Services

Service Architecture

Wails services provide a structured way to organise application logic with modular, self-contained components. Services are lifecycle-aware with startup and shutdown hooks, automatically bound to the frontend, dependency-injectable, and fully testable in isolation.

Quick Start

type GreetService struct {
    prefix string
}

func NewGreetService(prefix string) *GreetService {
    return &GreetService{prefix: prefix}
}

func (g *GreetService) Greet(name string) string {
    return g.prefix + name + "!"
}

// Register
app := application.New(application.Options{
    Services: []application.Service{
        application.NewService(NewGreetService("Hello, ")),
    },
})

That’s it! Greet is now callable from JavaScript:

import { Greet } from './bindings/changeme/GreetService';

const message = await Greet("World");
console.log(message);  // "Hello, World!"

Creating Services

Basic Service

type CalculatorService struct{}

func (c *CalculatorService) Add(a, b int) int {
    return a + b
}

func (c *CalculatorService) Subtract(a, b int) int {
    return a - b
}

Register:

app := application.New(application.Options{
    Services: []application.Service{
        application.NewService(&CalculatorService{}),
    },
})

Key points:

Only exported methods (PascalCase) are bound
Services are singletons (one instance)
Methods can return (value, error)

Service with State

type CounterService struct {
    count int
    mu    sync.RWMutex
}

func (c *CounterService) Increment() int {
    c.mu.Lock()
    defer c.mu.Unlock()
    c.count++
    return c.count
}

func (c *CounterService) GetCount() int {
    c.mu.RLock()
    defer c.mu.RUnlock()
    return c.count
}

func (c *CounterService) Reset() {
    c.mu.Lock()
    defer c.mu.Unlock()
    c.count = 0
}

Important: Services are shared across all windows. Always use mutexes for thread safety.

Service with Dependencies

type UserService struct {
    db     *sql.DB
    logger *slog.Logger
}

func NewUserService(db *sql.DB, logger *slog.Logger) *UserService {
    return &UserService{
        db:     db,
        logger: logger,
    }
}

func (u *UserService) GetUser(id int) (*User, error) {
    u.logger.Info("Getting user", "id", id)
    
    var user User
    err := u.db.QueryRow("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?", id).Scan(&user)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get user: %w", err)
    }
    
    return &user, nil
}

Register with dependencies:

db, _ := sql.Open("sqlite3", "app.db")
logger := slog.Default()

app := application.New(application.Options{
    Services: []application.Service{
        application.NewService(NewUserService(db, logger)),
    },
})

Service Lifecycle

ServiceStartup

Called when application starts:

func (u *UserService) ServiceStartup(ctx context.Context, options application.ServiceOptions) error {
    u.logger.Info("UserService starting up")
    
    // Initialise resources
    if err := u.db.Ping(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("database not available: %w", err)
    }
    
    // Run migrations
    if err := u.runMigrations(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("migrations failed: %w", err)
    }
    
    // Start background tasks
    go u.backgroundSync(ctx)
    
    return nil
}

Use cases:

Initialise resources
Validate configuration
Run migrations
Start background tasks
Connect to external services

Important:

Services start in registration order
Return error to prevent app startup
Use ctx for cancellation

ServiceShutdown

Called when application shuts down:

func (u *UserService) ServiceShutdown() error {
    u.logger.Info("UserService shutting down")
    
    // Close database
    if err := u.db.Close(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to close database: %w", err)
    }
    
    // Cleanup resources
    u.cleanup()
    
    return nil
}

Use cases:

Close connections
Save state
Cleanup resources
Flush buffers
Cancel background tasks

Important:

Services shutdown in reverse order
Application context already cancelled
Return error to log warning (doesn’t prevent shutdown)

Complete Lifecycle Example

type DatabaseService struct {
    db     *sql.DB
    logger *slog.Logger
    cancel context.CancelFunc
}

func NewDatabaseService(logger *slog.Logger) *DatabaseService {
    return &DatabaseService{logger: logger}
}

func (d *DatabaseService) ServiceStartup(ctx context.Context, options application.ServiceOptions) error {
    d.logger.Info("Starting database service")
    
    // Open database
    db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", "app.db")
    if err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to open database: %w", err)
    }
    d.db = db
    
    // Test connection
    if err := db.Ping(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("database not available: %w", err)
    }
    
    // Start background cleanup
    ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
    d.cancel = cancel
    go d.periodicCleanup(ctx)
    
    return nil
}

func (d *DatabaseService) ServiceShutdown() error {
    d.logger.Info("Shutting down database service")
    
    // Cancel background tasks
    if d.cancel != nil {
        d.cancel()
    }
    
    // Close database
    if d.db != nil {
        if err := d.db.Close(); err != nil {
            return fmt.Errorf("failed to close database: %w", err)
        }
    }
    
    return nil
}

func (d *DatabaseService) periodicCleanup(ctx context.Context) {
    ticker := time.NewTicker(1 * time.Hour)
    defer ticker.Stop()
    
    for {
        select {
        case <-ctx.Done():
            return
        case <-ticker.C:
            d.cleanup()
        }
    }
}

Service Options

Custom Name

app := application.New(application.Options{
    Services: []application.Service{
        application.NewServiceWithOptions(&MyService{}, application.ServiceOptions{
            Name: "CustomServiceName",
        }),
    },
})

Use cases:

Multiple instances of same service type
Clearer logging
Better debugging

HTTP Routes

Services can handle HTTP requests:

type FileService struct {
    root string
}

func (f *FileService) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    // Serve files from root directory
    http.FileServer(http.Dir(f.root)).ServeHTTP(w, r)
}

// Register with route
app := application.New(application.Options{
    Services: []application.Service{
        application.NewServiceWithOptions(&FileService{root: "./files"}, application.ServiceOptions{
            Route: "/files",
        }),
    },
})

Access: http://wails.localhost/files/...

Use cases:

File serving
Custom APIs
WebSocket endpoints
Media streaming

Service Patterns

Repository Pattern

type UserRepository struct {
    db *sql.DB
}

func (r *UserRepository) GetByID(id int) (*User, error) {
    // Database query
}

func (r *UserRepository) Create(user *User) error {
    // Insert user
}

func (r *UserRepository) Update(user *User) error {
    // Update user
}

func (r *UserRepository) Delete(id int) error {
    // Delete user
}

Service Layer Pattern

type UserService struct {
    repo   *UserRepository
    logger *slog.Logger
}

func (s *UserService) RegisterUser(email, password string) (*User, error) {
    // Validate
    if !isValidEmail(email) {
        return nil, errors.New("invalid email")
    }
    
    // Hash password
    hash, err := bcrypt.GenerateFromPassword([]byte(password), bcrypt.DefaultCost)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    // Create user
    user := &User{
        Email:        email,
        PasswordHash: string(hash),
        CreatedAt:    time.Now(),
    }
    
    if err := s.repo.Create(user); err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    s.logger.Info("User registered", "email", email)
    return user, nil
}

Factory Pattern

type ServiceFactory struct {
    db     *sql.DB
    logger *slog.Logger
}

func (f *ServiceFactory) CreateUserService() *UserService {
    return &UserService{
        repo:   &UserRepository{db: f.db},
        logger: f.logger,
    }
}

func (f *ServiceFactory) CreateOrderService() *OrderService {
    return &OrderService{
        repo:   &OrderRepository{db: f.db},
        logger: f.logger,
    }
}

Event-Driven Pattern

type OrderService struct {
    app *application.App
}

func (o *OrderService) CreateOrder(items []Item) (*Order, error) {
    order := &Order{
        Items:     items,
        CreatedAt: time.Now(),
    }
    
    // Save order
    if err := o.saveOrder(order); err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    // Emit event
    o.app.Event.Emit("order-created", order)
    
    return order, nil
}

Dependency Injection

Constructor Injection

type EmailService struct {
    smtp   *smtp.Client
    logger *slog.Logger
}

func NewEmailService(smtp *smtp.Client, logger *slog.Logger) *EmailService {
    return &EmailService{
        smtp:   smtp,
        logger: logger,
    }
}

// Register
smtpClient := createSMTPClient()
logger := slog.Default()

app := application.New(application.Options{
    Services: []application.Service{
        application.NewService(NewEmailService(smtpClient, logger)),
    },
})

Application Injection

type NotificationService struct {
    app *application.App
}

func NewNotificationService(app *application.App) *NotificationService {
    return &NotificationService{app: app}
}

func (n *NotificationService) Notify(message string) {
    // Use application to emit events
    n.app.Event.Emit("notification", message)

    // For native OS notifications, register the notifications service from
    // pkg/services/notifications and call notifier.SendNotification(...).
}

// Register after app creation
app := application.New(application.Options{})
app.RegisterService(application.NewService(NewNotificationService(app)))

Service-to-Service Dependencies

type OrderService struct {
    userService  *UserService
    emailService *EmailService
}

func NewOrderService(userService *UserService, emailService *EmailService) *OrderService {
    return &OrderService{
        userService:  userService,
        emailService: emailService,
    }
}

// Register in order
userService := &UserService{}
emailService := &EmailService{}
orderService := NewOrderService(userService, emailService)

app := application.New(application.Options{
    Services: []application.Service{
        application.NewService(userService),
        application.NewService(emailService),
        application.NewService(orderService),
    },
})

Testing Services

Unit Testing

func TestCalculatorService_Add(t *testing.T) {
    calc := &CalculatorService{}
    
    result := calc.Add(2, 3)
    
    if result != 5 {
        t.Errorf("expected 5, got %d", result)
    }
}

Testing with Dependencies

func TestUserService_GetUser(t *testing.T) {
    // Create mock database
    db, mock, _ := sqlmock.New()
    defer db.Close()
    
    // Set expectations
    rows := sqlmock.NewRows([]string{"id", "name"}).
        AddRow(1, "Alice")
    mock.ExpectQuery("SELECT").WillReturnRows(rows)
    
    // Create service
    service := NewUserService(db, slog.Default())
    
    // Test
    user, err := service.GetUser(1)
    
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
    }
    if user.Name != "Alice" {
        t.Errorf("expected Alice, got %s", user.Name)
    }
}

Testing Lifecycle

func TestDatabaseService_Lifecycle(t *testing.T) {
    service := NewDatabaseService(slog.Default())
    
    // Test startup
    ctx := context.Background()
    err := service.ServiceStartup(ctx, application.ServiceOptions{})
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("startup failed: %v", err)
    }
    
    // Test functionality
    // ...
    
    // Test shutdown
    err = service.ServiceShutdown()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("shutdown failed: %v", err)
    }
}

Best Practices

✅ Do

Single responsibility - One service, one purpose
Constructor injection - Pass dependencies explicitly
Thread-safe state - Use mutexes
Return errors - Don’t panic
Log important events - Use structured logging
Test in isolation - Mock dependencies

❌ Don’t

Don’t use global state - Pass dependencies
Don’t block startup - Keep ServiceStartup fast
Don’t ignore shutdown - Always cleanup
Don’t create circular dependencies - Design carefully
Don’t expose internal methods - Keep them private
Don’t forget thread safety - Services are shared

Complete Example

package main

import (
    "context"
    "database/sql"
    "fmt"
    "log/slog"
    "sync"
    "time"
    
    "github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3/pkg/application"
    _ "github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3"
)

type User struct {
    ID        int       `json:"id"`
    Name      string    `json:"name"`
    Email     string    `json:"email"`
    CreatedAt time.Time `json:"createdAt"`
}

type UserService struct {
    db     *sql.DB
    logger *slog.Logger
    cache  map[int]*User
    mu     sync.RWMutex
}

func NewUserService(logger *slog.Logger) *UserService {
    return &UserService{
        logger: logger,
        cache:  make(map[int]*User),
    }
}

func (u *UserService) ServiceStartup(ctx context.Context, options application.ServiceOptions) error {
    u.logger.Info("Starting UserService")
    
    // Open database
    db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", "users.db")
    if err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to open database: %w", err)
    }
    u.db = db
    
    // Create table
    _, err = db.Exec(`
        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
            name TEXT NOT NULL,
            email TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
            created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
        )
    `)
    if err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to create table: %w", err)
    }
    
    // Preload cache
    if err := u.loadCache(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to load cache: %w", err)
    }
    
    return nil
}

func (u *UserService) ServiceShutdown() error {
    u.logger.Info("Shutting down UserService")
    
    if u.db != nil {
        return u.db.Close()
    }
    
    return nil
}

func (u *UserService) GetUser(id int) (*User, error) {
    // Check cache first
    u.mu.RLock()
    if user, ok := u.cache[id]; ok {
        u.mu.RUnlock()
        return user, nil
    }
    u.mu.RUnlock()
    
    // Query database
    var user User
    err := u.db.QueryRow(
        "SELECT id, name, email, created_at FROM users WHERE id = ?",
        id,
    ).Scan(&user.ID, &user.Name, &user.Email, &user.CreatedAt)
    
    if err == sql.ErrNoRows {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("user %d not found", id)
    }
    if err != nil {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("database error: %w", err)
    }
    
    // Update cache
    u.mu.Lock()
    u.cache[id] = &user
    u.mu.Unlock()
    
    return &user, nil
}

func (u *UserService) CreateUser(name, email string) (*User, error) {
    result, err := u.db.Exec(
        "INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES (?, ?)",
        name, email,
    )
    if err != nil {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create user: %w", err)
    }
    
    id, _ := result.LastInsertId()
    
    user := &User{
        ID:        int(id),
        Name:      name,
        Email:     email,
        CreatedAt: time.Now(),
    }
    
    // Update cache
    u.mu.Lock()
    u.cache[int(id)] = user
    u.mu.Unlock()
    
    u.logger.Info("User created", "id", id, "email", email)
    
    return user, nil
}

func (u *UserService) loadCache() error {
    rows, err := u.db.Query("SELECT id, name, email, created_at FROM users")
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer rows.Close()
    
    u.mu.Lock()
    defer u.mu.Unlock()
    
    for rows.Next() {
        var user User
        if err := rows.Scan(&user.ID, &user.Name, &user.Email, &user.CreatedAt); err != nil {
            return err
        }
        u.cache[user.ID] = &user
    }
    
    return rows.Err()
}

func main() {
    app := application.New(application.Options{
        Name: "User Management",
        Services: []application.Service{
            application.NewService(NewUserService(slog.Default())),
        },
    })
    
    app.Window.New()
    app.Run()
}

Next Steps

Method Bindings - Learn how to bind Go methods to JavaScript
Models - Bind complex data structures
Events - Use events for pub/sub communication
Best Practices - Service design patterns and best practices

Questions? Ask in Discord or check the service examples.

Accessibility

Edit this documentation

Service Architecture

Quick Start

Creating Services

Basic Service

Service with State

Service with Dependencies

Service Lifecycle

ServiceStartup

ServiceShutdown

Complete Lifecycle Example

Service Options

Custom Name

HTTP Routes

Service Patterns

Repository Pattern

Service Layer Pattern

Factory Pattern

Event-Driven Pattern

Dependency Injection

Constructor Injection

Application Injection

Service-to-Service Dependencies

Testing Services

Unit Testing

Testing with Dependencies

Testing Lifecycle

Best Practices

✅ Do

❌ Don’t

Complete Example

Next Steps