Internet Information Services (IIS) Defined

IIS (Internet Information Services) is a web server developed by Microsoft. It runs only on Windows operating systems and is commonly used to host websites and web applications on Windows servers.

IIS makes it easy to publish information on the internet or a private intranet. It includes a wide range of administrative features for managing websites and the web server itself. With technologies such as ASP.NET, you can create and deploy scalable and flexible web applications.

IIS is not always installed by default on Windows systems, but it can be added through the operating system’s feature management tools.

How to Install Internet Information Services (IIS)

The exact steps depend on your version of Windows. Below is the general process for modern Windows versions (such as Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server):

1. Open Control Panel (or go to Settings on newer Windows versions).
2. Go to Programs → Turn Windows features on or off
   (On Windows Server, use Server Manager → Add Roles and Features).
3. In the list of features, find Internet Information Services.
4. Check the box next to Internet Information Services.
5. Expand the option if needed and select the required features (such as Web Management Tools and World Wide Web Services).
6. Click OK or Install and wait for the installation to complete.
   Once installed, you can test it by opening a browser and going to:
7. http://localhost

If the installation was successful, you should see the default IIS welcome page.

Default Website Location

By default, website files are stored in:

C:\inetpub\wwwroot
You can place your website files in this folder or create a virtual directory pointing to another location.

How to Create a Virtual Directory in IIS

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager
   (Search for “IIS” in the Start menu, or go through Administrative Tools).
2. In the left panel, expand your server name and then expand Sites.
3. Right-click on Default Web Site (or the site you want to use).
4. Select Add Virtual Directory.
5. Enter an Alias (this is the name you will use in the URL, for example, http://localhost/alias).
6. Browse to and select the physical folder that contains your website files.
7. Click OK.

After creating the virtual directory, you can access the content by visiting:

http://localhost/your-alias