In this chapter, we looked at the WCF Web programming model and support for the HTTP protocol, including the REST architecture pattern. You learned about using the GET verb for data retrieval and its architectural advantages for using client-side data caching with the Last-Modified HTTP header. We also looked at WebInvoke support for HTTP verbs specifying actions. Finally, we looked at alternative Web service technologies that target the AJAX client using ASP.NET 2.0 technologies.

In the next chapter, I’ll introduce Microsoft’s ASP.NET AJAX client-side JavaScript runtime, and then we’ll start building components and controls for AJAX applications in the following chapters, all using the service techniques we’ve covered in this chapter.