Create new website on File System or local IIS

[John_Doe]

Can anyone clarify what the difference between these two choices is
when developing website? I have IIS installed too, so I can pick this
too if there is a reason.

From the point of view of sharing the code with other developers and
keeping source in VSS File System seems to be more flexible choice.

However, my current understanding is that when you keep it in the File
System and start it from Visual Studio it runs on Web Server built in
in VS, and if it is created on local IIS then it runs on local IIS
(please correct me if I am wrong). In production it will of course run
on IIS so if there are some differences in behavior between Web Server
built in VS and IIS they may not become obvious during development,
which is not a good thing.

Is there any difference in functionality of Web Server built in in VS
and IIS? I wouldn't be surprised if Web Server built in VS has reduced
functionality compared to IIS.

One approach that I found is to create a virtual directory in IIS that
point to the folder in the File System containing the website. Website
is then created on local IIS but physical location is wherever I
choose. This approach seems to be the best to me.

 

[Teemu Keiski]

Hi,

your assumptions are pretty much correct. One main difference is that while
developing in IIS, the application runs under ASPNET / NETWORK SERVICE
account, but with web dev server it runs under your account, so if you're
administrator, the app runs under admin privileges. That can bring
unexpected problems when deploying to production if your application does
something which requires higher than normal privileges.

 

[Eliyahu Goldin]

There are scenarios where you have to use IIS. An example is when your code
is referring to a virtual directory. I don't know how to declare a virtual
directory on the file system server.

An advantage of not using IIS is that you don't have to configure it which
can be sometimes painful. On other hand, sooner or later you will have to
face production issues anyway. You may still use the file system server for
quick prototyping.

--
Eliyahu Goldin,
Software Developer
Microsoft MVP [ASP.NET]
http://msmvps.com/blogs/egoldin
http://usableasp.net