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Web Service

Service Instance Grooper.Services

Provides a base class for Grooper services that are exposed as self-hosted web services, enabling HTTP or HTTPS communication for integration and automation.

Remarks

Web Service is the foundational class for Grooper services that communicate over HTTP or HTTPS using a self-hosted web server.
It enables the creation of RESTful or SOAP-based endpoints for integration with external systems, automation tools, or custom applications.

This class manages the configuration, hosting, and lifecycle of the web service, including network binding, port assignment, URL path, and security settings. Administrators can configure these properties in the Grooper UI or via deployment scripts to control how and where the service is accessible.

Key Features

  • Self-Hosting:
    Runs a WCF-based web service directly within the Grooper service process, without requiring IIS or an external web server.
  • Flexible Network Binding:
    Allows configuration of the DNS host name or IP address, TCP port, and URL path segment for the service endpoint.
  • HTTPS Support:
    Supports SSL/TLS encryption for secure communication. Administrators can enable HTTPS and generate the required netsh command for certificate binding.
  • Debugging Controls:
    Optionally returns detailed exception information to clients for troubleshooting during development.
  • Lifecycle Management:
    Handles service startup and shutdown, including thread management and error logging.

Configuration and Usage

  1. Configure Service Properties:
    Set the Host Name, Port No, URL Path, and HTTPS Enabled properties to define where and how the service will be accessible.
  2. Certificate Binding (if using HTTPS):
    Use the Add Certificate property to generate a netsh command for binding an SSL certificate to the selected port.
    Replace YOUR_CERT_HASH/THUMBPRINT with the actual certificate thumbprint and run the command as an administrator.
  3. Start the Service:
    The service will listen for incoming HTTP or HTTPS requests at the configured endpoint.
    The Connection URL property provides the full address for client applications and integrations.
  4. Monitor and Debug:
    Use the Enable Debugging property to control whether detailed error information is returned to clients.
    Review Grooper event logs for service state changes and error messages.

Best Practices

  • Use a dedicated port and path for each web service to avoid conflicts.
  • Always enable HTTPS in production environments to protect sensitive data in transit.
  • Restrict the host name or IP address to limit exposure to only trusted networks.
  • Disable debugging in production to avoid leaking internal details.
  • Document the Connection URL and share it with integration partners or client applications.

Example Endpoint Configuration

  • Host Name: myserver.domain.com
  • Port No: 8080
  • URL Path: grooper/license
  • HTTPS Enabled: true
  • Connection URL:
    https://myserver.domain.com:8080/grooper/license

For more information on deploying and securing Grooper web services, see the Grooper system administration guide and the Service Instance documentation.

Properties

NameTypeDescription
Web Service Settings
Service Settings

Derived Types

There are 1 implementations of Web Service.

Grooper Licensing Serves runtime licenses to Grooper applications using a self-hosted web service.
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