CGI, which stands for common gateway interface, is not a programming language but a protocol – a set of rules for how a Web server talks to a program. In other words, it is a standard for interfacing external applications with information servers such as HTTP or Web servers.
A CGI program can be written in any language that allows it to be executable on the system, such as:
- C/C++
- Fortran
- PERL
- TCL
- Any Unix shell
- Visual Basic
- AppleScript
Due to its availability for all platforms and tools available, Perl has outrun most languages and emerge as one of the most popular programming language for CGI scripts. Most ISPs around the world prefers or supports Perl, and this includes us.
Your CGI-Bin Directory
Your CGI-BIN directory is where your cgi scripts/programs reside. You need to upload your cgi scripts/programs to this directory else your cgi scripts will not work. This directory should be used to store CGI programs only.
Location of Interpreters
Always put the following line at the top of all your Perl scripts as this tells the UNIX operating system where to find the Perl interpreter to run your script:
#!/usr/local/bin/perl
If you are using shell scripts, the interpreter is located at:
/usr/bin/
Here is a link to a site which contains directory links to other CGI resources web sites: http://www.cgi-resources.com