This question already has an answer here:
- Service vs IntentService 10 answers
What is the difference between Service
and an IntentService
in Android?
What is the difference between AsyncTask
and an IntentService
in Android?
This question already has an answer here:
What is the difference between Service
and an IntentService
in Android?
What is the difference between AsyncTask
and an IntentService
in Android?
1. Difference between Service and IntentService
Service: It is the base class for the Android services, that you can extend for creating any service. Since the service run inside the UI thread, it requires that you create a working thread for executing its work.
IntentService: it is a subclass of Service
, that simplifies your work. It works already in a working thread, and can receive asynchronous requests. So, you don't need to create it manually, or to worry about synchronization. You can simply extend it and override the method:
onHandleIntent(Intent intent)
where you can manage all the incoming requests.
Taking a look at the documentation, you can see in details what the IntentService
do for you:
onStartCommand()
separate from your application's main thread.onHandleIntent()
implementation, so you never have to worry about multi-threading.stopSelf()
.onBind()
that returns null.onStartCommand()
that sends the intent to the work queue and then to your onHandleIntent()
implementation.So, if you need more control you can use the Service
class, but often for a simple service the best solution is the IntentService
.
2. Difference between AsyncTask and Service
They are two different concepts.
Service: can be intended as an Activity with no interface. It is suitable for long-running operations.
AsyncTask: is a particular class that wraps a working thread (performing background operations), facilitating the interaction with the UI Thread, without managing threads or handlers directly.
In short, a Service is a broader implementation for the developer to set up background operations, while an IntentService is useful for "fire and forget" operations, taking care of background Thread creation and cleanup.
From the docs:
Service A Service is an application component representing either an application's desire to perform a longer-running operation while not interacting with the user or to supply functionality for other applications to use.
IntentService IntentService is a base class for Services that handle asynchronous requests (expressed as Intents) on demand. Clients send requests through startService(Intent) calls; the service is started as needed, handles each Intent in turn using a worker thread, and stops itself when it runs out of work.
Service vs IntentService
What is the difference between an IntentService and a Service?