O'Reilly Press Room: Perl and C Programmers Get Their Hands on Apache

April 2, 1999

Perl and C Programmers Get Their Hands on Apache

SEBASTOPOL, CA -- Although Apache is the most popular Web server on the Internet, few programmers take advantage of the availability of the source code and the modular design of Apache to extend Web server functionality through the Apache API. The real power of Apache lay in the hands of C gurus and the Apache Development team, since working with the Apache API required rebuilding the Apache server from source.

But mod_perl, the popular Apache module used primarily for enhanced CGI performance, changed all that by making the Apache API available to both Perl and C programmers. With mod_perl, it becomes simple to develop Apache modules with Perl and install them without having to rebuild the Web server. A new O'Reilly release, Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C, shows you how to extend the capabilities of your Web server regardless of whether you use Perl or C as your programming language. This essential new book explains the design of Apache, mod_perl, and the Apache API. It then demonstrates how to use them to perform for tasks like the following:

Rewriting CGI scripts as Apache modules to vastly improve performance
Server-side filtering of HTML documents, to embed special markup or code (much like SSI)
Enhancing server log functionality
Converting file formats on the fly
Implementing dynamic navigation bars
Incorporating database access into CGI scripts
Customizing access control and authorization to block robots or to use an external database for passwords

"Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C will change the way you look at Apache," says Linda Mui, O'Reilly editor. "The power of the Apache API is suddenly available to anyone who is reasonably competent in Perl."

About the Authors
Lincoln Stein and Doug MacEachern. Lincoln is the successful author of How to Set Up and Maintain a World Wide Web Site and the developer of the widely used Perl CGI.pm module. Doug is a consultant and the creator of the innovative mod_perl Apache module.

For more information on Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C, including Table of Contents, index see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wrapmod/

For sample chapters (Chapter 6-Authentication & Authorization; Chapter 7-Handling Other Request Phases; Chapter 8-Customizing the Apache Configuration Process; and Chapter 9-Perl API Reference Guide) see: http://www.modperl.com/

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Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C
By Lincoln Stein & Doug MacEachern
1st Edition March 1999 (US)
1-56592-567-X, 746 pages, $34.95 (US$)

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