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Kestrel

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Kestrel vs WCF: What are the differences?

Introduction

When considering web development technologies, it's essential to understand the key differences between Kestrel and WCF.

  1. Protocol Support: Kestrel is an open-source web server developed by the ASP.NET Core team, and it supports HTTP/2 and HTTPS by default. On the other hand, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a framework for building service-oriented applications, primarily supporting SOAP-based protocols.

  2. Cross-Platform Compatibility: Kestrel is designed to run on multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, making it a more versatile option for developers looking to deploy their applications on a variety of operating systems. In contrast, WCF is primarily targeted towards Windows environments, limiting its cross-platform compatibility.

  3. Hosting Model: Kestrel is a lightweight, standalone web server that can be used in combination with other servers like IIS or Nginx for additional features such as load balancing and reverse proxying. On the other hand, WCF relies on the Windows Process Activation Service (WAS) for hosting, which may introduce additional overhead and complexities in the deployment process.

Summary

In summary, Kestrel offers protocol support, cross-platform compatibility, and a lightweight hosting model compared to WCF, making it a more modern and versatile choice for web development projects.

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    What is Kestrel?

    Kestrel is based on Blaine Cook's "starling" simple, distributed message queue, with added features and bulletproofing, as well as the scalability offered by actors and the JVM.

    What is WCF?

    It is a framework for building service-oriented applications. Using this, you can send data as asynchronous messages from one service endpoint to another. A service endpoint can be part of a continuously available service hosted by IIS, or it can be a service hosted in an application.

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    What are some alternatives to Kestrel and WCF?
    NGINX
    nginx [engine x] is an HTTP and reverse proxy server, as well as a mail proxy server, written by Igor Sysoev. According to Netcraft nginx served or proxied 30.46% of the top million busiest sites in Jan 2018.
    Falcon
    Falcon is a minimalist WSGI library for building speedy web APIs and app backends. We like to think of Falcon as the Dieter Rams of web frameworks.
    Mantis
    It is a free web-based bug tracking system. It provides a delicate balance between simplicity and power. Users are able to get started in minutes and start managing their projects while collaborating with their teammates and clients effectively.
    Owin
    It is a standard for an interface between .NET Web applications and Web servers. It is a community-owned open-source project.
    Kafka
    Kafka is a distributed, partitioned, replicated commit log service. It provides the functionality of a messaging system, but with a unique design.
    See all alternatives