What are the Modules integrated in IIS?

IIS 7 Modules

IIS 7 provides a new architecture that is different from previous versions of IIS. Instead of keeping the majority of functionality within the server itself, IIS 7 includes a Web server engine in which you can add or remove components, called modules, depending on your needs.

Modules are individual features that the server uses to process requests. For example, IIS uses authentication modules to authenticate client credentials, and cache modules to manage cache activity.

The new architecture provides the following advantages over previous versions of IIS:

• You can control which modules you want on the server.

• You can customize a server to a specific role in your environment.

• You can use custom modules to replace existing modules or to introduce new features.

HTTP Modules

Several modules in IIS 7 perform tasks specific to Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) in the request-processing pipeline. HTTP modules include modules to respond to information and inquiries sent in client headers, to return HTTP errors, to redirect requests, and more.

Security Modules

Several modules in IIS 7 perform tasks related to security in the request-processing pipeline. In addition, there are separate modules for each of the authentication schemes, which enable you to select modules for the types of authentication you want on your server. There are also modules that perform URL authorization, and a module that filters requests.

Content Modules

Several modules in IIS 7 perform tasks related to content in the request-processing pipeline. Content modules include modules to process requests for static files, to return a default page when a client doesn't specify a resource in a request, to list the contents of a directory, and more.

Compression Modules

Two modules in IIS 7 perform compression in the request-processing pipeline.

Caching Modules

Several modules in IIS 7 perform tasks related to caching in the request-processing pipeline. Caching improves the performance of your Web sites and Web applications by storing processed information, such as Web pages, in memory on the server, and then reusing that information in subsequent requests for the same resource.

Logging and Diagnostics Modules

Several modules in IIS 7 perform tasks related to logging and diagnostics in the request-processing pipeline. The logging modules support loading of custom modules and passing information to HTTP.sys. The diagnostics modules follow and report events during request processing.

Managed Support Modules

A couple of modules in IIS 7 support managed integration in the IIS request-processing pipeline.