Command-Line Management (appcmd and PowerShell)

In simple words#

Learning objectives#

• Use appcmd for quick tasks
• Use the IIS:\ PowerShell drive
• Use IISAdministration for sites and bindings
• Write an idempotent setup script

Explanation#

appcmd lives in %windir%\System32\inetsrv. Verbs: list, add, set, delete, start, stop, recycle on objects site, apppool, app, vdir, config, wp.

WebAdministration gives the IIS:\ drive (IIS:\Sites, IIS:\AppPools) and cmdlets like New-WebAppPool, New-Website, Set-ItemProperty.

IISAdministration (Get-IISSite, New-IISSite, Get-IISConfigSection) works directly with the configuration system and is faster for large changes.

Write scripts that check whether objects exist before creating them, so they can run repeatedly.

Code example: Idempotent site setup#

1Import-Module WebAdministration
2$pool = 'ShopPool'; $site = 'Shop'; $path = 'C:\inetpub\shop'
3

4if (-not (Test-Path "IIS:\AppPools\$pool")) { New-WebAppPool -Name $pool | Out-Null }
5Set-ItemProperty "IIS:\AppPools\$pool" managedRuntimeVersion ''
6Set-ItemProperty "IIS:\AppPools\$pool" startMode 'AlwaysRunning'
7

8New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $path | Out-Null
9if (-not (Get-Website -Name $site)) {
10  New-Website -Name $site -PhysicalPath $path -ApplicationPool $pool -HostHeader 'shop.example.com' -Port 80 | Out-Null
11}
12

13# Quick checks with appcmd
14$appcmd = "$env:windir\System32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe"
15& $appcmd list site /name:$site
16& $appcmd list apppool /name:$pool /text:state

SITE "Shop" (id:3,bindings:http/*:80:shop.example.com,state:Started)
Started

This example is illustrative. Copy or download it and run it in your own environment; the expected output is shown above.

Step-by-step explanation#

1. The pool is created only if missing, then configured.
2. The site is created only if missing.
3. Running the script twice changes nothing — it is idempotent.
4. appcmd confirms the result.

Real-world use case#

Common mistakes#

Best practices#

• Keep IIS setup scripts in Git
• Make scripts idempotent
• Use IISAdministration for bulk changes
• Run as Administrator

Remember this#

Practice exercise#

1& "$env:windir\System32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe" list apppool

Mini quiz#

Want more? Practise all IIS MCQs · IIS interview questions

Related topics#

My notes#

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