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Explain the difference between in-process and out-of-process hosting.

Ravi Vishwakarma 682 16 Jun 2025

Explain the difference between in-process and out-of-process hosting.

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Updated 17 Jun 2025
Ravi Vishwakarma
Ravi Vishwakarma

IT-Hardware & Networking

Ravi Vishwakarma is a dedicated Software Developer with a passion for crafting efficient and innovative solutions. With a keen eye for detail and years of experience, he excels in developing robust software systems that meet client needs. His expertise spans across multiple programming languages and technologies, making him a valuable asset in any software development project.

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Ravi Vishwakarma
Ravi Vishwakarma 17 Jun 2025
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In ASP.NET Core, in-process and out-of-process refer to how your application is hosted and run with respect to the web server (like IIS or Kestrel). Here's a clear breakdown:

In-Process Hosting

  • The ASP.NET Core app runs inside the IIS worker process (w3wp.exe).
  • No separate process for the Kestrel server is created.
  • Better performance due to avoiding reverse proxy overhead.

Configuration:

In your .csproj file:

<AspNetCoreHostingModel>InProcess</AspNetCoreHostingModel>

Request Flow:

Browser → IIS (w3wp.exe) → ASP.NET Core Middleware

Pros:

  • Faster because there is no inter-process communication.
  • Simpler setup – everything runs in a single process.

Cons:

  • Runs only on Windows with IIS.
  • Limited to IIS features and constraints.

Out-of-Process Hosting

  • ASP.NET Core app runs in its own process (like dotnet.exe).
  • IIS (or Nginx/Apache) acts as a reverse proxy forwarding requests to the app.

Configuration:

In your .csproj file:

<AspNetCoreHostingModel>OutOfProcess</AspNetCoreHostingModel>

Request Flow:

Browser → IIS (w3wp.exe) → Kestrel (dotnet.exe) → ASP.NET Core Middleware

Pros:

  • Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows).
  • Full control over Kestrel and app lifetime.

Cons:

  • Slight performance penalty due to the proxy hop.
  • More configuration complexity (especially on Linux).

Comparison Table

Feature In-Process Out-of-Process
Process w3wp.exe (IIS worker) Separate dotnet.exe
Performance Faster Slightly slower
OS Support Windows only Cross-platform
Reverse Proxy Needed No Yes (IIS, Nginx, Apache)
Hosting Model Tag InProcess OutOfProcess

When to Use Which?

  • Use In-Process for Windows + IIS deployments where performance matters.
  • Use Out-of-Process if you:
    • Need cross-platform support
    • Want more control over the app process
    • Are using Kestrel behind a reverse proxy
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