Is there a .NET analogue for Java app servers?

Question

Are there any what in the Java community would be called "application servers" for .NET? Similar to Tomcat, Resin, and Jetty. I'm not interested in a JSP equivalent, I'm looking for a servlet-based technology for XML/HTTP transaction processing (no UI).

If there is not a product like this, what would a good stack be to emulate this?

Microsoft appears to have dodged this by saying that Window Server + .NET + IIS + your code = app server, but it seems there is a lot of plumbing code that has to be written in order to get to an equivalent place as say Tomcat.

Answer 1

Dublin will be what you’re looking for, I guess.

Answer 2

I think you are looking for Http Handlers. You can handle the request at a low level without an aspx page. MSDN Reference

Answer 3

WCF or web services (ASMX) both seem like good candidates for what you want. WCF is probably more appropriate if you don't want to go the full SOAP route. You can host WCF in IIS, a console app, or a windows service. Depending on what you need it can use SOAP, simple XML, or even Json for encodings. As for transports you can use HTTP, IP, or Message Queues.

Answer 4

Since Microsoft enteprise applications are not targeted to run on any platform like Java, there is less of a need for a .NET equivalent to the Java app server like WebLogic or WebSphere. Many of the technologies provided by the Java app server are provided by either the Windows operating system or the .NET core library. You can draw direct comparisons between individual technologies such as JMS vs. MSMQ, but less so in the overall architecture.

Answer 5

I'm not interested in a JSP equivalent, I'm looking for a servlet-based technology for XML/HTTP transaction processing (no UI).

Sounds like what I do all the time. I use WCF for communication and host the program as a Windows Service. Windows Services have lots of nice things like remote monitoring and the ability to automatically restart in the unlikely event it crashes.