index.md

title	Developing Windows Service Applications
ms.custom
ms.date	03/30/2017
ms.prod	.net-framework
ms.reviewer
ms.suite
ms.technology	dotnet-clr
ms.tgt_pltfrm
ms.topic	article
helpviewer_keywords	ServiceInstaller class, Windows Service applications Service class, Windows Service applications Windows Service applications Windows NT services ServiceProcessInstaller class, Windows Service applications services .NET applications, Windows applications
ms.assetid	ba72d648-9553-4849-b829-069ad5ea014b
caps.latest.revision	18
author	ghogen
ms.author	ghogen
manager	douge
ms.workload	dotnet

Developing Windows Service Applications

Using Microsoft [!INCLUDEvsprvs] or the Microsoft [!INCLUDEdnprdnshort] 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.

Warning

The Windows service template for C++ was not included in Visual Studio 2010. To create a Windows service, you can either create a service in managed code in Visual C# or Visual Basic, which could 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 [!INCLUDEvbprvb] 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

xref:System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase
Describes the major features of the xref:System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase class, which is used to create services.

xref:System.ServiceProcess.ServiceProcessInstaller
Describes the features of the xref:System.ServiceProcess.ServiceProcessInstaller class, which is used along with the xref:System.ServiceProcess.ServiceInstaller class to install and uninstall your services.

xref:System.ServiceProcess.ServiceInstaller
Describes the features of the xref:System.ServiceProcess.ServiceInstaller class, which is used along with the xref:System.ServiceProcess.ServiceProcessInstaller class to install and uninstall your service.

NIB Creating Projects from Templates
Describes the projects types used in this chapter and how to choose between them.