Differences between WCF and Web Services
| Features | web service | WCF |
| Hosting | Can only be hosted in IIS | Can be hosted in IIS, WAS service, Windows service and self-starting hosted service |
| Programming | Class plus WebService attribute | Class plus ServiceContraact property |
| Model | Method plus WebMethod exposed to client | method plus OperationContract |
| Operation | One-way, request-response | One-way, request-response, duplex |
| XML | System.Xml.Serialization namespace serialization | System.Runtime.Serialization namespace serialization |
| Encoding | XML1.0,MTOM,DIME, Custom | XML1.0,MTOM,Binary,Custom |
| Transports | Transmission via HTTP, TCP, Custom | Transport via HTTP, TCP, Named pipes, MSMQ, P2P, Custom |
| Protocols | Security | Security, Reliable messaging, Transactions |