Which is the best option to host a nettcp WCF service

Question

I have a nettcp service which I have to host. I have three options -

1. IIS 7

2. Windows Service

3. A console application

I would be grateful if anybody could give some valuable thoughts on which option is better vis-a-vis other one.

Answer 1

Here are some of my observations:

IIS 7:

Pros:

• Ready made hosting environment inside IIS
• Will work with pretty much any hosting environment

Cons:

• HTTP Only
• Configuration slightly more complex

WAS:

Pros:

• Ready made and familiar process model to that of IIS
• No dependency on IIS
• All protocols supported

Cons:

• Not all shared hosting environments will support non-http protocol bindings or unusual port numbers.
• Configuration slightly more complex

Windows Service:

Pros:

• Starts when windows starts
• You can start/stop the service via the service control manager
• All protocols supported

Cons:

• Some extra steps to deploy/re-deploy (installutil)
• You need some extra boilerplate code to support the service implementation
• Not ideal if you can't have access to the server to install (e.g. shared hosting)

Console Application:

Pros:

• Fast and simple to deploy for testing purposes
• All protocols supported

Cons:

• You need to be logged on to start the process
• Loss of session or machine shutdown will kill the service
• Console/RDP access required