What is our primary use case?
My main use case for IIS PHP Windows is to deploy it for WordPress websites and Laravel custom applications so they can run on IIS using the PHP provider and PHP version.
I used IIS PHP Windows for a client who had a WordPress website, specifically a blog. We deployed it because he had a Windows server, so we deployed it for him using IIS plus PHP on Windows.
This is the only use case I have.
How has it helped my organization?
IIS PHP Windows has positively impacted my organization by helping to deploy customer websites that have very small budgets, allowing the organization to assist those clients, which builds trust with them. It enables the organization to help them run their small websites, and while some clients had bigger projects, they also wanted their small websites to run, such as a personal blog.
Client satisfaction was high because a Windows server can be monitored, and the customer's websites could remain up and running all the time. If something happens and the application crashes, we could simply grab the logs from the event viewer to check memory limits and investigate what is happening. Additionally, the client could perform some of the management using the GUI management interface in IIS.
What is most valuable?
The best features IIS PHP Windows offers include the application pool, where every website can have a different application pool, and we can also recycle it. It has very good integration with Windows, and IIS also supports SSL/TLS protocol, which we can easily install from Server Manager.
The application pool helps me manage my WordPress or Laravel deployments by allowing us to set up application pools for websites that have many clients, and if they become full, we can recycle them to avoid exploitation of resources.
What needs improvement?
IIS PHP Windows can be improved regarding its higher resource usage. Unlike a Linux web server that is very lightweight, the resource usage is higher on Windows.
I chose a rating of seven out of ten because IIS PHP Windows is good for small enterprises with manageable aspects, but it has very high resource usage and requires a Windows server license, contributing to the overall cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IIS PHP Windows for around two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Regarding IIS PHP Windows' reliability, I find the accuracy and reliability of output to be strong since the websites run very well, and I have not seen much crashing as long as there are available CPU and resources. IIS PHP Windows is pretty reliable, and we can trust this web server.
What other advice do I have?
Regarding IIS PHP Windows' security, I think its governance and security are solid as long as you configure Windows Active Directory correctly and all Windows authentication so that no other users can access it, ensuring that the IIS pool is not exposed to domain users. This setup provides good security and is very compatible with all applications.
My advice to others looking into using IIS PHP Windows is that if they want a less resource-intensive solution, they should deploy PHP and Apache server on Linux, but if they prefer good management and easy management, they should go with IIS PHP on Windows.
Everything with IIS PHP Windows is good, but some PHP modules and extensions on Windows need additional configurations. I would rate this product a seven out of ten.