There are hundreds of books and websites that cover programming using the Windows API - but let me just add the disclaimer that programming using the Windows API is by no means an 'entry-level' type task! And with that, it's time to move on to Services.

Major categories of Windows API functions include Base Services, Component Services, Graphics & Multimedia, Messaging, Networking and Web Services. The API consists of thousands of documented, callable subroutines such as It provides services used by all Windows-based applications to enable applications to provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI), access system resources, incorporate audio and much more. The Windows application programming interface (API) is the programming interface to the Microsoft Windows operating system family. So, without further ado - let's start with an introduction to the Windows API. Think of this as laying the groundwork for our future posts which will cover topics such as the Registry, Session Space and Desktop Heap.

In our first post, we're going to quickly review some basic Windows concepts and terms including a brief overview of the Windows API, Services and the difference between a Process and a Thread. Today we're starting a new series of posts focused on understanding the Windows System Architecture itself.

First published on TECHNET on Apr 10, 2007

Windows 10 operating systems