To provide an image forming apparatus for relieving an operation load imposed on a user.

The image forming apparatus provided with: a hardware resource used for image forming processing; applications respectively applying unique processing to user services associated with the image forming processing; and a control service interposed between the applications and the hardware resource and implementing the acquisition request, management, performance control, and the image forming processing of the hardware resource required by at least two of the applications in common when the user service is provided, includes an HDD 103 for storing information associated with the image forming processing, and a file server application 115 that is installed as one of the applications, used for a conventional protocol associated with file sharing, and can access information stored in the HDD 103.

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