Lightest http host for server-side C# code.

Question

I currently have a prototype web service hooked up to a single .aspx page under IIS. Calls to the server-side logic are made through an http mywebengine.aspx POST interface with common Post parameters for all server functions. No html is shipped from the web service, instead JSON data structures pass in and out on each call.

The web service does not serve any static content.

IIS seems like architectural overkill for such a simple web service and also routing all calls through an aspx page feels clumsy.

What alternative MS solutions are available to me? Should I expose a single WCF function, or hook into the IIS call handling stack at a higher level above the .aspx page processing engine with an IHttpHandler or instead handle http comms manually in code at a low level?

Azure hosting compatibility is another requirement.

Answer 1

I'd consider IHttpAsyncHandler. I happened to have just written one that covers your exact situation. Just be prepared to catch all errors and if it's an AJAX target, build some retry logic into the client. Works swell but drops an occasional request at 10K RPS.