IIS Environment PHP 5.5 Complete Configuration Guide | Boost Performance and Compatibility

gitbox 2025-07-27

The Necessity of Configuring PHP 5.5 in an IIS Environment

In today’s development environment, PHP is a popular language used by many developers to build web applications. On Windows servers, deploying PHP applications with IIS (Internet Information Services) is a common practice. This article provides detailed steps on how to install and configure PHP 5.5 in an IIS environment, helping you run PHP applications efficiently.

Why Choose PHP 5.5?

Although PHP has multiple versions, PHP 5.5 remains a preferred choice for developers due to its stability and strong community support. Some of the advantages of PHP 5.5 include:

Comprehensive functionality, suitable for developing complex web applications
Performance optimizations that improve website response times
Extensive community support and abundant documentation resources

IIS and PHP Compatibility

IIS is Microsoft’s web server, and after years of optimization, it has achieved good compatibility with PHP. With careful configuration, developers can easily deploy and run PHP applications on IIS, ensuring optimal performance.

Installation Steps for PHP 5.5 on IIS

Install IIS

First, ensure that IIS is installed on your Windows system. You can enable IIS components through “Programs and Features” in the Control Panel.

Download PHP 5.5

Visit the official PHP website and download the Windows version of PHP 5.5. Be sure to choose the “Thread Safe” version, as it is more compatible with IIS.

Configure PHP

After downloading and extracting PHP, rename the php.ini-development file to php.ini and configure it according to your needs. Common configuration items include:

Enable necessary PHP extensions, such as curl and mbstring
Set up error reporting to display all errors during the debugging phase

PHP Configuration Example

error_reporting = E_ALL
display_errors = On
extension_dir = "ext"
extension=php_curl.dll
extension=php_mbstring.dll

Configure IIS to Support PHP

To allow IIS to handle PHP files correctly, you need to add a PHP handler. The configuration steps are as follows:

Open IIS Manager and select the target website.
On the right, find “Handler Mappings” and click it.
Select “Add Module Mapping.”
Set the request path to *.php and specify the path to php-cgi.exe.

Conclusion

By following the steps above, you should be able to successfully configure PHP 5.5 in a Windows IIS environment. Proper configuration not only improves the efficiency of your applications but also optimizes overall performance. This guide aims to help you carry out development smoothly and enhance project quality.