Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
Abbreviation of Common Gateway Interface, CGI is a specification for transferring information between a World Wide Web server and a CGI program. A CGI program is any program designed to accept and return data that conforms to the CGI specification. The program could be written in any programming language, including C, Perl, Java, or Visual Basic.
CGI Programs
CGI programs are the most common way for Web servers to interact dynamically with users. Many HTML pages that contain forms, for example, use a CGI program to process the form’s data once it’s submitted. Another increasingly common way to provide dynamic feedback for Web users is to include scripts or programs that run on the user’s machine rather than the Web server. These programs can be Java applets, Java scripts, or ActiveX controls. These technologies are known collectively as client-side solutions, while the use of CGI is a server-side solution because the processing occurs on the Web server.
One problem with CGI is that each time a CGI script is executed, a new process is started. For busy Web sites, this can slow down the server noticeably. A more efficient solution, but one that it is also more difficult to implement, is to use the server’s API, such as ISAPI or NSAPI. Another increasingly popular solution is to use Java servlets.
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- CGI form
A CGI form is a way for an Internet user to interact dynamically with a Web server. An HTML page that contains a form may use a CGI program to process the form’s data once it has been submitted. For example: a user visits a Web page looking for specific information on a topic and […]
- CGM
Abbreviation of Computer Graphics Metafile, a file format designed by several standards organizations and formally ratified by ANSI. It is designed to be the standard vector graphics file format and is supported by a wide variety of software and hardware products.
- CGMS
Short for Copy Guard Management System, CGMS is a method of copy protection used to prevent unauthorized disc copying. The Copy Guard Management System first determines if data recorded on a recording medium is original or copied, and then prevents the data from being copied when it is not original. A copy of the original […]
- CGO
Short for Chief Green Officer, CGO is the job title of a person within a corporation who is responsible for the implementation and management of the corporation’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. In some corporations, the CFO may be called a Chief Environmental Commitment Officer (CECO).
- CHAP
Short for Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol, a type of authentication in which the authentication agent (typically a network server) sends the client program a random value that is used only once and an ID value. Both the sender and peer share a predefined secret. The peer concatenates the random value (or nonce), the ID and […]