF, which is providing service-oriented applications. Service-oriented architecture refers to the dependency of the user to send and receive data. The advantage of using a service-oriented application is that they are loosely-coupled and are not hard coded.
Multiple patterns of messages
Have you ever thought of the fact that the message that you send in your day to day life can be of multiple types? You can highly relate that point with the mails that you get from your various resources. The different types of messaging patterns are:
- Request/ reply pattern: the request-reply pattern is the most common type of pattern that is used in the messaging. It is the situation when data is requested from one point and is replied to from the other.
- One-way pattern: under this pattern, it is the condition when you send the message without expecting any type of reply from the receiver. That means a single endpoint sends a message.
- Duplex exchange pattern: it is one of the more complex patterns where both the endpoints create a network and send and receive the messages.
Metadata service
Metadata refers to all those data that describes the information about the other data. It is basically termed as the data about the pre-existing data. Windows Communication Foundation clearly supports the publishing metadata by the use of formats and specified languages such as WSDL, XML, and WS-Policy. Such service is used to generate the prefix and configure clients automatically in order to access WCF services. A person can publish metadata by using web services that help in data exchanging.
Data Contracts
In order to get the contracts that you want to enforce, it is better that you use the WCF Data contract feature. The framework on which WCF is built is of the .NET framework; this framework also includes methods that are code friendly and hence can help you out in supplying the contracts. Windows Communication foundation will help you to comprehense the data in the easy manner.
Security
Security is the main thing that all the users need importantly to have in their life; whether you want to send a one word message, or you want to send something highly confidential on both the ends, a high level of security is extremely important. When you use the WCF service, your messages that you send are encrypted in such a way that your data becomes highly protected. Security is implemented using qualified standards that can be SSL or WS- Secure Conversation.
Multiple transports and encoding
Several built-in transport protocols can be used in sending the messages. Hypertext transfer protocol helps in sending the messages that are encoded with SOAP. WCF also helps you to transfer the data that is coded in binary format; binary data is transferred usually by using the MTOM standard. There can be chances when none of the pre-existing transport encodings suits the purpose of the users; in that case, the user themselves can create a custom transport or encoding system.
Conclusion
By now, the user is much more clear with the fact that what is wcf web service and what are the features that windows communication foundation. So, next time you start using a service application, keep in mind that how that application is made by using WCF.
