Internet Information Services (IIS) Express is a lightweight, self-contained version of IIS optimized for developers. It allows you to run and test web applications on your local machine without needing a full IIS server setup. This is particularly useful for development and testing environments, providing a way to mimic production environments closely. In this article, we will explore how to install, configure, and run IIS Express on a Windows machine, including practical examples and commands.

Examples:

1. Installing IIS Express:

• Download the IIS Express installer from the Microsoft website.


• Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

2. Running a Site via CMD:

• Open Command Prompt.


• Navigate to the directory where your web application is located. For example:
  

   cd C:\path\to\your\web\application



• Run IIS Express with the following command:
  

   iisexpress /path:C:\path\to\your\web\application /port:8080



• This command starts IIS Express and serves your web application on port 8080. You can access it by navigating to http://localhost:8080 in your web browser.

3. Configuring IIS Express:

• IIS Express configuration is stored in the applicationhost.config file, typically located in the Documents\IISExpress\config directory.


• You can edit this file to configure various settings, such as site bindings, authentication, and more. For example, to change the port number:
  

   <site name="MyWebApp" id="2">
  
       <application path="/">
  
           <virtualDirectory path="/" physicalPath="C:\path\to\your\web\application" />
  
       </application>
  
       <bindings>
  
           <binding protocol="http" bindingInformation="*:8081:localhost" />
  
       </bindings>
  
   </site>



• Save the changes and restart IIS Express.

4. Using PowerShell to Manage IIS Express:

• You can also use PowerShell to start and stop IIS Express. Here is a simple script to start IIS Express:
  

   $iisExpressPath = "C:\Program Files\IIS Express\iisexpress.exe"
  
   $webAppPath = "C:\path\to\your\web\application"
  
   $port = 8080
  
   Start-Process -FilePath $iisExpressPath -ArgumentList "/path:$webAppPath", "/port:$port"



• To stop IIS Express, you can find the process and terminate it:
  

   Get-Process iisexpress | Stop-Process