IIS alongside other apps

Question

Windows Server 2019

I currently do NOT have IIS installed but I need to install it because I want to install a new web app which needs IIS.

Currently, I have a couple of third-party web apps installed that use HTTP/HTTPS. Each app listens on a separate IP address. What's confusing me is that I had to run the following commands in order to connect to each app:

netsh http add iplisten ipaddress=192.168.1.4
netsh http add iplisten ipaddress=192.168.1.5

Those commands add those IP's to the ListenOnlyList in the registry. It's my understanding that IIS listens to IP's in that list. How can I use those app alongside IIS if IIS will also listens on those IP's? Why do I have to run those commands if ISS is not installed?

Answer 1

Hi @Jeff X,

How can I use those app alongside IIS if IIS will also listens on those IP's?

If you have IIS installed and want to manage listening on specific IP addresses through it, you can host the applications on IIS first and then bind IP addresses to them. Just refer to this doc: Create and Configure an IIS Website. Something like this：

Why do I have to run those commands if ISS is not installed?

Because in your current case, since you haven't installed IIS, IIS is not using those IP addresses that you added with the "netsh http add iplisten" command. They are configured specifically for the HTTP service that your web applications use to listen on the specified IP address.

Best regards,

Xudong Peng

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Answer 2

The commands you listed are for Windows HTTP API (http.sys). Whether you install IIS or not, that HTTP API is always there on Windows, as other Windows components and/or apps require it to perform HTTP activities.

You have to run those commands for your apps if they want to listen to incoming HTTP requests from the IP addresses.