MySQL Cookbook, 2nd Edition

Using Apache to Run Web Scripts

Problem

You want to run Perl, Ruby, PHP, or Python programs in a web environment.

Solution

Execute them using the Apache server.

Discussion

This recipe describes how to configure Apache for running Perl, Ruby, PHP, and Python scripts. It also illustrates how to write web-based scripts in each language.

There are typically several directories under the Apache root directory. Here I’ll assume that directory to be /usr/local/apache, although it may be different on your system. For example, on Windows, you might find Apache under C:\Program Files. The directories under the Apache root include bin (which contains httpd—that is, Apache itself—and other Apache-related executable programs), conf (for configuration files, notably httpd.conf, the primary file used by Apache), htdocs (the root of the document tree), and logs (for logfiles). The layout might differ on your system. For example, you might find the configuration files in /etc/httpd and the logs under /var/log/httpd. Modify the following instructions accordingly.

To configure Apache for script execution, edit the httpd.conf file in the conf directory. Typically, executable scripts are identified either by location or by filename suffix. A location can be either language-neutral or language-specific.

Apache configurations often have a cgi-bin directory under the Apache root directory in which you can install scripts that should run as external programs. It’s configured using a ScriptAlias directive:

ScriptAlias ...