Motivation:

• You want to deploy a PHP application or WordPress on Windows Server 2019.
• You want to update PHP to any version to address compatibility or security issues in Windows.
• You want to understand how PHP works with IIS.

Solution:

• Install CGI for IIS on Turn Windows features on or off > Internet Information Services > World Wide Web Services > Application Development Features > CGI.
• Download VC15 x86 Non Thread Safe package here or under PHP 7.4 section from http://windows.php.net/download/
• Extract the ZIP file to the C:\Program Files (x86)\php-7.4.9-nts-Win32-vc15-x86 folder.
• Rename the php-.ini-development file to php.ini.
• Open the php.ini file and add the following line at the end of the file.

  extension=php_wincache.dll

• Uncomment the following lines

  fastcgi.impersonate = 1;
  
  cgi.fix_pathinfo=1;
  cgi.force_redirect = 1 (and change the value to 0, i.e. cgi.force_redirect = 0)
  
  extension_dir = "C:\Program Files (x86)\php-7.4.9-nts-Win32-vc15-x86\ext"
  
  extension=php_curl.dll
  extension=php_fileinfo.dll
  extension=php_mbstring.dll
  extension=php_exif.dll
  extension=php_mysqli.dll
  extension=php_pdo_mysql.dll
  extension=php_openssl.dll
  
  error_log = "C:\Program Files (x86)\php-7.4.9-nts-Win32-vc15-x86\php_errors.log"
  
  error_log = syslog

• A sample php.ini file can be download here.
• Add C:\Program Files (x86)\php-7.4.9-nts-Win32-vc15-x86 to System Path.
• Download x86 package of WinCache 2.0 for PHP 7.4 here or from https://sourceforge.net/projects/wincache/.
• Extract and copy the php_wincache.dll file to C:\Program Files (x86)\php-7.4.9-nts-Win32-vc15-x86\ext
  folder.
• Open IIS, click on Server name, double click on Handler Mappings, click on Add Module Mapping, and enter below information.

  Request path = *.php
  
  Module = FastCgiModule
  
  Executable = "C:\Program Files (x86)\php-7.4.9-nts-Win32-vc15-x86\php-cgi.exe"
  
  Name = PHP 7.4
  
  Request Restrictions = File or folder

• Download and install VC_redist.x86.exe of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2019 here or on https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/#microsoft-visual-c-redistributable-for-visual-studio-2019
• en a Command Prompt, execute below command and ensure that NO WARNINGS APPEAR.

  php --version

• Create phpinfo.php file with below content in the root website folder.

  <?php phpinfo(); ?>

• Open http://localhost/phpinfo.php URL and verify PHP information.