components of WCF

WCF is a framework that builds applications that can inter-communicate based on service oriented architecture consuming secure and reliable web services. This also helps in Distributed computing. The WCF also brings together the various communication models into a single model.


WCF Service is composed of three components:

• Service class: It implements the service needed.
• Host environment: is an environment that hosts the developed service.
• Endpoints: are the connection points for the clients to connect to the service. Clients find the end points through three components like service contract, binding, and address. 

Difference between WCF and Web Services

WCF can create services similar in concept to ASMX, but has much more capabilities. WCF is much more efficient than ASP.Net coz it is implemented on pipeline. WCF is more secure, reliable. As WCF is implemented on a different pipeline it does not have all Http capabilities (Http session, cache etc).