Using ASP.NET Web Services

Visual Web Developer

Web services are components on a Web server that a client application can call by making HTTP requests across the Web. ASP.NET enables you to create custom Web services or to use built-in application services, and to call these services from any client application. We suggest the following progression of documentation to help you navigate through the related topics.

Getting started	Introduction to Programming Web Services in Managed Code Describes the XML Web services programming model in managed code. XML Web Services Using ASP.NET Provides links to information about how to create XML Web services in ASP.NET, and about how they work. Creating WCF Services for ASP.NET AJAX Describes Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services that are hosted as ASP.NET compatible services. Web References in Visual Studio Provides information about how to reference Web services in Visual Studio projects and about the proxy classes that represent a Web service.
Creating and using Web services	Walkthrough: Creating and Using an ASP.NET Web Service in Visual Web Developer Provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to create an ASP.NET Web service and how to call it. How to: Add and Remove Web References Describes how to use tools in Visual Studio to create a proxy class for a Web service. How to: Call a Web Service Describes how to call Web service methods.
Creating and using Web services in AJAX	Using Web Services in ASP.NET AJAX Describes ASP.NET Web services, which are ASP.NET and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) custom services that are called from client script that runs in AJAX-enabled ASP.NET Web pages. Walkthrough: Creating and Using AJAX-Enabled Web Service Shows how to create an AJAX-enabled Web service in Visual Studio and how to create a Web page that calls the Web service by using client script. Exposing Web Services to Client Script Shows how to make a Web service available to client script that runs in the browser. Exposing WCF Services to Client Script Shows how to make a WCF service available to client script that runs in the browser. Calling Web Services from Client Script Shows how to use AJAX functionality in ASP.NET to call a Web service from client script that runs in the browser.
Using application services in AJAX	Using Forms Authentication with ASP.NET AJAX Shows how to call the application authentication service from client script that runs in the browser. Using Roles Information with ASP.NET AJAX Shows how to call the application role service from client script that runs in the browser. Using Profile Information with ASP.NET AJAX Shows how to call the application profile service from client script that runs in the browser.
Using application services as WCF services	ASP.NET Application Services Overview Describes ASP.NET and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) application services, which provide a consistent way to provide authentication, roles, and profile properties to any client in order to build service-oriented applications. How to: Enable the WCF Authentication Service. Shows how to use the application authentication service as a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service. How to: Enable the WCF Role Service. Shows how to use the application role service as a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service. How to: Enable the WCF Profile Service. Shows how to use the application profile service as a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service. Walkthrough: Using ASP.NET Application Services. Shows how to use the application services in a Windows application.

Concepts

Web Services in ASP.NET AJAX