Install Visual Studio on Windows Server 2025: Comprehensive Steps

This guide intends to teach you How To Install Visual Studio on Windows Server 2025, Create a Sample Project, and Run the Project with IIS Express in Visual Studio 2022.

Visual Studio 2022 is installed on Windows Server 2025 for developing, testing, and deploying applications in a server environment. IIS Express is a lightweight, self-contained Internet Information Services (IIS) version used for web development and testing. This article will guide you through installing Visual Studio on Windows Server 2025.

You can now proceed to the guide steps below on the Orcacore website to complete Visual Studio 2022 Setup on Windows Server 2025, Create a Sample Project, and Run the Project with IIS Express in Visual Studio 2022.

Full Steps To Install and Configure Visual Studio 2022 on Windows Server 2025

To complete Visual Studio 2022 Setup on Windows Server 2025, you must log in to your Windows Server and follow the steps below.

Note: You can also check the Video Tutorial for Visual Studio 2022 Setup on Windows Server 2025:

1. Install Microsoft Dotnet Framework on Windows Server 2025

To complete your Visual Studio 2022 Setup on Windows Server 2025, you need to install the dotnet framework on your server. To do this, visit the Official Website and download the Long Term support for Windows.

Once your download is completed, open your setup installer and click Install.

When your Dotnet framework installation is completed, click on Close.

At this point, you must visit the Visual Studio Downloads page and download the Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition.

Once your download is completed, click on your file and continue to the next step to start your Visual Studio 2022 Setup on Windows Server 2025.

3. Install Visual Studio on Windows Server 2025

You will see the Visual Studio Installer, click Continue to start your setup.

In the Workloads tab, you can install the options you want. Here we choose ASP.NET and Web Development, and Dotnet Desktop Development.

Next, click on the Individual Components tab. From there, you can choose your desired components. Here we accept the default options.

Next, you can choose your desired languages from Language Packs.

Finally, click on Installation Locations and choose your destination folder. Be sure you have enough space for Visual Studio 2022 Setup on Windows Server 2025. Click on Install.

Wait until your Visual Studio installation is completed.

When it is completed, it will automatically open Visual Studio or you can click on Launch to open it.

4. Set up Visual Studio 2022 Settings

Once you access your Visual Studio, you can sign in with your Microsoft or GitHub account, Create an account, Or Skip and Add an account later. Here we skip it.

Then, you can choose your theme. We choose the Dark theme for Visual Studio.

Now you can get started with Visual Studio 2022 in Windows Server 2025. Here we want to show you how you can create a sample project. click on Create a new project.

5. Create a Sample ASP.NET Core Web App in Visual Studio 2022

First, you need to select the project template. Search for ASP.NET Core Web App, select Razor Pages, and click Next.

Now you need to configure your project. Choose a project name and location for it and click Next. Here we create a HelloWorld project.

In the Additional Information, you can keep the default options and click Create.

6. Run ASP.NET Project with IIS Express in Visual Studio 2022

At this point, we want to show you how you can run your project with IIS Express. Once your project is created, from the left-side menu click on Pages, and double-click on Index.cshtml.

Then, in the main content, you can replace the content inside <h1> with Hello World!

Once you are done, from the top toolbar, find the Run button, click the dropdown menu, select IIS Express, and Run the project.

During the running project, you will be asked to trust the IIS Express SSL certificate. Check the box next to Don’t ask me again, and Click No to continue.

Finally, the project will be built, and a browser window will open with “HelloWorld!†displayed.

That’s it, you are done with Visual Studio 2022 Setup on Windows Server 2025, Create a Sample Project, and Run the Project with IIS Express in Visual Studio 2022.

Conclusion

Installing Visual Studio 2022 on Windows Server 2025 allows developers to build, test, and deploy applications in a server environment. By using IIS Express, developers can easily run and debug web applications without needing a full IIS setup. The process to install Visual Studio on Windows Server 2025 is relatively straightforward.

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Also, you may like to read the following articles:

Set up Wireshark on Windows Server 2025

Windows Server 2025 OpenSSL Installation

FTP Server Setup Windows Server 2025

IIS Web Service Setup Windows Server 2025

FAQs

Alternative Solutions for Running ASP.NET Core Web Apps on Windows Server 2025

While IIS Express is convenient for local development and testing, there are alternative methods for running ASP.NET Core web applications on Windows Server 2025, especially for more robust testing or production environments. Here are two alternative approaches:

1. Using the Full IIS (Internet Information Services)

The most common and recommended approach for deploying ASP.NET Core applications to a Windows Server environment is using the full IIS. This provides a production-ready environment with features like process management, logging, and security.

Explanation:

IIS offers a more comprehensive set of features than IIS Express. It allows for greater control over the web server configuration, including binding to specific ports, managing application pools, and configuring security settings. To host ASP.NET Core applications on IIS, you’ll need the ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle, which includes the .NET Runtime, the ASP.NET Core Module, and other dependencies.

Steps:

1. Install the ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle: Download and install the latest version of the ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle from the official Microsoft website.
2. Configure IIS:
   • Open Server Manager and add the "Web Server (IIS)" role.
   • Ensure the ".NET Extensibility" feature is selected under "Application Development" during the role installation.
3. Publish the Application: Publish your ASP.NET Core application from Visual Studio to a folder on the server.
4. Create a Website in IIS:
   • Open IIS Manager.
   • Right-click on "Sites" and select "Add Website".
   • Enter a site name, physical path (the folder where you published the application), and binding information (e.g., port 80 or 443).
   • Ensure the application pool is set to "No Managed Code" as ASP.NET Core handles its own runtime.
5. Configure web.config: IIS uses web.config file in the root directory of the published application to configure the ASP.NET Core Module.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <location path="." inheritInChildApplications="false">
    <system.webServer>
      <handlers>
        <add name="aspNetCore" path="*" verb="*" modules="AspNetCoreModuleV2" resourceType="Unspecified" />
      </handlers>
      <aspNetCore processPath="dotnet" arguments=".YourApplicationName.dll" stdoutLogEnabled="false" stdoutLogFile=".logsstdout" hostingModel="inprocess" />
    </system.webServer>
  </location>
</configuration>

Replace "YourApplicationName.dll" with the actual name of your application’s DLL file.

2. Self-Hosting with Kestrel and a Reverse Proxy (e.g., Nginx)

Another approach is to self-host the ASP.NET Core application using Kestrel, the cross-platform web server included with ASP.NET Core, and then use a reverse proxy like Nginx to handle external requests.

Explanation:

Kestrel is a lightweight, cross-platform web server. By default, Kestrel is used by ASP.NET Core applications. However, for production environments, it’s recommended to use Kestrel behind a reverse proxy. The reverse proxy handles tasks like SSL termination, load balancing, and static file serving, improving security and performance.

Steps:

1. Configure Kestrel: Ensure your ASP.NET Core application is configured to listen on a specific port. This is typically done in the Program.cs or Startup.cs file.

public static IHostBuilder CreateHostBuilder(string[] args) =>
    Host.CreateDefaultBuilder(args)
        .ConfigureWebHostDefaults(webBuilder =>
        {
            webBuilder.UseStartup<Startup>()
            .UseKestrel(options =>
            {
                options.ListenAnyIP(5000); // Listen on port 5000
            });
        });

2. Install and Configure Nginx:
   • Download and install Nginx on your Windows Server 2025.
   • Configure Nginx as a reverse proxy to forward requests to the Kestrel server.

http {
    upstream kestrel {
        server 127.0.0.1:5000; # Kestrel server address
    }

    server {
        listen 80;
        server_name yourdomain.com; # Your domain name

        location / {
            proxy_pass http://kestrel;
            proxy_http_version 1.1;
            proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
            proxy_set_header Connection keep-alive;
            proxy_set_header Host $host;
            proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
        }
    }
}

Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name and ensure the port number matches the one Kestrel is listening on. This method for install Visual Studio on Windows Server 2025 provides an alternative for hosting web applications.

These alternative solutions offer more robust and production-ready environments compared to IIS Express, providing better control, security, and performance for your ASP.NET Core web applications on Windows Server 2025.