Windows Service versus API

Can anyone tell me the difference between a Windows Serv开发者_如何学Cice and API?

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That's a very odd question which leads me to suspect its not actually the one you want to ask...

API is Application Progammer Interface or thereabouts - as generically as possible, its a means for a developer to interface with something by means of software (the something could be another application e.g. Word, or a Web Service or the operating system or a bit of hardware).

A Windows Service is an application that runs in a particular manner on the Windows OS - very roughly - an application without an explicit UI running "in the background" launched when the OS launches (usually, but not necessarily) and independent of logged on users.

So you're comparing a particular type of application with a means of communicating between/with applications?