Running CGI-scripts (Python)

[Apothem]

How do I make it so that if I go to mysite.com, then it will run the file in cgi-bin/myprog.py?

To add to it, how do I make it so that any file with the extension "py" are not directly viewable, but can be viewed if they go to mysite.com/file_without_extension?

[oesxyl]

Originally Posted by Apothem

How do I make it so that if I go to mysite.com, then it will run the file in cgi-bin/myprog.py?

To add to it, how do I make it so that any file with the extension "py" are not directly viewable, but can be viewed if they go to mysite.com/file_without_extension?

assuming that your server is apache:

general information about how to use cgi:
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/howto/cgi.html

more specific, how to wotk with files extensions:
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod...tml#addhandler

try this steps and post problems:
1. check to have as first line starting with first column of myprog.py this line:

#!/usr/bin/env python

2. move myprog.py in cgi-bin of the site
3. in cgi-bin directory run from terminal this command:

chmod 755 myprog.py

4. point your browser to this address: http://localhost/cgi-bin/myprog.py
or http://yourserveraddress/cgi-bin/myprog.py

best regards

[Apothem]

Is it possible to hide the "cgi-bin" part of the URL?

[oesxyl]

Originally Posted by Apothem

Is it possible to hide the "cgi-bin" part of the URL?

yes, is usual, one way is to use a rewrite rules

http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/rewrite/

best regards

[Apothem]

Well, I know a little bit about the rewrite rules, but I do not know of any way to make it so that if the user goes to "<any_file_or_folder>" they will be directed to "cgi-bin/<any_file_or_folder>"...


Also, what is the benefit from having it in the cgi-bin versus outside of it? I have read that it is secure, but how?

[oesxyl]

Originally Posted by Apothem

Well, I know a little bit about the rewrite rules, but I do not know of any way to make it so that if the user goes to "<any_file_or_folder>" they will be directed to "cgi-bin/<any_file_or_folder>"...

Also, what is the benefit from having it in the cgi-bin versus outside of it? I have read that it is secure, but how?

, you didn't read none of the pages from the links i give it to you, isn't it?

best regards

[Apothem]

I skimmed it... :P

I mean from what I can understand:
RewriteRule ^/?(.+?) /cgi-bin/$1 [L]

That -should- do what I want... but does that mean it should be in the first line? Last line? As before I thought this would cause an endless loop.

[oesxyl]

Originally Posted by Apothem

I skimmed it... :P

I mean from what I can understand:
RewriteRule ^/?(.+?) /cgi-bin/$1 [L]

That -should- do what I want... but does that mean it should be in the first line? Last line? As before I thought this would cause an endless loop.

rewriting depend on the server settings but usualy this will work:

RewriteRule ^(.+)$ /cgi-bin/myprog.py

now if you have a requests like http://yourserver/apage the cgi script will process the request and in browser address bar you will see http://yourserver/apage and not http://yourserver/cgi-bin/myprog.py.
but, imo, this is only cosmetics and doesn't matter too much.

best regards

[Apothem]

Well, I read from one of the URLs you gave me related to Python that having the files in the cgi-bin is more secure, though I do not know why. If it wasn't a problem, I would have probably just left the files in the root directory (public_html).

[oesxyl]

Originally Posted by Apothem

Well, I read from one of the URLs you gave me related to Python that having the files in the cgi-bin is more secure, though I do not know why. If it wasn't a problem, I would have probably just left the files in the root directory (public_html).

you can't run cgi script outside of the cgi-bin directory without changing server setting. The document root of the server, public_html, is for everything you want except scripts.

http://www.w3.org/Security/Faq/wwwsf4.html

best regards