System Services
This section contains the reference for the system APIs and services offered by Windows for desktop apps. These include the traditionally available services for:
- The Component Object Model (COM).
- File compression.
- Dynamic-link libraries.
- Memory management.
- Power management.
- Secure Enclaves (Trusted Execution).
- The creation and coordination of multiple threads of execution.
- The development of service applications.
- Windows messaging.
- Obtaining Windows system information.
- The Help API.
In this section
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| COM | COM is a platform-independent, distributed, object-oriented system for creating binary software components that can interact. COM is the foundation technology for Microsoft's OLE (compound documents) and ActiveX (Internet-enabled components) technologies. |
| COM+ | COM+ is an evolution of Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) and Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS). COM+ builds on and extends applications written using COM, MTS, and other COM-based technologies. COM+ handles many of the resource management tasks that you previously had to program yourself, such as thread allocation and security. COM+ also makes your applications more scalable by providing thread pooling, object pooling, and just-in-time object activation. COM+ also helps protect the integrity of your data by providing transaction support, even if a transaction spans multiple databases over a network. |
| Activity Coordinator | The Activity Coordinator API coordinates execution of deferrable tasks on a system. Deferrable tasks are those tasks which don’t need to be run immediately. They can defer their execution to a time when the system is in a desired state where running the task does not interfere with other ongoing work. |
| Compression API | The Compression API exposes the Windows MSZIP, XPRESS, XPRESS_HUFF, and LZMS compression algorithms. This enables developers of Windows applications to manage versions, service, and extend the exposed compression algorithms. |
| Distributed Transaction Coordinator | Guide and reference documentation for system administrators and developers using the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC). |
| Microsoft.Dtc.PowerShell.Diagnostics | Provides information about the PowerShell cmdlets provided with Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) for diagnostics. |
| Microsoft.MsDtcManagement.Commands | Provides information about the PowerShell cmdlets provided with Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) for management. |
| Dynamic Link Libraries | How to create and manage DLLs. |
| Help API | The Help API allows the opening of help catalogs and the retrieval of help content items. |
| Interprocess Communications | How to use mailslots and pipes. |
| Kernel Transaction Manager | How to use transacted file and registry operations, or define transactions for other resources. |
| Memory Management | Core memory management services. |
| MultiPoint Services | Server role that allows multiple users to simultaneously use the same computer, such as in a classroom environment. |
| Operation Recorder | Operation Recorder enables applications to speed up operations that repeatedly access the same file data by exposing the Windows prefetching mechanism as a public interface. |
| Power Management | Core power management services. |
| Processes and Threads | How to create and manage processes and threads. |
| Remote Desktop Services | How to programmatically interact with Remote Desktop Services. |
| Secure Enclaves | Secure enclaves are used to create trusted execution environments. |
| Services | How to create and manage services. |
| Synchronization | How to coordinate multiple threads of execution. |
| Windows Desktop Sharing | Windows Desktop Sharing is a multiple-party screen-sharing technology. Key scenarios include remote assistance, real-time collaboration and conferencing, and video communication. |
| Windows Notification Framework | Documents the functions (and function callback prototypes) used to detect and possibly repair an application after a setup or migration has occurred. |
| Windows Subsystem for Linux | Reference information for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) programming interfaces. |
| Windows System Information | How to programmatically access the registry and key system configuration and version information. |