View source for Mod perl

{{Short description|Apache HTTP Server module that integrates Perl}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:mod_perl}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = mod_perl
| logo                   = [[File:Apache_Perl_Logo.svg|250px|Apache mod_perl Logo]]
| developer              = [[Apache Software Foundation]]
| released               = {{Start date and age|1996|3|25}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://perl.apache.org/about/history.html|title=History|work=mod_perl website|publisher=[[Apache Software Foundation]]|date=15 February 2014|access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref>
| latest release version = 2.0.13
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|2023|10|21|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://perl.apache.org/download/index.html|title=Download|work=mod_perl website|publisher=Apache Software Foundation|access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref>
| platform               = [[Perl]]
| genre                  = [[Perl module]] for [[Apache HTTP server]]
| license                = [[Apache License 2.0]]
| website                = {{URL|perl.apache.org/}}
}}
'''mod_perl''' is an optional module for the [[Apache HTTP server]]. It embeds a [[Perl]] [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreter]] into the Apache server. In addition to allowing Apache modules to be written in the Perl programming language, it allows the Apache web server to be dynamically configured by Perl programs. However, its most common use is so that dynamic content produced by Perl [[Scripting language|scripts]] can be served in response to incoming requests, without the significant overhead of re-launching the Perl interpreter for each request.

[[Slash (CMS)|Slash]], which runs the web site [[Slashdot]], is written using mod_perl.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slashcode.com/www.slashcode.com/docs/INSTALL.html|title=Slash installation|website=slashcode.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504133416/http://slashcode.com/www.slashcode.com/docs/INSTALL.html|archive-date=2015-05-04}}</ref> Early versions of [[PHP]] were implemented in Perl using mod_perl.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theperlreview.com/articles/php.html|title=Paying Homage to Perl (PHP)|website=theperlreview.com|date=February 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625070202/http://www.theperlreview.com/articles/php.html|archive-date=2013-06-25}}</ref>

mod_perl can emulate a [[Common Gateway Interface]] (CGI) environment, so that existing Perl CGI scripts can benefit from the performance boost without having to be re-written.

Unlike CGI (and most other web application environments), mod_perl provides complete access to the Apache [[Application programming interface|API]], allowing [[programmer]]s to write handlers for all phases in the Apache request cycle, manipulate Apache's internal tables and state mechanisms, share data between Apache [[Process (computing)|processes]] or [[Thread (computer science)|thread]]s, alter or extend the Apache [[configuration file]] [[Parsing|parser]], and add Perl code to the configuration file itself, among other things.

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
*[[CGI.pm]]
*[[FastCGI]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|//perl.apache.org/}}
*[http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2002/02/26/whatismodperl.html Why mod_perl?]
*[http://www.revsys.com/writings/modperl.html The magic of mod_perl]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203607/http://www.modperl.com/ Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C]
*[http://www.modperlcookbook.org/ The mod_perl Developer's Cookbook]
*[http://modperl2book.org/ mod_perl2 User's Guide ]
*[http://www.modperl.pl/how-to/ An easy step-by-step installation guide for mod_perl2 on Unix/Linux and Windows/ReactOS]

{{Apache Software Foundation}}
{{Web interfaces}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mod Perl}}
[[Category:Apache httpd modules|Perl]]
[[Category:Perl]]
[[Category:Articles with underscores in the title]]
[[Category:Cross-platform software]]


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