What the difference between a Windows service and a Windows process?

Question

What is the difference between a Windows service and a Windows process?

Solution 1

A service is a true-blooded Windows process, no difference there. The only thing that's special about a service is that it is started by the operating system and runs in a separate session. An isolated one that keeps it from interfering with the desktop session. Traditionally named a daemon.

Solution 2

A service is a process without user interface. You can call service as a subset of process.

Comments

[Pacerier]

But isn't a process without UI considered a daemon too? Let's take Apache web server as an example, does running Apache as a windows service provide more "running power" than running Apache by calling bin\httpd.exe directly?

[user1703401]

Sure, Apache doesn't quit running when the user logs out.

[Pacerier]

What about running it using runas, vs running it using windows service? Is there a difference in "running power", or are they actually different ways to do an identical thing?

[user1703401]

That just changes the user account for the process, not the session that it runs in. Click the Ask Question button to ask questions please.