Creating a new website on IIS: Application vs. Virtual Directory. Whats the difference?
iis
Solution
There are a few differences, here are the biggest:
- In IIS 6 and up, you can assign an application a certain "protection" level. (e.g. protection levels, application pools, etc). You can't do this with Virtual Directories
- If you are working with ASP.NET, the search for the master "Web.config" file for your application stops at your application level. For a working directory it will actually check your parent hierarchy for settings as well.
These are the two biggest differences in my opinion, although there are other small ones as well.
Problem
When you create a new website on IIS, you get to choose between an "Application" and a "Virtual Directory". What is the difference between those two options?