Develop Windows service apps
Note
This article doesn't apply to hosted services in .NET. For the latest content on Windows services using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting.BackgroundService and the Worker Service template, see:
Using Visual Studio or the .NET Framework SDK, you can easily create services by creating an application that is installed as a service. This type of application is called a Windows service. With framework features, you can create services, install them, and start, stop, and otherwise control their behavior.
Note
In Visual Studio you can create a service in managed code in Visual C# or Visual Basic, which can interoperate with existing C++ code if required. Or, you can create a Windows service in native C++ by using the ATL Project Wizard.
In this section
Introduction to Windows Service Applications
Provides an overview of Windows service applications, the lifetime of a service, and how service applications differ from other common project types.
Walkthrough: Creating a Windows Service Application in the Component Designer
Provides an example of creating a service in Visual Basic and Visual C#.
Service Application Programming Architecture
Explains the language elements used in service programming.
How to: Create Windows Services
Describes the process of creating and configuring Windows services using the Windows service project template.
Related sections
ServiceBase - Describes the major features of the ServiceBase class, which is used to create services.
ServiceProcessInstaller - Describes the features of the ServiceProcessInstaller class, which is used along with the ServiceInstaller class to install and uninstall your services.
ServiceInstaller - Describes the features of the ServiceInstaller class, which is used along with the ServiceProcessInstaller class to install and uninstall your service.
Create Projects from Templates - Describes the projects types used in this chapter and how to choose between them.
