How to Configure CGI Scripts in Apache

Written by Rahul, Updated on December 15, 2019

CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface are useful for creating dynamic content on the web page by transferring data from server to client. A CGI script can be written in any scripting language like Bash, java, C, Perl, Python, etc. Which can be easily executed by the webserver.

This article will help you to configure your own script as CGI scripts in Apache VirtualHost. We will use some test CGI scripts for example. Follow the below steps.

Step 1 – Create CGI Script

Create any test script in any scripting language. For this example, I am creating two scripts, one with the bash scripting and the other with Perl scripting.

Bash Script: [/usr/local/cgi-bin/mybash.cgi]

#!/bin/bash

echo -e "Content-type: text/html\n\n"
echo "Welcome! to First CGI Script"

#!/bin/bash

echo -e "Content-type: text/html\n\n"

echo "Welcome! to First CGI Script"

Perl Script: [/usr/local/cgi-bin/myperl.cgi ]

#!/usr/bin/perl

print "Content-type: text/html\n";
print "Welcome! to First CGI Script";

#!/usr/bin/perl

print "Content-type: text/html\n";

print "Welcome! to First CGI Script";

Now put your both scripts under scripts directory which can be created anywhere in the system. Make sure that it is accessible by Apache. For this example we have created both script under /usr/local/cgi-bin/ directory.

Step 2 – Configure Apache VirtualHost

Now edit Apache configuration file and go to defined VirtualHost. Add the following highlighted lines in the VirtualHost configuration.

<VirtualHost *:80>
     ServerName www.example.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html

     ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "/usr/local/cgi-bin/"
     <Directory "/usr/local/cgi-bin/">
         Require all granted
         Options +ExecCGI
         AddHandler cgi-script .cgi
     </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

ServerName www.example.com

DocumentRoot /var/www/html

ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "/usr/local/cgi-bin/"

Require all granted

Options +ExecCGI

AddHandler cgi-script .cgi

</Directory>

</VirtualHost>

Save configuration file and restart Apache service.

Step 3 – Verify CGI Script

Now test your CGI scripts by opening URLs like below in your favorite web browser. You will show the text “Welcome! to First CGI Script” on your webpage.

  http://localhost/cgi-bin/myperl.cgi
  http://localhost/cgi-bin/mybash.cgi

2 Comments

Nobody Reply
January 6, 2021 at 4:01 pm
1. The Perl-script is missing one newline.
2. For it to work a symbolic link to cgi.load had to be created in modules-enabled. Then a restart of Apache.
sudo ln -s /etc/apache2/mods-available/cgi.load /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/
sudo service apache2 restart
Allentown dating Reply
October 23, 2019 at 10:08 am
You were not mistaken

Step 1 – Create CGI Script

Step 2 – Configure Apache VirtualHost

Step 3 – Verify CGI Script

Rahul

2 Comments

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