Host Your WordPress Site on IIS: A Comprehensive Guide

Various hosting environments offer different benefits for running a WordPress site. While Apache and Nginx are commonly used, it is possible to host WordPress on IIS (Internet Information Services). Follow this comprehensive guide to set up your WordPress site on IIS.

Prerequisites

Windows Server

Ensure you have a Windows server with IIS installed. If you do not have one, you can download and install it from the official Microsoft website.

PHP

Install PHP on your server. This can be done through tools like the Web Platform Installer.

MySQL

Install MySQL or MariaDB to manage your WordPress database. You can download MySQL from the official MySQL website.

URL Rewrite Module

Install the URL Rewrite Module for IIS, which is necessary for pretty permalinks (friendly URLs) and clean URLs.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Install IIS

Go to Control Panel → Programs → Turn Windows features on or off. Check the Internet Information Services option and install it.

Step 2: Install PHP

Download the latest version of PHP from the official PHP website. Extract the files to a folder, such as C:PHP. Configure PHP in IIS: Open IIS Manager. Select your server and double-click on Handler Mappings. Add a new module mapping with the following settings: Request path: .php Module: FastCgiModule Executable: C:PHPphp-cgi.exe Name: PHP_via_FastCGI Set the correct permissions for your PHP folder.

Step 3: Install MySQL

Download and install MySQL from the official MySQL website. During installation, set up a root password and create a database for your WordPress site.

Step 4: Download WordPress

Download the latest version of WordPress from the official WordPress website.

Step 5: Extract and Configure WordPress Files

Extract the WordPress files into the IIS web directory, typically C:inetpubwwwroot.

Step 6: Configure the Database

Navigate to the MySQL client like MySQL Workbench and create a new database for WordPress. Create a user and grant it permissions to the WordPress database.

Step 7: Configure WordPress Settings

Navigate to your WordPress directory and rename to Edit to add your database details: define('DB_NAME', 'your_database_name'); define('DB_USER', 'your_database_user'); define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_database_password'); define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); Save the file.

Step 8: Configure IIS

In IIS Manager, create a new website or configure the default site to point to the WordPress directory. Set the appropriate permissions: Right-click the WordPress folder → Edit Permissions → Security tab. Add IIS_IUSRS and give it Modify, Read, and List Folder Contents and Read permissions.

Step 9: Enable URL Rewrite

If you haven’t already, install the URL Rewrite Module. Download it from the official Microsoft website. Create a file in the WordPress directory with the following content:

  system.webServer
    rewrite
      rules
        rule name"WordPress Rule" stopProcessing"true"
          match url"^(. )"
            conditions
              add input"{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType"IsFile" negate"true"/
              add input"{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType"IsDirectory" negate"true"/
            /conditions
            action type"Rewrite" url"{R:1}" /
          /match
        /rule
      /rules
    /rewrite
  /system.webServer
/configuration

Step 10: Complete WordPress Installation

Open a web browser and navigate to your site, e.g., Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the WordPress installation.

Conclusion

After completing these steps, your WordPress site should be up and running on IIS. Regularly back up your site and keep your software updated to ensure optimal performance. If you encounter any issues, check the IIS logs for troubleshooting.