Microsoft’s new Windows Server AppFabric gives you new tools to develop, manage and deploy composite applications, both on premises and in the cloud.

Composite applications reuse existing services and business logic to provide new and innovative functionality for end users.

You can get started today with the beta on Windows Server 2008 R2 with the AppFabric coming for Windows Azure later in 2010.

Key Points

Windows Server AppFabric is a set of integrated technologies that make it easier to build, scale and manage Web and composite applications that run on IIS.

You build composite applications using your existing skills with the .NET Framework.

AppFabric includes:

• Application Server for RESTful or SOAP-based applications, workflows, and application-level monitoring. AppFabric provides a runtime environment for composite applications built on ASP.NET, Windows Communication Foundation and Windows Workflow Foundation. It’s based upon efforts formerly code-named “Dublin”.
• Service Bus and Access Control services  to secure connect between loosely coupled services and applications, enabling them to navigate firewalls or network boundaries. With the new tools, capabilities and hosted services in AppFabric, you can easily create composite applications that allow employees to access information across the company or outside the firewall. The technology was previously called .NET Services.
• Caching capabilities to provide high-speed access, scale, and high availability to application data. This feature was previously codenamed "Velocity".

Developers also will be able to move the individual pieces of an application from being on-premises to the cloud, or from the cloud to on-premises.

Release Dates

Customers can download the beta of Windows Server AppFabric today with the final version slated for release next year. Later in 2010, Microsoft will debut a CTP of Windows Azure platform AppFabric, which will offer the same set of tools for managing and deploying applications for the cloud.

The next major release of BizTalk Server will provide platform support for Windows Workflow Foundation and take advantage of certain Windows Server AppFabric services.

About AppFabric

During a keynote address at Professional Developers Conference 2009, Bob Muglia, president of Microsoft’s Server and Tools business, unveiled Windows Server AppFabric and Windows Azure platform AppFabric, a new technology that bridges on-premises and cloud deployment and management scenarios.

The demo shown on stage took an ASP.NET application using the Web Role and without code changes the application was moved and hosted in Windows Azure. The demo also showed how the caching technology helped improve application performance by caching data used in a client application.

For more information of what is available in the beta, see Application Server Extensions for .NET 4.

Get Started

The Windows Server AppFabric landing page on MSDN provides links to:

• Product Documentation
• Architectural Overview
• Tutorials
• Collection of Virtual Labs will get you started building applications with AppFabric and related .NET Technologies.
• Microsoft AppFabric Samples
• Read the introductory whitepaper on AppFabric Service and Workflow Management.

Bruce D. Kyle
ISV Architect Evangelist | Microsoft Corporation