Windows Communication Foundation

Introduction

WCF provides a common platform for all .NET communication between the applications.Using WCF we can develop ASMX, Remoting and COM+ Applications.It allows the developers to work distributed applications.

WCF is a runtime and contains set of API’s for creating applications that send messages between services and clients.

Messages and Endpoints

WCF based on message-based communication, we can model HTTP request or MSMQ message as Message.

Messages are sent between endpoints. Endpoints are places where where messages are sent or received. WCF programming model consist of clients and services. Clients are applications that initiate communication and services which are applications that wait for clients to communicate with them and respond to that communication.

Single application act as both a client and a service.

An endpoint defines where messages should be sent, how they should be sent and what the messages should look like. A service can expose this information as metadata to clients.

Protocols

Messages can be sent over intranets and Internet using HTTP and TCP.

WCF provides the following encodings: 

• Text encoding
• Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism(MTOM) encoding
• Binary encoding

Message patterns

supports message patterns including

• request-reply
• one-way
• duplex

WCF terms article can refereed for more information on WCF.