Web Hosting FAQs

What is CGI / Perl?

CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface which is the standard method by which data is passed between web servers and web applications. Perl is the programming language most commonly used when writing CGI web applications.

Example: "Tell a Friend" Script

The user completes a web form with their friend's email address and a message. The data is posted to the server by submitting the form and the data is then passed via CGI to a Perl script. The Perl script takes the information provided in the form and uses it to compose an email and send it to the address specified. The Perl script could then send a response back to the server which could be output to the browser, displaying a "thank you" or error message.

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