A service is a server-resident unit of functionality that clients can invoke. A service might be an entire application or used as part of a larger application. There are several types of services: flow services (including web service connectors), adapter services, Java services, and C/C++ services.

You can create all flow services using Software AG Designer. You can create database flow services from the Integration Server Administrator as well. You can also use Designer to create adapter services, Java services, or use your own development environment to create Java and C/C++ services. For more information about the types of services and how to create them, see webMethods Service Development Help.

You can designate one or more services in a package as a startup, shutdown, or replication service. A startup service is a service that the server automatically executes when a package is loaded. A shutdown service is a service that the server automatically executes when a package is unloaded. A replication service is a service that the server automatically executes when a package is replicated.

To improve the performance of services, you can have the server cache the service results. Then, when the server receives subsequent requests for the service, it returns the cached results rather than executing the service. For more information, see Caching Service Results.

You can use the scheduling function of Integration Server to schedule services to execute at times you specify. For more information on scheduling services, see Scheduling Services.