How to run asp.net WebForms published site locally from visual studio code

Question

How to open a published webform site from within visual studio code. opening and running the default.aspx in browser locally

The site is published by Visual Studio 2019 ( not Visual Studio Code ) to local folder, I want to open and run that published site from another computer having Visual Studio Code only.

Answer 1

Well, to run, show and display a web site, you need to have a web server installed, and then up and running on that computer.

You then need to configure the web server, and what folder or where the web site is published to. However, for reasons of security, often the folders that the web site can see (or use) is VERY restricted. I mean, do you want the whole world messing around in folders on that computer? (not!!!!).

You then need to open up the fire walls, and set rules to allow external use of that given computer.

Now, it turns out, that Visual Studio is able to "debug + launch" your web site during development. This works be having installed a light weight (stripped down) version of a Web server.

So, VS uses what is called IIS Express. It does have VERY high degree of compatibility with IIS

So full version = IIS  (Internet Information Services)
Light version = IIS (Internet Information Services Express).

So then, the REAL question is can you setup + use IIS Express (that is ALREADY installed on your computer as a result of installing VS)?

The answer is yes, but it is REALLY but REALLY painfull.

And the reason why? Well, to run + launch IIS express for JUST you the developer, then things like security, rights policies, file access, is http and https etc. setup? Well that is a HUGE FAT BOOK of reading and a HUGE FAT BOOK of massive amounts of configuring required to setup + run a whole web server.

I mean, you do have web.config. But the sheer mass of options available is quite a challenge to setup.

And IIS express does NOT have the main setup and configuring screens included.

So, for hitting f5 to run from Visual Studio? great!!!

But, you need screens like this:

And from above, we have a LOT of stuff:

So, the problem is that IIS Express does NOT include the above management screens.

So, this means that YOU HAVE to edit web config and other config files that are required to run + setup IIS.

Now, to be fair, you could just run with the SAME defaults that VS uses when you hit F5 to run. But the configuring of the web site can be a hassile. (for example, did and do you know WHERE to set the IP address of the web site?

When you run local, then VS uses "localhost". But for anyone else on the network, they now have to use that computers IP address, and then YOU must setup the web server to accept requests to that IP address. And you don't even have to use + give the web server the same IP address as the computer hosting IIS.

So, you CAN use IIS Express, but it going to be panful beyond ANY thing but using IIS Express for debugging your web site on the SAME computer running VS. Remember when running IIS on the SAME developer computer, then you are the "owner" or what we call 'super user' of your OWN computer. But, I can't just start opening files and using YOUR computer right now, can I? (see the difference!!! - allowing OHTERS to use your computer is a really big deal.

But, yes, you can get IIS Express to work. it just that IIS Express is MISSING all the above management screens. (and that above screen shot shows that each one of those icons when chosen is a "big maze" of options.

To get this to work can be done. I don't have a good reference, and you have to google it, and then with a pot of coffee, read away, since without the configing menus and systems above, you find this to be difficult.

Here is one such article on how to do this:

https://blogs.blackmarble.co.uk/rfennell/2011/03/22/how-to-expose-iis-express-to-external-network-connections-and-use-a-non-self-signed-certificate/#:~:text=%20How%20to%20expose%20IIS%20Express%20to%20external,You%20now%20need%20to%20just%20start...%20More%20