Getting Started with Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a robust framework for building service‑oriented applications that can communicate across platforms and networks. This guide walks you through creating your first WCF service using .NET Framework.

Prerequisites

Step 1 – Create a WCF Service Library

  1. Open Visual Studio → Create a new project.
  2. Search for WCF Service Library and click Next.
  3. Name the project CalculatorService and click Create.

Step 2 – Define the Service Contract

Add an interface that describes the operations the service will expose:

using System.ServiceModel;

namespace CalculatorService
{
    [ServiceContract]
    public interface ICalculator
    {
        [OperationContract]
        double Add(double a, double b);

        [OperationContract]
        double Subtract(double a, double b);
    }
}

Step 3 – Implement the Service

Implement the contract in a class:

namespace CalculatorService
{
    public class Calculator : ICalculator
    {
        public double Add(double a, double b) => a + b;
        public double Subtract(double a, double b) => a - b;
    }
}

Step 4 – Host the Service

For a quick start, host the service in a console application:

using System;
using System.ServiceModel;
using CalculatorService;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        using var host = new ServiceHost(typeof(Calculator));
        host.Open();
        Console.WriteLine("Calculator service is running...");
        Console.WriteLine("Press ENTER to exit");
        Console.ReadLine();
        host.Close();
    }
}

Step 5 – Configure the Endpoint

Add the following to App.config of the host project:

<configuration>
  <system.serviceModel>
    <services>
      <service name="CalculatorService.Calculator">
        <endpoint address="" binding="basicHttpBinding"
                  contract="CalculatorService.ICalculator"/>
        <host>
          <baseAddresses>
            <add baseAddress="http://localhost:8080/CalculatorService"/>
          </baseAddresses>
        </host>
      </service>
    </services>
    <behaviors>
      <serviceBehaviors>
        <behavior>
          <serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="true"/>
          <serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="false"/>
        </behavior>
      </serviceBehaviors>
    </behaviors>
  </system.serviceModel>
</configuration>

Step 6 – Test the Service

Run the console host, then navigate to http://localhost:8080/CalculatorService?wsdl to view the service metadata.

Next Steps

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