Does a WCF application using IIS require any additional installation for the customer?

Question

Going to work on a WCF application that will communicate with an apache server (that we host), as well as sharepoint (customer hosted). The WCF application will also be deployed on the customers side.

My question is if this will require the customer to install something (IIS?) before it will work for them? Of course we would prefer that they wouldn't have to.

Answer 1

IIS is not the only way to host a WCF service - you can also self-host it in another .NET app or via a Windows service.

If you use, for example, a console app to host your service, the only thing required on the customer's box is the appropriate .NET runtime (the same one that the WCF service is built in).

Take a look at Hosting Services for more information.