Can I use IIS Manager on a C2 instance?
Yes — you can run IIS and use IIS Manager on a NovaCloud C2 instance if you deploy a Windows Server image on that instance. The C2 flavour (2 vCPU / 7.5 GB RAM) is suitable for small-to-moderate IIS workloads.
How it works (what you need to do)
- Create a NovaCloud instance and choose a Windows Server image — when provisioning the instance, pick a supported Windows Server image from the marketplace or image list. You’ll be able to retrieve the Administrator password from the portal after the instance is created.
- Open ports in the security group — allow RDP (TCP 3389) so you can remote desktop into the VM, and open TCP 80 / 443 for HTTP/HTTPS so IIS can serve traffic. NovaCloud uses Security Groups as the first firewall layer.
- RDP into the VM — connect using Remote Desktop with the Administrator account and the retrieved password.
- Install / enable IIS — from Windows Server’s Server Manager: Add Roles and Features → select Web Server (IIS). You can also run: Install-WindowsFeature -name Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools.
- Bind public IP / DNS — ensure your site bindings point to the instance’s IP or an appropriate load balancer if you’re using one.
⚠️ Important Note: Windows Server licensing is a separate charge and is excluded from the base NovaCloud flavour pricing — you will incur additional OS licensing fees for Windows images. Also stopping an instance does not eliminate volume (disk) charges.
Practical tips
- For production sites consider using a larger flavour than C2 if you expect heavier traffic or many concurrent connections.
- Harden RDP (use IP restrictions in Security Groups, change default port, or use a jump host) and close unused ports in the Security Group to reduce exposure.
- If you want TLS termination or scale-out capabilities, consider pairing your IIS backends with our Load Balancer service.