What is CGI?

CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface. It’s a protocol that allows web servers to communicate with external programs or scripts running on the server. When a user requests a web page that requires dynamic content generation, the web server invokes a CGI script to process the request. The script can be written in various programming languages like Perl, Python, or even C.

Key Characteristics of CGI

Below are the key characteristics of CGI:

• Server-Side Processing: CGI scripts run on the web server, not the user’s browser.
• Dynamic Content Generation: CGI is often used to generate dynamic web content, like form submissions or database queries.
• Stateless: Each CGI request is independent, and the server doesn’t retain user session data by default.
• Resource Intensive: CGI scripts can be resource-intensive, as each request spawns a new process on the server.

In the ever-evolving world of web development, two fundamental technologies play a crucial role in enhancing user experiences and enabling dynamic web applications: CGI (Common Gateway Interface) and Client-Side Scripting, often powered by JavaScript. These technologies serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. In this blog, we’ll break down CGI and Client-Side Scripting in simple terms and provide a handy table to differentiate between them.