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Asked: 2026-06-12T17:54:37+00:00

I need to implement simple file watcher utility. I have decided to implement this

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I need to implement simple file watcher utility. I have decided to implement this in a simple windows service which will internally use FileSystemWatcher. The purpose is to monitor given directory path (or ftp) and copy the file to some other server wherever new file comes in after checking some predefined logic

As I am using .net 3.5; client suggested me to use WCF. I have very less experience in WCF.

I am not sure how I can create WCF service which will function like WindowsService and can be deployed in services on windows server.

To be a futuristic is it a good idea to create WCF service instead of windows service, or I should insist on window service.

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  1. Editorial Team

    Windows Service != WCF

    You can’t create a WCF service that acts functions like a windows service. A WCF service waits for messages from third parties and acts on them, a windows service is a process that is always running in the background. WCF tries to solve the problem of separating out the communication mechanism (transport protocols such as Tcp, Http, Named Pipe, etc) from the service interfaces.

    File Watcher Utility

    While in theory it’s possible to create a new Flat-File binding in WCF that “could” have it’s address set to a file system location, one does not exist directly in the .NET framework. Looking at the Custom Bindings article on MSDN it’s not immediately obvious to me how one would construct a File System binding. These are the defined transport options available:

    1. TCP
    2. HTTP
    3. HTTPS
    4. Named Pipes (IPC)
    5. Peer-to-Peer (P2P)
    6. Message Queueing (MSMQ)
    7. Custom

    If communication must be done through file drops, then WCF does not solve your problem.

    Where WCF Might Work

    What the client might have meant is to create a WCF endpoint that does the copy the file to some other server wherever new file comes in after checking some predefined logic, but you would still want to have a windows service with a FileWatcher monitoring the input directory.

    If you have multiple clients that need to be able to perform that same logic and then send the output to that other server then it might make sense to make the WCF service, otherwise it’s over-engineered at this point.

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