Recap Iis And Apache Together

One development machine doesn't always mean you're stuck using only one Web server.

If your platform is Win32, and you want to test scripts on both Microsoft's IIS and the very popular Apache Web server (a project of the Apache Software Foundation), then you don't need to rush out and buy up another computer.

Apache and Internet Information Server (IIS) are the two most popular servers on the Internet, assuming responsibility for around 80% of all hosting (of that 80%, an impressive 58% is Apache based). For the purposes of this article, we'll assume you already have IIS installed. To get Apache for Win32 you'll want to browse this section: Apache for Win32, and specifically, download this file: apache_1_3_12_win32.exe.

If you're thinking "Hey, two Web servers on one machine can only cause problems," then quit worrying. Web servers, by default, will listen on port 80, but can be set to listen on others. So, after you've installed Apache, set it to listen to a different port (and leave the default to IIS). Find the httpd.conf file and modify the line that says "Port 80". Change it to something like "Port 8080" instead, and then start Apache.

Then you'll be able to run IIS and Apache at the same time. To access IIS, just use your normal URL:

And to access Apache, append the port number like this:

Easy, eh?

If you use a similar setup, and have any further tips for evolt.org readers, then please post a comment below.