What are the best practices for configuring permissions and authentication settings for PHP scripts on IIS 5?

When configuring permissions and authentication settings for PHP scripts on IIS 5, it is important to ensure that only authorized users have access to sensitive files and directories. One way to achieve this is by setting up proper file permissions and utilizing authentication mechanisms such as Basic or Windows authentication. It is also recommended to restrict access to specific IP addresses or user groups to enhance security.

// Example code snippet for setting up Basic authentication in PHP on IIS 5

// Check if the user is authenticated
if (!isset($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'])) {
    header('WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="Restricted Area"');
    header('HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized');
    echo 'Authorization Required';
    exit;
} else {
    // Validate the username and password
    $valid_user = 'username';
    $valid_pass = 'password';

    if ($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] != $valid_user || $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW'] != $valid_pass) {
        header('HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized');
        echo 'Invalid credentials';
        exit;
    }
}