Unlocking Local Access by Private IP to an ASP.NET Core Application Deployed in IIS 10

Are you tired of struggling to access your ASP.NET Core application deployed in IIS 10 from a local machine using a private IP address? Well, struggle no more! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll take you by the hand and walk you through the step-by-step process of configuring local access by private IP to your ASP.NET Core application.

Prerequisites

Before we dive into the process, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

• IIS 10 installed and configured on your machine
• ASP.NET Core application deployed in IIS 10
• A private IP address assigned to your machine (e.g., 192.168.1.100)

Configuring IIS 10 for Private IP Access

To configure IIS 10 for private IP access, follow these steps:

1. Open the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager on your machine. You can do this by searching for “IIS Manager” in the Start menu or typing “inetmgr” in the Run dialog box (Windows key + R).
2. In the IIS Manager, select the “Connections” panel on the left side of the screen.
3. Right-click on the “Sites” folder and select “Add Website…” from the context menu.
4. In the “Add Website” dialog box, enter a site name (e.g., “PrivateIPAccess”), select a physical path for the website (e.g., “C:\inetpub\wwwroot\PrivateIPAccess”), and specify the private IP address as the binding (e.g., “192.168.1.100”).
5. Click “OK” to save the changes.

The resulting configuration should look like this:

<configuration>
    <system.webServer>
        <bindings>
            <binding protocol="http" bindingInformation="*:80:192.168.1.100" />
        </bindings>
    </system.webServer>
</configuration>

Configuring the ASP.NET Core Application

To configure the ASP.NET Core application for private IP access, follow these steps:

1. Open the ASP.NET Core application in Visual Studio (or your preferred code editor).
2. In the “Startup.cs” file, add the following code to the “Configure” method:

public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
{
    // ...
    app.UseRouting();
    app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
    {
        endpoints.Map("{controller}/{action=Index}/{id?}").RequireHost("192.168.1.100");
    });
}

This code configures the ASP.NET Core application to listen on the private IP address (192.168.1.100) and map requests to controllers and actions.

Configuring the Windows Firewall

To configure the Windows Firewall for private IP access, follow these steps:

1. Open the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security on your machine. You can do this by searching for “Windows Defender Firewall” in the Start menu.
2. In the “Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security” window, select “Inbound Rules” on the left side of the screen.
3. Right-click on “Inbound Rules” and select “New Rule…” from the context menu.
4. In the “New Inbound Rule Wizard”, select “Rule Type” as “Port” and click “Next”.
5. Select “Specific local ports” and enter the port number (e.g., 80) used by the ASP.NET Core application. Click “Next”.
6. Select “Allow the connection” and click “Next”.
7. Enter a name for the rule (e.g., “PrivateIPAccess”) and click “Finish”.

The resulting configuration should look like this:

<RuleGroup>
    <Rule>
        <Name>PrivateIPAccess</Name>
        <Description></Description>
        <Direction>In</Direction>
        <Action>Allow</Action>
        <Protocol>TCP</Protocol>
        <LocalPort>80</LocalPort>
        <EdgeTraversal>False</EdgeTraversal>
    </Rule>
</RuleGroup>

Testing the Configuration

To test the configuration, follow these steps:

1. Open a web browser on the local machine.
2. Enter the private IP address followed by the port number (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:80) in the address bar.
3. Press Enter to access the ASP.NET Core application.

If everything is configured correctly, you should see the ASP.NET Core application running on the private IP address.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter issues with the configuration, refer to the following troubleshooting tips:

Issue	Solution
The ASP.NET Core application is not accessible from the private IP address.	Check the IIS 10 configuration to ensure the private IP address is bound to the website. Verify the Windows Firewall rule is configured correctly.
The Windows Firewall rule is not allowing incoming requests.	Check the Windows Firewall rule configuration to ensure it is allowing incoming requests on the specified port.
The ASP.NET Core application is not listening on the private IP address.	Check the ASP.NET Core application configuration to ensure it is listening on the private IP address. Verify the “UseHost” option is set to the private IP address.

By following these steps and troubleshooting tips, you should be able to configure local access by private IP to your ASP.NET Core application deployed in IIS 10. Happy coding!

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