The CGI(Common Gateway Interface) is a standard for interfacing external applications with information servers, such as HTTP or Web servers. A plain HTML document that the Web daemon retrieves is static, which means it exists in a constant state. A CGI program, on the other hand, is executed in real-time, so that it can output dynamic information.

Since a CGI program is executable, it is basically the equivalent of letting the world run a program on your system, which isn’t the safest thing to do. Therefore, there are some security precautions that need to be implemented when it comes to using CGI programs. Probably the one that will affect the typical Web user the most is the fact that CGI programs need to reside in a special directory, so that the Web server knows to execute the program rather than just display it to the browser. This directory is usually under direct control of the webmaster, prohibiting the average user from creating CGI programs. There are other ways to allow access to CGI scripts, but it is up to your webmaster to set these up for you. At this point, you may want to contact them about the feasibility of allowing CGI access.

A CGI program can be written in any language that allows it to be executed on the system, such as:

• C/C++
• Fortran
• PERL
• TCL
• Visual Basic
• Applescript
• Any Unix Shell

It just depends what you have available on your system. If you use a programming language like C or Fortran, you know that you must compile the program before it will run.  however,you can use one of the scripting languages instead, such as PERL, TCL, or a Unix shell, the script itself only needs to reside in the /cgi-bin directory, since there is no associated source code. Many people prefer to write CGI scripts instead of programs, since they are easier to debug, modify, and maintain than a typical compiled program. click on the link for more internet marketing articles. http://www.applelounge.com

Tags: CGI

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