Notes from the team running your stack.
Tech insights, deep dives, and announcements for developers and ops teams on .NET, Windows Server, SQL Server, ASP.NET Core, and the wider web platform.
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Preload ASP.NET Core on IIS to Cut Cold Starts
App pool recycles leave the next visitor paying startup cost. IIS Application Initialization can warm ASP.NET Core before real traffic hits—when the host allows it.
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app_offline.htm for Clean ASP.NET Core IIS Cutover
Drop app_offline.htm before you overwrite bins on IIS. It stops new requests, reduces file locks, and makes .NET 10 cutovers predictable on Windows hosts.
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Query Store for ASP.NET Deploys on SQL Server
A page that was fine before an IIS publish suddenly waits on SQL. Query Store shows plan and duration changes without Profiler. Enable it, tag app traffic, and read regressions on SQL Server 2022/2025.
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Rate-Limit ASP.NET Core APIs Before SQL Pools Fill
One noisy client can exhaust SQL connection pools on IIS. Use ASP.NET Core’s built-in rate limiter to reject excess traffic early—before controllers and EF Core run.
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Safe File Uploads for ASP.NET Core on IIS
Stop treating uploads as trusted input. Validate type and size in ASP.NET Core, constrain IIS limits, and keep files outside the web root on Windows hosts.
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Lock web.config Sections with IIS Feature Delegation
Stop risky site-level overrides before they hit the worker process. Use IIS Feature Delegation and PowerShell to lock the sections that matter on Windows Server 2025 hosts.
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Set .NET Roll-Forward Safely for IIS Hosted Apps
Framework-dependent .NET apps on IIS inherit the host’s shared runtimes. Set rollForward explicitly so patch updates apply without surprise major jumps.
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Keep IIS Disk Free: Logs, Temp Files, Uploads
ASP.NET apps fill Windows volumes with logs, temp compile output, and uploads. Control paths, retention, and app pool behavior before the host runs out of space.
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FDD vs Self-Contained for .NET 10 on IIS Hosts
Framework-dependent .NET 10 publishes stay lean on Windows IIS when the host runtime is present. Self-contained bundles the runtime—use it only when you must pin a patch band the server lacks.
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SQL Deadlock Retries for ASP.NET Core on IIS
Error 1205 becomes a user-facing 500 unless ASP.NET Core retries the unit of work. Enable provider retry, shorten transactions, and cut lock cycles on SQL Server 2022/2025.
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Health Checks for ASP.NET Core on IIS
Ship liveness and readiness checks that work with IIS in-process hosting. Avoid false downs from cold pools and noisy SQL probes.
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Patch Discipline for .NET on IIS and SQL Server
Unpatched runtimes beat fancy headers as a breach path. Build a repeatable patch cadence for the Hosting Bundle, IIS, and SQL Server on Windows hosts.
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Harden Schannel TLS for IIS on Server 2025
Legacy TLS protocols and weak ciphers still linger on IIS hosts. Tighten Schannel on Windows Server 2025 so ASP.NET sites negotiate modern, browser-safe connections.
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Debug Slow IIS Pages with Failed Request Tracing
Turn on IIS Failed Request Tracing for ASP.NET apps without drowning in logs. Capture slow pages and 500s with tight rules you can leave on shared hosts.
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Web Deploy Parameters for Multi-Env IIS Hosts
Stop baking secrets into publish output. Use Web Deploy parameters and .pubxml profiles so one .NET 10 package targets staging and production IIS cleanly.