MSIX Architecture

For deploying applications to the Microsoft Store, the MSIX format is something you need to very familiar with. It is the wildly successful successor to the MSI format.

Start by reading the Overview on Microsoft Learn.  

For additional background you can read the Microsoft guide to packaging and deployment for Windows Applications. The latter will recommend Microsoft Store as the recommended distribution path for most developers.  Other avenues will require additional certificate signing obligations (and concomitant costs).

One of the first concepts the would-be MSIX master must learn is that of package identity. When your app is packaged as MSIX, Windows assigns an identity to it based on manifest information such as name, publisher, version, architecture and resource identifier (you find this in the AppManifest.xml).

One of the merits of MSIX usage is reliable install and uninstall. On the uninstall piece, it guarantees no leftover files or registry entries. On the install piece, it has a reported 99.96% install success rate.

Containerized execution is one of the more interesting aspects of MSIX. Apps run in a lightweight container with virtual file system and registry. An overview is here.