Debugging IIS Websites with Visual Studio

  1. Open Visual Studio: Launch Visual Studio and open the project/solution that corresponds to your IIS website.
  2. Set Up IIS: Ensure that your IIS website is properly configured and running. If not, configure it by creating a new website or using an existing one.
  3. Build Configuration: Make sure that your project is set to a configuration that includes debugging information. Typically, you would use the "Debug" configuration.
  4. Start Debugging: Click on the "Start Debugging" button in Visual Studio (or press `F5`). This will launch your application and attach the debugger.
  5. Attach to Process: If your IIS website is already running and you want to attach the debugger to it, go to the "Debug" menu, select "Attach to Process," and choose the process associated with your IIS application pool (usually `w3wp.exe` for IIS worker process).
  6. Select the Correct Code: Make sure that the source code you want to debug is the one being used by IIS. Check the solution configuration to ensure that the correct project and build configuration are selected.
  7. Set Breakpoints: Place breakpoints in your code where you want the debugger to break and allow you to inspect variables and step through the code.
  8. Debugging: Once attached, you can now debug your IIS website. Visual Studio will break at the breakpoints, and you can use the debugging tools to step through code, inspect variables, and troubleshoot issues.

Remember that for effective debugging, you should have the necessary permissions to attach the debugger to the IIS process and modify the IIS application pool settings accordingly.

By following these steps, you should be able to attach the Visual Studio debugger to your IIS website for debugging purposes.