Smart cards often are used in conjunction with security and personal privacy. Wherever possible, the Smart Card Resource Manager uses the security mechanisms that exist within the underlying operating system (OS) when accessing a reader or smart card. The Smart Card Resource Manager manages access to readers and smart cards. It identifies and tracks resources, allocates readers and resources across multiple applications, and supports transaction primitives for accessing services that are available on a specified smart card.

The resource manager can be accessed either directly through the Smart Card Resource Manager API or indirectly through any service provider. The Smart Card Resource Manager API is a set of functions that provide direct access to the services of the resource manager. To access the Smart Card Resource Manager API, application developers need to link to winscard.lib and include the winscard.h header file.

The following sections provide an overview of the Smart Card Resource Manager functions.