What Is a Windows Service?

A Windows Service is a computer program that runs in the background. These programs manage a wide variety of tasks such as network connections, speaker sound, data backups and user credentials. They operate without interference from other applications and often continue to run after a user logs off. Services can be written by end users or software developers using Visual Studio. They are also referred to as daemons and perform the same function on Linux systems.

Unlike regular software that is manually launched by an end user from the Start Menu, a Windows Service will start when the operating system boots up. Moreover, it can run continuously or only until the operating system is shut down. Hence, the term “Service”.

Services can be started and stopped using the Services Control Manager or by a coded interface. The controls and rules for these are defined in the Service Control Manager and must be adhered to by any program that wishes to use this feature. This allows the developer to create services that meet specific operating system functionality and can be controlled with minimal interaction by the end user.

In addition to the standard options of Start and Stop, some Windows Services include Pause and Resume options. These options are useful for debugging and troubleshooting purposes. In addition, the Startup Type for a particular Windows Service can be changed. This option lets the developer choose whether the service will start automatically, start at boot time with a delay, be manually started or never start.

The Startup Type for a service should be carefully considered when developing a custom Windows Service. This is because the.NET Framework does not support the ability of a managed Windows Service to interact with interactive stations (the logged-on user). This means that a Windows Service that needs to interact with a station or desktop must utilize unmanaged APIs in order to be compatible with Microsoft Windows systems.

Generally speaking, it is best to design a Windows Service that does not need to interact with any desktop or station objects. This will help minimize potential security risks and increase system stability. However, if a Windows Service does need to interact with either of these, it should be done so in a manner that is secure and complies with the Microsoft Security Guide for Applications.

For example, if a Windows Service is designed to work with USB drives, it could use the USB Device Enumerator Service and employ a dozen triggers to prevent unauthorized access to the drive’s contents. In addition, a security-oriented Windows Service that is designed to detect and respond to attacks might want to use the Network Monitor service to intercept potentially harmful network traffic. These and other examples illustrate the importance of carefully assessing a Windows Service’s need to interact with stations or desktops. This is particularly true when writing a Windows Service that needs to be used in a security-critical environment.

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