Final answer:
WCF 4.5 introduced new features such as WebSocket support, contract-first development, and enhanced support for RESTful services.
Step-by-step explanation:
WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) 4.5 introduced several new features and improvements compared to its previous versions. Some of the key features include:
- Support for WebSockets: WCF 4.5 added support for the WebSocket protocol, which allows for real-time bidirectional communication between the client and the server. This enables efficient and scalable communication for applications that require instant updates.
- Contract-first development: WCF 4.5 introduced the ability to generate service contracts from existing WSDL (Web Services Description Language) documents. This allows developers to focus on writing code instead of spending time on defining the service contracts manually.
- Enhanced support for RESTful services: WCF 4.5 improved the support for building RESTful services by adding features like better control over URI templates, support for HTTP PATCH verb, and improved content negotiation capabilities.