# winsw/winsw

A wrapper executable that can run any executable as a Windows service, in a permissive license.

Repository: https://github.com/winsw/winsw
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/winsw
Language: C#
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: windows-service, windows-service-wrapper, nuget, dotnet, csharp, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-07-30T05:22:21+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 66/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 95, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 6055, "days_push": 34, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 14254, forks 1693 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:06.621743+00:00)

## What it is
WinSW is a wrapper executable that runs any executable as a Windows service, with configuration via XML and permissive MIT licensing. It supports .NET Framework and self-contained .NET builds for modern Windows systems.

## Use cases
- run a jar or exe as a windows service
- wrap node app as windows service
- install custom executable as windows service
- auto-restart application on windows boot
- manage long-running process as a service without writing service code

## When to choose
- you need to run any arbitrary executable as a Windows service
- you want a permissive MIT license instead of GPL alternatives
- you need XML-based configuration for service startup, logging, and failure handling

## When to avoid
- you are targeting Linux systemd or macOS launchd services
- you need a GUI tool to manage services
- your executable already natively implements the Windows Service API

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: developer-tools, deployment, configuration-management
- domain: windows, developer-tools
- platform: windows, dotnet, cli
- tags: windows-service-wrapper, service-management, winsw, nuget, devops, automation

## Member repositories
- winsw/winsw (main) score 66

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:06.621743+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:12:41.772467+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/winsw/winsw (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:06.621743+00:00, sha 8e8841003e11)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.