Publish a .NET application to a Windows Server instance

a. On the Instances tab of the Lightsail home page, choose the RDP quick-connect icon for your Windows Server 2016 instance.

b. After the browser-based RDP client window opens, choose the Windows icon and open Server Manager

c. Choose Local Server in the left navigation menu, then choose On next to IE Enhanced Security Configuration (choosing On turns it Off).

Turning off IE Enhanced Security Configuration will allow you to download Microsoft Web Platform Installer later in this tutorial.

d. In the configuration prompt, choose to turn off the feature only for administrators, and then choose OK.

e. In Server Manager, choose Dashboard in the left navigation menu, then choose Add roles and features.

f. Choose Next in the Add Roles and Features Wizard.

g. Choose Role-based or feature-based installation in the Select installation type screen, and choose Next.

h. Choose Next in the Select destination server screen.

i. Choose Web Server (IIS) in the Select server roles screen. Choose Add features when you are asked if you would like to add the required features. Choose Next.

j. Choose the features highlighted in this screenshot in the Select features screen, and then choose Next.

k. Choose Next in the Web Server Role (IIS) screen.

l. Choose the role services highlighted in this screenshot under the Web Server service.

m. Choose the role services highlighted in this screenshot under the Performance and Security services.

n. Choose the role services highlighted in this screenshot under the FTP Server and Management Tools services.

o. Choose the role services highlighted in this screenshot under the Application Development service.

p. Choose Next after you confirm that you selected all of the correct role services highlighted in the previous steps

q. Choose Restart the destination server automatically if required, and then choose Install in the Confirm installation selections screen.

The roles and features will require a few minutes to download and install. While that is completing, continue to the next section to install the Microsoft Web Platform Installer.

a. On your Windows Server 2016 instance, open Internet Explorer and browse to the following address:

http://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx

b. Choose Install this extension, then choose Run to start the installer.

c. Accept the terms in the license agreement, and choose Install in the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 5.1 Setup screen. Choose Finish to close the installer when the installation is complete.

d. Choose the Start menu, then choose Microsoft Web Platform Installer.

e. Search for Web Deploy 3.6, and choose Add next to that option in the search results.

f. Choose Install to start the installation.

g. At the prompt, choose I Accept to start the installation. Choose Finish to close the installer when the installation is complete.

b. Choose Create a new project.

c. Choose C# in the language drop-down menu, and choose Web in the project types drop-down menu. Choose ASP.Net Web Application (.NET Framework) in the list of available projects, and choose Next.

d. Choose .NET Framework 4.6 in the Framework drop-down menu, and choose Create.

e. Choose MVC, and choose Create.

After this step, you will have a Model View Controller (MVC) website project template that you can edit in Visual Studio. When you are done editing your project, continue to the next section to publish your project to your Windows Server 2016 instance.

a. With your MVC project open in Visual Studio 2019 community edition, choose Build, and choose Publish WebApplication1.

If you renamned your project, then WebApplication1 is replaced with the name of your project.  

b. Choose IIS, FTP, etc, and choose Create Profile in the Pick a publish target screen.

c. Enter the following information in the Publish screen:

• Choose Web Deploy in the Publish method drop-down menu.
• Enter http://PublicIpAddress in the Server text box. Replace PublicIpAddress with the public IP address of your Windows Server 2016 instance.  
  • You can get the public IP address of your instance in the Lightsail console.
• Enter Default Web Site in the Site name text box.
  • This is name of the default website automatically configured when you installed Internet Information Services (IIS) on your Windows Server 2016 instance.
    
• Enter Administrator in the User name text box. This is the default administrator user name for your Windows Server 2016 instance.
• Enter the administrator password in the Password text box.
  • You can get the administrator password by going to the instance’s management page in the Lightsail console, and choosing Show default password under the Connect tab.
• Enter http://PublicIpAddress in the Destination URL text box. Replace PublicIpAddress with the public IP address of your Windows Server 2016 instance.
  • You can get the public IP address of your instance in the Lightsail console.
    

d. Choose Validation Connection to test the connection.

A checkmark icon will appear if the validation is successful. If the validation is unsuccessful, confirm that you entered the correct information into the form (confirm the administrator password, and the IP address).

e. Choose Next.

f. Ensure that Release is selected in the Configuration drop-down menu. Choose all options available under File Publish Options, and choose Save.

g. Choose Publish in Visual Studio when you are ready to publish your project to your server.

h. The Output in Visual Studio will show a successful message if your project was successfully published to your server.

i. Browse to the public IP address of your Windows Server 2016 instance to confirm that the project was successfully published.

Your project was successfully published if you see a page similar to the following screenshot.