WinSW wraps and manages any application as a Windows service.
We are actively developing WinSW 3. Please refer to the v2 branch for previous version documentation.
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See the project manifest.
WinSW 3 can run on Windows platforms with .NET Framework 4.6.1 or later versions installed. For systems without .NET Framework, the project provides native 64-bit and 32-bit executables based on .NET Core.
More executables can be added upon request.
.NET Framework system requirements
Preinstalled since Windows 10, version 1511 and Windows Server 2016.
Installable since Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.
.NET 5 system requirements
Supported since Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server (Core) 2012 R2 and Nano Server, version 1809.
Latest release and pre-release WinSW binaries are available on GitHub Releases.
Alternative sources:
- CI builds are available on Azure Pipelines.
- NuGet. (2.x)
- Maven packaging for executables, hosted by the Jenkins project. Binaries are available here. (2.x)
WinSW is being managed by the XML configuration file.
Your renamed WinSW.exe binary also accepts the following commands:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| install | Installs the service. This command requires some preliminary steps described in the installation guide. |
| uninstall | Uninstalls the service. |
| start | Starts the service. |
| stop | Stops the service. |
| restart | Stops and then starts the service. |
| status | Checks the status of the service. |
| test | Checks if the service can be started and then stopped without installation. |
| refresh | Refreshes the service properties without reinstallation. |
| customize | Customizes the wrapper executable. |
| dev | Experimental commands. |
Experimental commands:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| dev ps | Draws the process tree associated with the service. |
| dev kill | Terminates the service if it has stopped responding. |
| dev list | Lists services managed by the current executable. |
Most commands require Administrator privileges to execute. WinSW will prompt for UAC in non-elevated sessions.
- Get started
- Migrate to WinSW 3.x
- Configuration:
- Use cases:
Contributions are welcome! See the contributing guidelines for more information.
WinSW is licensed under the MIT license.