Understanding WCF

This article provides an insight to Windows Communication Foundation (WCF).

It shall also explain the new features for WCF in .NET Framework 3.5. Windows Communication Foundation is a critical component of .NET Framework 3.0. WCF provides a service-oriented programming model. This also integrated with tools to build connected applications and run-time engine. WCF has unified and extended the functionality of the technologies that exist within Microsoft and has helped to connect them in a single programming model that is independent.

WCF applications are also using open protocols and standards that can inter operate within the existing non Microsoft and Microsoft technologies.  WCF models have also helped in communication network which consists of exchanging of the messages between a service and the client.

This shows that when a client sends a message it travels through multiple layers of software and these layers perform some operation on the message before it is actually transported to the network across the server. At the server, the message travels between multiple layers of software before it actually goes to the service. These layers of multiple natures are known as communication stack. Each layer follows a set of one or more standards or protocols. This will specify the end result of the operation at the message of that layer.

In WCF, the communication stack can also be represented as a binding. A binding normally consists of a group of binding elements. Each element represents a layer in the stack.

The implementation of this binding element is called as a channel. During run time, WCF combines the stack of channels that is specified by the binding. When data is sent, WCF then translates the data into a specific message. This specific message passes through the stack of channels. The message is sent in accordance with the protocol. The main concept behind WCF is the service implemented by .NET.

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