A service endpoint can be part of a continuously available service hosted by IIS, or it can be a service hosted in an application. learn.microsoft.com Administration and Diagnostics - WCF | Microsoft Learn

Define how the client and service communicate, covering protocols (HTTP, TCP, Named Pipes, MSMQ), serialization, and security .

Control runtime functionality, such as throttling, security, and metadata publication . Key Features What Is Windows Communication Foundation - WCF

Runs the service, such as IIS, Windows Process Activation Service (WAS), or a self-hosted console/Windows app .

Defines the operations, data formats, and communication patterns. Types include Service, Data, and Message contracts .