[Guide] All you need to know about IIS web server & uses

Internet Information Services which is commonly known as IIS is considered as the most flexible, user-friendly, and multi-purpose web server established by Microsoft which successfully runs on your Windows systems for serving the requested files or HTML pages.

Every IIS web server simply accepts your request from clients present at remote locations and then easily returns the most appropriate response. This is the most wonderful functionality that enables web servers to easily share and then deliver your details across LAN networks, including corporate intranets as well as wide area networks. This web server can simply deliver information in different forms, like static web pages, text documents, and much more. Server colocation has gathered a detailed guide that can help you understand everything about IIS web servers and their functionality.

What is the IIS web server?

IIS is basically an extensible web server launched by Microsoft so it can be used efficiently with Windows NT family. This web server always supports HTTPS, HTTP, FTP, SMTP, NTP, and much more. The server was also an integral part of the Windows NT industry. Although it was not part of some old editions so it couldn’t be active by default. 

How does IIS web server work?

IIS web server has some technical complications which can be managed by a professional person. The server works with various standard languages as well as different protocols. Though HTML is basically used to make different elements including image placements, texts, hyperlinks, buttons, and direct interactions or behaviors. Among different protocols, HTTP is one of the fundamental communication protocols that is extensively used for exchanging information between a group of users and servers. HTTPS equipped with SSL or TLS is also used to encrypt your communication so you can enjoy added security for interacting with clients and vendors. FTP has also been so useful for the webserver, or even its secure variant called FTPS can help transfer your data and files from one system to another device.

There are also some additional support protocols that include SMTP, for sending and receiving emails as well as the Network News Transfer Protocol, which is helpful in delivering articles on Usenet.

IIS vs apache:

When it comes to IIS vs apache, you will see a lot of incredible differences.

• IIS is mainly available with Windows. And Apache is an open-source and free solution.
• IIS is only suitable for Windows, and Apache always runs on any operating system, which includes Mac, UNIX, and Linux. 
• IIS can also be integrated with other Microsoft solutions, which include .NET as well as ASPX language. 
• IIS also has a convenient help desk that can easily handle multiple complicated issues while offering support for Apache that basically comes from a big community managed by users.
• IIS security features are quite stronger than Apache, which makes IIS a safer solution, a favorite for all the users. 
• IIS’ is also considered as the underlying technology which is strongly compatible with the standard web interface solutions.

How to install IIS?

Follow the below-mentioned steps for the IIS web server download.

• Hold the Windows key, and choose Server Manager.
• While scrolling through your Server Manager dashboard, press manage> enter roles & features.
• Press installation type.
• Now choose the role-based or feature-based download options and press next.
• Now choose your server on which you want to install IIS and press next.
• Now activate your IIS web server role.
• Press add Features to include your IIS Management Console.
• Press next, and you will find a Select Features window.
• After that, press next, and you fill the Web Server Role (IIS) window
• Again press next, and then the select role services will be opened.
• Choose your required role services and press next.
• Choose ‘install’ to download the selected roles and features.
• Click Finish to close your download process.

IIS web server versions:

According to professionals, IIS service was previously evolved with Microsoft Windows. Some old versions of the IIS server were launched with Windows NT. The IIS 1.0 version was launched with Windows NT 3.51, and also evolved via IIS 4.0 with Windows NT 4.0. After that, IIS 5.0 was delivered with Windows 2000. 

Microsoft services tend to launch IIS 6.0 to Windows Server 2003. Then IIS 7.0 provided a big redesign element with Windows Server 2008. After that, IIS 8.0 became available with Windows Server 2012 as well as IIS 10 launched with Windows Server 2016 and then later on with Windows 10.

Now with every launch of IIS, Microsoft professionals have managed to add multiple new features. They updated its functionality in a great manner for a user-friendly experience. For instance, IIS 3.0 has also added ASP for the smart scripting language. IIS 6.0 added extra support for maintaining IPv6, to improve its security and build extra reliability; IIS 8.0 introduced some multicore scaling for non-uniform memory access, server name indication, and centralized SSL.

Security management:

To make sure your website is functioning normally in a proper secure manner, companies should consider all the security measures so they can protect their web servers from security breaches. You can harden the security of the server by using firewalls which ensures that the server is receiving the right packets. Other than that, you can ensure which IP and domain can easily access your web server. Professionals also recommend logging to check if the users are accessing the webserver.

Bottom line:

There are still lots of amazing ways to secure your web server. And plenty of details about the IIS web server. But if you want to know the basics and installation of IIS then it is recommended to check out this guide again and manage your web server efficiently without delaying your processes. Otherwise, you also have an option to consider taking the support of professionals. Server colocation is one of the leading companies in the UK that offer colocation and hosting support to all valuable customers. So if you are looking for their guidance, you can simply visit the official website for more details or book your appointment with one of their experts.

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