Objects that reside in a context and are bound to the context rules are called context-bound objects. A context is a set of properties or usage rules that define an environment where a collection of objects resides. The rules are enforced when the objects are entering or leaving a context. Objects that are not context-bound are called agile objects.

Contexts are created during object activation. A new object is placed into an existing context or into a new context created using the attributes included in the metadata of the type. Context-bound classes are marked with a System.Runtime.Remoting.Contexts.ContextAttribute that provides the usage rules. The context properties that can be added include policies regarding synchronization and transactions.