How to Host a Website on a Windows VPS

Step 1: Connect via RDP and Prepare

RDP in, five moves:

1. Connect — mstsc (Windows) or Microsoft RD client (Mac) to the VPS IP, Administrator login
2. Install IIS — Server Manager > Add Roles and Features > Web Server (IIS)
3. Upload your site — files to C:\inetpub\wwwroot (FTP or Web Deploy for .NET publishes)
4. Bind the domain — IIS Manager: site binding with host name, then an A record from DNS
5. Firewall and SSL — allow 80/443; install the certificate in IIS

ASP.NET apps bind to app pools with the right runtime; PHP sites run fine too with PHP for IIS installed. Our VPS server line includes Windows images with IIS ready, and windows hosting is the managed alternative when you'd rather not touch RDP at all.

Step 2: Install the IIS Role

Two practical notes on Windows VPS: it interacts directly with caching and database response, and misconfiguration is the most common cause of 'hosting is slow' tickets. WebJi® support checks it as part of standard migrations.

Step 3: Upload Your Site (FTP/Web Deploy)

Upload Your Site (FTP/Web Deploy). Use SFTP (port 22) when the host offers it; plain FTP (port 21) sends the password in the clear. The username and the path come from the hosting panel, and the remote folder for the site is usually public_html. A successful login to the wrong directory is why files upload and the site does not change.

Step 4: DNS A Record and IIS Binding

On IIS role installation, the honest summary is that defaults matter more than brand names — a well-set budget plan outranks a mis-tuned premium one. WebJi® documents its defaults openly and adjusts them per ticket when workloads need it.

Step 5: Firewall Rules and SSL

Firewall Rules and SSL. Allow 80 and 443 to the world, and restrict SSH (22) or RDP (3389) to known IPs. A site that times out after a firewall change is usually a closed web port, not a dead server. If you lock yourself out, use the console in the client area or email support@webji.services before you reboot in a loop.

ASP.NET vs PHP Sites on Windows

On FTP/Web Deploy publishing, the honest summary is that defaults matter more than brand names — a well-set budget plan outranks a mis-tuned premium one. WebJi® documents its defaults openly and adjusts them per ticket when workloads need it.