Processes
In general terms a processes is an operating system construct used to run programs. A process can own resources like memory and kernel objects and often a single process can have multiple threads running inside it which in turn execute the code. Where multiple threads are used code can execute concurrently. It is the operating system that takes the responsibility to protect processes from interfering with each other.Application domains
The .Net framework and the CLR introduced a new concept above standard operating system processes: the application domain. An application domain forms an isolation boundary for security, versioning, reliability, and unloading of managed code. Each application domain has its own virtual address space which scopes the resources for the application domain. In effect an application domain is the CLR equivalent of an operation system process and is used to isolate one application from another.A CLR application domain is itself contained within an operating system process and a process may contain many application domains. In effect the CLR functions like an operating system within an operating system; it runs in a single process but contains multiple sub-processes (application domains).
MSDN documentation states:
“Operating systems and runtime environments typically provide some form of isolation between applications. For example, Windows uses processes to isolate applications. This isolation is necessary to ensure that code running in one application cannot adversely affect other, unrelated applications.Some features of application domains are:
Application domains provide an isolation boundary for security, reliability, and versioning, and for unloading assemblies. Application domains are typically created by runtime hosts, which are responsible for bootstrapping the common language runtime before an application is run.” *
- Multiple threads can run in a single application domain
- Security access levels can be applied to application domains individually
- Faults or exceptions in one domain do not affect another domain or the entire process that hosts the domains
- Configuration is scoped to the application domain and not the scope of the host process
- Code running in one domain cannot directly access code running in another
- Stopping an application in one application domain does not affect the state of another domain in the same process
“Application domains provide a more secure and versatile unit of processing that the common language runtime can use to provide isolation between applications. You can run several application domains in a single process with the same level of isolation that would exist in separate processes, but without incurring the additional overhead of making cross-process calls or switching between processes. The ability to run multiple applications within a single process dramatically increases server scalability.” *
A quick note on worker processes and application pools
An Internet Information Services (IIS) worker process is a windows process (w3wp.exe) which runs web applications, and is responsible for handling requests sent to a web server for a specific application pool (see below). Each worker process hosts its own CLR.An Internet Information Services (IIS) application pool is a grouping of URLs that are routed to one or more worker processes. Application pools provide a way to administer a set of web sites and applications and their corresponding worker processes. Worker processes are separated by process boundaries so a web site or application in one application pool will not be affected by problems in other application pools. Application pools increase the reliability and manageability of a web infrastructure.