Binding to an IP Address in 'IIS Express'

First, in the configuration file ("C:\Users\{your username}\Documents\IISExpress\config\applicationhost.config"), add the binding:

<bindings>
  <binding protocol="http" bindingInformation="*:10080:localhost" />
  <binding protocol="http" bindingInformation="*:10080:192.168.1.2" />
</bindings>

Then, run the following command (with administrative privileges):

  netsh http add urlacl url=http://localhost:10080/ user=everyone 
  netsh http add urlacl url=http://192.168.1.2:10080/ user=everyone

Third, open the port on the firewall of the computer you want to access via the IP address.

After this, it will be possible to access the site in both ways.

This process is useful when you want to allow access to your web application hosted on IIS Express not only through the local machine (localhost) but also from other devices on the same network using the local IP address. This way, you enable other devices on your network to access the application without needing additional configurations on those devices.

Binding to an IP address in IIS Express is particularly useful in scenarios where you are working on team projects where multiple team members need to test the application from their devices or when you want to test the application on different devices (e.g., mobile phones, tablets) that are connected to the same network.

The first step involves modifying the "applicationhost.config" configuration file to add the new binding for the local IP address. This file contains all the configurations for IIS Express, and modifying it allows the server to listen for requests on a specific IP address and port.

The second step is adding the URL reservation rules using the netsh http add urlacl command. This command reserves the specified URLs for access, which is necessary to enable access to the application from those URLs. It must be run with administrative privileges to make the necessary changes to the system.

The third step is opening the ports on the firewall. If the firewall is not properly configured, even after adding the bindings and reserving the URLs, access to the application may be blocked. Opening the appropriate ports on the firewall ensures that all requests sent to the IP address and port can reach IIS Express.

In summary, after following these steps, you will be able to access your web application hosted on IIS Express from any device on your local network using the IP address of the computer hosting the application. This configuration is very useful for testing and developing applications in a networked environment.