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Apache module mod_fastcgi
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<H1 CLASS="c2">
Module mod_fastcgi
</H1>
<P>
This 3<SUP>rd</SUP> party module provides support for the FastCGI protocol. FastCGI is a language
independent, scalable, open extension to CGI that provides high performance and persistence without the
limitations of server specific APIs.
</P>
<P>
FastCGI applications are not limited to a particular development language (the protocol is open). FastCGI
application libraries currently exist for Perl, C/C++, Java, Python, TCL, SmallEiffel, and Smalltalk.
</P>
<P>
FastCGI applications use TCP or Unix sockets to communicate with the web server. This scalable architecture
allows applications to run on the same platform as the web server or on many machines scattered across an
enterprise network.
</P>
<P>
FastCGI applications are portable to other web server platforms. FastCGI is supported either directly or
through commercial extensions by most popular web servers.
</P>
<P>
FastCGI applications are fast because they're persistent. There is no per-request startup and
initialization overhead. This makes possible the development of applications which would otherwise be
impractical within the CGI paradigm (e.g. a huge Perl script, or an application which requires a connection
to one or more databases).
</P>
<P>
See the FastCGI <A HREF="http://www.FastCGI.com/">website</A> for more information. To receive FastCGI
related announcements and notifications of software updates, subscribe to <A HREF=
"http://fastcgi.com/fastcgi-announce">fastcgi-announce</A>. To participate in the discussion of
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> and FastCGI application development, subscribe to <A HREF=
"http://fastcgi.com/fastcgi-developers">fastcgi-developers</A>.
</P>
<H2>
Summary
</H2>
<P>
For information about building and installing the module, see the <A HREF="../INSTALL">INSTALL</A> document
that came with the distribution.
</P>
<P>
FastCGI applications under <CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> are defined as one of three types: static, dynamic, or
external. They're configured using the <A HREF="#fastcgiserver">FastCgiServer</A>, <A HREF=
"#FastCgiConfig">FastCgiConfig</A>, and <A HREF="#FastCgiExternalServer">FastCgiExternalServer</A> <A HREF=
"#directives">directives</A> respectively. Any URI that Apache identifies as a FastCGI application and
which hasn't been explicitly configured using a <A HREF="#fastcgiserver">FastCgiServer</A> or <A HREF=
"#FastCgiExternalServer">FastCgiExternalServer</A> directive is handled as a dynamic application (see the
<A HREF="#FastCgiConfig">FastCgiConfig</A> directive for more information).
</P>
<P>
FastCGI static and dynamic applications are spawned and managed by the FastCGI Process Manager, fcgi-pm.
The process manager is spawned by Apache at server initialization. External applications are presumed to be
started and managed independently.
</P>
<P>
Apache must be configured to identify requests for FastCGI URIs. <CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> registers (with
Apache) a handler type of <CODE>fastcgi-script</CODE> for this purpose.
</P>
<P>
To configure Apache to handle all files (within the scope of the directive) as FastCGI applications (e.g.
for a fcgi-bin directory):
</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
<CODE><A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_mime.html#sethandler">SetHandler</A>
fastcgi-script</CODE>
</P>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
To configure Apache to handle files (within the scope of the directive) with the specified extension(s) as
FastCGI applications:
</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
<CODE><A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_mime.html#addhandler">AddHandler</A> fastcgi-script
fcg fcgi fpl</CODE>
</P>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
Consult the Apache documentation for more information regarding these and other directives which affect
request handling (such as <CODE><A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_actions.html#action">Action</A>).</CODE>
</P>
<P>
Dynamic FastCGI applications require the <CODE>ExecCGI</CODE> option be enabled (see the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#options"><CODE>Options</CODE></A> directive) in the
application's directory.
</P>
<H2>
Notes
</H2>
<P>
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> logs FastCGI application error (stderr) output to the server log associated with
the request. Errors reported by the FastCGI process manager, fcgi-pm, are reported to the main server log
(typically, logs/error_log). Data written to stdout or stderr before entering the FastCGI <EM>accept</EM>
loop or via a mechanism that is not FastCGI protocol aware will also be directed to the main server log. If
Apache's <A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#loglevel"><CODE>LogLevel</CODE></A> is set
to <CODE>info</CODE> additional informational messages are printed to the logs, these messages may be
especially helpful while debugging a configuration.
</P>
<P>
Under Unix, expect your FastCGI application to see SIGPIPE, SIGUSR1, and SIGTERM. The latest FastCGI C, C++
and Perl application library installs default handlers if none are installed by the application. If an http
client aborts a request before it completes, mod_fastcgi does too - this results in a SIGPIPE to the
FastCGI application. At a minimum, SIGPIPE should be ignored (applications spawned by mod_fastcgi have this
setup automatically). Ideally, it should result in an early abort of the request handling within your
application and a return to the top of the FastCGI accept() loop. Apache uses SIGUSR1 to request a
"graceful" process restart/shutdown. It is sent to Apache's process group (which includes
applications spawned by mod_fastcgi). Ideally, it should result in a FastCGI application finishing the
current request, if any, and then an exit. The mod_fastcgi process manager isn't particularly patient
though (there's room for improvement here) and since it has to shutdown too, sends a SIGTERM to all of
the FastCGI applications it is responsible for. Apache will restart the process manager and it will restart
its managed applications (as if the server was just started). SIGTERM is, well, SIGTERM - your application
should exit quickly.
</P>
<P>
Under Windows, there are no signals. A shutdown event is used instead. This is setup by mod_fastcgi and
honored by the latest version of the C, C++, and Perl application library. If your using a library which
doesn't support this, your application will not get shutdown during an Apache restart/shutdown
(there's room for improvement here).
</P>
<P>
To pass per-request environment variables to FastCGI applications, have a look at: <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_env.html"><CODE>mod_env</CODE></A> (<CODE>SetEnv</CODE>,
<CODE>PassEnv</CODE>, <CODE>UnSetEnv</CODE>), <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_setenvif.html"><CODE>mod_setenvif</CODE></A>
(<CODE>BrowserMatch</CODE>, <CODE>BrowserMatchNoCase</CODE>, <CODE>SetEnvIf</CODE>,
<CODE>SetEnvIfNoCase</CODE>), and <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_rewrite.html"><CODE>mod_rewrite</CODE></A> (if you're feeling
adventurous).
</P>
<P>
FastCGI application output is buffered by default. This is not the case for CGI scripts (under Apache 1.3).
To override the default behavior, use the <CODE>-flush</CODE> option (not available for dynamic
applications).
</P>
<P>
Redirects are handled similarly to CGI. Location headers with values that begin with "/" are
treated as internal-redirects; otherwise, they are treated as external redirects (302).
</P>
<P>
Session affinity (as well as distribution) should be achievable outside of <CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> using
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_rewrite.html"><CODE>mod_rewrite</CODE></A>. If you get this
working, please post the details to <A HREF=
"mailto:fastcgi-developers@fastcgi.com">fastcgi-developers@fastcgi.com</A> so they can be included here.
</P>
<H2>
FastCGI Specification Compliance
</H2>
<P>
The FastCGI specification is not implemented in its entirety and I've deviated a bit as well resulting
in some Apache specific features.
</P>
<P>
The file descriptors for stdout and stderr are left open. This is prohibited by the specification. I
can't see any reason to require that they be closed, and leaving them open prevents FastCGI
applications which were not completely ported to FastCGI from failing miserably. This does not mean the
applications shouldn't be fixed such that this doesn't occur, but is invaluable when using a
3<SUP>rd</SUP> party library (without source code) which expects to be able to write to stderr. Anything
written to stdout or stderr in this manner will be directed to the main server log.
</P>
<P>
The Filter and Log Roles are not supported. The Filter Role has little value in Apache until the output of
one handler can be piped into another (Apache 2.0 is expected to support this). The Log Role has some
value, but Apache's "piped logs" feature is similar (and is even more CPU friendly).
</P>
<P>
The FastCGI protocol supports a feature, described in the specificiation as "multiplexing", that
allows a single client-server connection to be simultaneously shared by multiple requests. This is not
supported. This does *not* prevent FastCGI applications from supporting multiple simultaneous requests over
independent connections. Of course, the application has to be specifically designed to do so by using a
threaded or select/poll based server model.
</P>
<P>
The Authorizer Role has three variations corresponding to three specific Apache request handling
phases: Authentication, Authorization, and Access Control. <CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> sets up the
(Apache specific) environment variable "FCGI_APACHE_ROLE" to indicate which Apache authorizer
phase is being performed.
</P>
<P>
Authorizers under <CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> are sent nearly all of the standard environment variables
typically available to CGI/FastCGI request handlers including some explicitly precluded by the FastCGI
specification (for authorizers); I didn't see the point in leaving them out. All headers returned by a
FastCGI Authorizer in a successful response (Status: 200) are passed to sub-processes (CGI/FastCGI
invocations) as environment variables rather than just those prefixed by <CODE>Variable-</CODE> as the
FastCGI specification calls for; I didn't see the point in leaving them out either. FastCGI
specification compliant authorizer behavior can be obtained by using the <CODE>-compat</CODE> option to the
Auth server directives.
</P>
<P>
Custom failure responses from FastCGI authorizer applications are not supported (speak up if you need
this). See the <A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#errordocument">ErrorDocument</A>
directive for a workaround (a CGI/FastCGI application can serve the error document).
</P>
<H2>
<A NAME="directives">Directives</A>
</H2>
<UL>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiServer"><CODE>FastCgiServer</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiConfig"><CODE>FastCgiConfig</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiExternalServer"><CODE>FastCgiExternalServer</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiIpcDir"><CODE>FastCgiIpcDir</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiWrapper"><CODE>FastCgiWrapper</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiAuthenticator"><CODE>FastCgiAuthenticator</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiAuthenticatorAuthoritative"><CODE>FastCgiAuthenticatorAuthoritative</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiAuthorizer"><CODE>FastCgiAuthorizer</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiAuthorizerAuthoritative"><CODE>FastCgiAuthorizerAuthoritative</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiAccessChecker"><CODE>FastCgiAccessChecker</CODE></A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#FastCgiAccessCheckerAuthoritative"><CODE>FastCgiAccessCheckerAuthoritative</CODE></A>
</LI>
</UL>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiServer">FastCgiServer</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiServer} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiServer <EM>filename</EM> <EM>[option ...]</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
server config, virtual host
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
The <CODE>FastCgiServer</CODE> directive defines <EM>filename</EM> as a static FastCGI application. If the
filename does not begin with a slash (/) then it is assumed to be relative to the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</A>.
</P>
<P>
By default, the Process Manager will start one instance of the application with the default configuration
specified (in parentheses) below. Should a static application instance die for any reason
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> will spawn another to replace it and log the event (at the <CODE>warn</CODE> <A
HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#loglevel"><CODE>LogLevel</CODE></A>).
</P>
<P>
<B>Note:</B> Using <CODE>FastCgiServer</CODE> within a
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#virtualhost">VirtualHost</A>
does not necessarily limited access to that host. If <EM>filename</EM> is
accessible via other virtual hosts, they too can leverage the same definition.
</P>
<P>
<EM>Option</EM> can be one of (case insensitive):
</P>
<DL>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-appConnTimeout <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (0 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix: </STRONG> The number of seconds to wait for a connection to the FastCGI application
to complete or 0 to indicate a blocking <CODE>connect()</CODE> should be used. Blocking
<CODE>connect()</CODE>s have an OS dependent internal timeout<CODE>.</CODE> If the timeout expires, a
SERVER_ERROR results. For non-zero values, this is the amount of time used in a <CODE>select()</CODE>
to write to the file descriptor returned by a non-blocking <CODE>connect().</CODE> Non-blocking
<CODE>connect()</CODE>s are troublesome on many platforms. See also <CODE>-idle-timeout</CODE>, it
produces similar results but in a more portable manner.<BR>
<STRONG>Windows NT: </STRONG> TCP based applications work as above. Named pipe based applications
(static applications configured without the <CODE>-port</CODE> option and dynamic applications) use
this value successfully to limit the amount of time to wait for a connection (i.e. it's not
"troublesome"). By default, this is 90 seconds (FCGI_NAMED_PIPE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT in
mod_fastcgi.h).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-group <EM>groupname|#gid</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix (only):</STRONG> When <A HREF="#FastCgiWrapper">FastCgiWrapper</A> is in use, the group is
used to invoke the wrapper. The <CODE>-group</CODE> option must be used together with
<CODE>-user</CODE>.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-idle-timeout <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (30 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The number of seconds of FastCGI application inactivity allowed before the request is aborted and the
event is logged (at the <CODE>error</CODE> <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#loglevel"><CODE>LogLevel</CODE></A>). The inactivity timer
applies only as long as a connection is pending with the FastCGI application. If a request is queued to
an application, but the application doesn't respond (by writing and flushing) within this period,
the request will be aborted. If communication is complete with the application but incomplete with the
client (the response is buffered), the timeout does not apply.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-initial-env <EM>name[=[value]]</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
A name-value pair to be passed in the FastCGI application's <EM>initial</EM> environment. To pass a
variable from Apache's environment, don't provide the "=" (if the variable isn't
actually in the environment, it will be defined without a value). To define a variable without a value,
provide the "=" without any value. The option can be used repeatedly.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-init-start-delay <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (1 second)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The minimum number of seconds between the spawning of instances of this application. This delay
decreases the demand placed on the system at server initialization.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-flush</STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
Force a write to the client as data is received from the application. By default,
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> buffers data in order to free the application as quickly as possible.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-listen-queue-depth <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (100)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The depth of <CODE>listen()</CODE> queue (also known as the backlog) shared by all of the instances of
this application. A deeper listen queue allows the server to cope with transient load fluctuations
without rejecting requests; it does not increase throughput. Adding additional application instances
may increase throughput/performance, depending upon the application and the host.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-min-server-life <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (30)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The minimum number of seconds the application must run for before its restart
interval is increased to 600 seconds. The server will get 3 tries to run for at least this
number of seconds.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-nph</STRONG></CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
Instructs mod_fastcgi not to parse the headers. See the Apache documentation for more information
about <em>nph</em> (non parse header) scripts.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-pass-header <EM>header</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The name of an HTTP Request Header to be passed in the <EM>request</EM> environment. This option makes
available the contents of headers which are normally not available (e.g. Authorization) to a CGI
environment.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-port <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The TCP port number (1-65535) the application will use for communication with the web server. This
option makes the application accessible from other machines on the network (as well as this one). The
<CODE>-socket</CODE> and <CODE>-port</CODE> options are mutually exclusive.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-priority <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (0)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The process priority to be assigned to the application instances (using <CODE>setpriority()</CODE>).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-processes <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (1)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The number of instances of the application to spawn at server initialization.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-restart-delay <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (5 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The minimum number of seconds between the respawning of failed instances of this application. This
delay prevents a broken application from soaking up too much of the system.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-socket <EM>filename</EM></STRONG> (generated)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix: </STRONG> The filename of the Unix domain socket that the application will use for
communication with the web server. The module creates the socket within the directory specified by
<CODE><A HREF="#FastCgiIpcDir">FastCgiIpcDir</A></CODE>. This option makes the application accessible
to other applications (e.g. <CODE>cgi-fcgi</CODE>) on the same machine or via an external FastCGI
application definition (<CODE><A HREF="#FastCgiExternalServer">FastCgiExternalServer</A></CODE>). If
neither the <CODE>-socket</CODE> nor the <CODE>-port</CODE> options are given, the module generates a
Unix domain socket filename. The <CODE>-socket</CODE> and <CODE>-port</CODE> options are mutually
exclusive.
</DD>
<DD>
<STRONG>Windows NT: </STRONG> The name of the named pipe that the application will use for
communication with the web server. The module creates the named pipe under the named pipe root
specified by <CODE><A HREF="#FastCgiIpcDir">FastCgiIpcDir</A></CODE>. This option makes the application
accessible to other applications (e.g. <CODE>cgi-fcgi</CODE>) on the same machine or via an external
FastCGI application definition (<CODE><A HREF=
"#FastCgiExternalServer">FastCgiExternalServer</A></CODE>). If neither the <CODE>-socket</CODE> nor the
<CODE>-port</CODE> options are given, the module generates a name for the named pipe. The
<CODE>-socket</CODE> and <CODE>-port</CODE> options are mutually exclusive.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-user <EM>username|#uid</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix (only):</STRONG> When <A HREF="#FastCgiWrapper">FastCgiWrapper</A> is in use, the user is
used to invoke the wrapper. The <CODE>-user</CODE> option must be used together with
<CODE>-group</CODE>.
</DD>
</DL>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiConfig">FastCgiConfig</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiConfig <EM>option [option ...]</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
server config
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
The <CODE>FastCgiConfig</CODE> directive defines the default parameters for <EM>all</EM> dynamic FastCGI
applications. This directive does not affect static or external applications in any way.
</P>
<P>
Dynamic applications are not started at server initialization, but upon demand. If the demand is heavy,
additional application instances are started. As the demand fades, application instances are killed off.
Many of the options govern this process.
</P>
<P>
<EM>Option</EM> can be one of (case insensitive):
</P>
<DL>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-appConnTimeout <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (0 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix: </STRONG> The number of seconds to wait for a connection to the FastCGI application
to complete or 0 to indicate a blocking <CODE>connect()</CODE> should be used. Blocking
<CODE>connect()</CODE>s have an OS dependent internal timeout. If the timeout expires, a SERVER_ERROR
results. For non-zero values, this is the amount of time used in a <CODE>select()</CODE> to write to
the file descriptor returned by a non-blocking <CODE>connect()</CODE>. Non-blocking
<CODE>connect()</CODE>s are troublesome on many platforms. See also <CODE>-idle-timeout</CODE>, it
produces similar results but in a more portable manner.<BR>
<STRONG>Windows NT: </STRONG> TCP based applications work as above. Named pipe based applications
(static applications configured without the <CODE>-port</CODE> option and dynamic applications) use
this value successfully to limit the amount of time to wait for a connection (i.e. it's not
"troublesome"). By default, this is 90 seconds (FCGI_NAMED_PIPE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT in
mod_fastcgi.h).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-autoUpdate</STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
Causes mod_fastcgi to check the modification time of the application on disk before processing each
request. If the application on disk has been changed, the process manager is notified and all running
instances of the application are killed off. In general, it's preferred that this type of
functionality be built-in to the application (e.g. every 100th request it checks to see if there's
a newer version on disk and exits if so). There may be an outstanding problem (bug) when this option is
used with <CODE>-restart</CODE>.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-flush</STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
Force a write to the client as data is received from the application. By default,
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> buffers data in order to free the application as quickly as possible.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-gainValue <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (0.5)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
A floating point value between 0 and 1 used as an exponent in the computation of the exponentially
decayed connection times load factor of the currently running dynamic FastCGI applications. Old values
are scaled by (<CODE>1 - gainValue</CODE>), so making it smaller weights old values more than
the current value (which is scaled by <CODE>gainValue</CODE>).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-idle-timeout <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (30 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The number of seconds of FastCGI application inactivity allowed before the request is aborted and the
event is logged (at the <CODE>error</CODE> <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#loglevel"><CODE>LogLevel</CODE></A>). The inactivity timer
applies only as long as a connection is pending with the FastCGI application. If a request is queued to
an application, but the application doesn't respond (by writing and flushing) within this period,
the request will be aborted. If communication is complete with the application but incomplete with the
client (the response is buffered), the timeout does not apply.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-initial-env <EM>name[=[value]]</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
A name-value pair to be passed in the initial environment when instances of applications are spawned.
To pass a variable from the Apache environment, don't provide the "=" (if the variable
isn't actually in the environment, it will be defined without a value). To define a variable
without a value, provide the "=" without any value. The option can be used repeatedly.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-init-start-delay <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (1 second)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The minimum number of seconds between the spawning of instances of applications. This delay decreases
the demand placed on the system at server initialization.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-killInterval <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (300 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
Determines how often the dynamic application instance killing policy is implemented within the process
manager. Smaller numbers result in a more aggressive policy, larger numbers a less aggressive policy.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-listen-queue-depth <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (100)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The depth of <CODE>listen()</CODE> queue (also known as the backlog) shared by all instances of
applications. A deeper listen queue allows the server to cope with transient load fluctuations without
rejecting requests; it does not increase throughput. Adding additional application instances may
increase throughput/performance, depending upon the application and the host.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-maxClassProcesses <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (10)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The maximum number of dynamic FastCGI application instances allowed to run for any one FastCGI
application. It must be <= to -maxProcesses (this is not programmatically enforced).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-maxProcesses <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (50)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The maximum total number of dynamic FastCGI application instances allowed to run at any one time. It
must be >= to -maxClassProcesses (this is not programmatically enforced).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-min-server-life <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (30)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The minimum number of seconds a dynamic FastCGI application must run for before its restart
interval is increased to 600 seconds. The server will get 3 tries to run for at least this
number of seconds.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-minProcesses <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (5)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The minimum total number of dynamic FastCGI application instances allowed to run at any one time
without being killed off by the process manager (due to lack of demand).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-multiThreshold <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (50)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
An integer between 0 and 100 used to determine whether any one instance of a FastCGI application should
be terminated. If the application has more than one instance currently running, this attribute will be
used to decide whether one of them should be terminated. If only one instance remains,
<CODE>singleThreshold</CODE> is used instead.<BR>
For historic reasons the mis-spelling <CODE>multiThreshhold</CODE> is also accepted.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-pass-header <EM>header</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The name of an HTTP Request Header to be passed in the <EM>request</EM> environment. This option makes
available the contents of headers which are normally not available (e.g. Authorization) to a CGI
environment.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-priority <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (0)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The process priority to be assigned to the application instances (using <CODE>setpriority()</CODE>).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-processSlack <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (5)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
If the sum of the number of all currently running dynamic FastCGI applications and
<CODE>processSlack</CODE> exceeds <CODE>maxProcesses</CODE>, the process manager invokes the killing
policy. This is to improve performance at higher loads by killing some of the most inactive application
instances before reaching <CODE>maxProcesses</CODE>.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-restart</STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
Causes the process manager to restart dynamic applications upon failure (similar to static
applications).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-restart-delay <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (5 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The minimum number of seconds between the respawning of failed instances of applications. This delay
prevents a broken application from soaking up too much of the system.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-singleThreshold <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (0)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
An integer between 0 and 100 used to determine whether the last instance of a FastCGI application can
be terminated. If the process manager computed load factor for the application is lower than the
specified threshold, the last instance is terminated. In order to make your executables run in the
"idle" mode for the long time, you would specify a value closer to 1, however if memory or
CPU time is of primary concern, a value closer to 100 would be more applicable. A value of 0 will
prevent the last instance of an application from being terminated; this is the default value, changing
it is not recommended (especially if <CODE>-appConnTimeout</CODE> is set).<BR>
For historic reasons the mis-spelling <CODE>singleThreshhold</CODE> is also accepted.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-startDelay <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (3 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The number of seconds the web server waits patiently while trying to connect to a dynamic FastCGI
application. If the interval expires, the process manager is notified with hope it will start another
instance of the application. The <CODE>startDelay</CODE> must be less than <CODE>appConnTimeout</CODE>
to be effective.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-updateInterval <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (300 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The updateInterval determines how often statistical analysis is performed to determine the fate of
dynamic FastCGI applications.
</DD>
</DL>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiExternalServer">FastCgiExternalServer</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiExternalServer <EM>filename</EM> -host <EM>hostname:port [option ...]</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiExternalServer <EM>filename</EM> -socket <EM>filename [option ...]</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
server config, virtual host
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
The <CODE>FastCgiExternalServer</CODE> directive defines <EM>filename</EM> as an external FastCGI
application. If <EM>filename</EM> does not begin with a slash (/) then it is assumed to be relative to the
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</A>. The <EM>filename</EM> does
not have to exist in the local filesystem. URIs that Apache resolves to this <EM>filename</EM> will be
handled by this external FastCGI application.
</P>
<P>
External FastCGI applications are not started by the process manager, they are presumed to be started and
managed "external" to Apache and mod_fastcgi. The FastCGI devkit provides a simple tool,
<CODE>cgi-fcgi</CODE>, for starting FastCGI applications independent of the server (applications can also
be <EM>self-starting</EM>, see the devkit).
</P>
<P>
<B>Note:</B> Using <CODE>FastCgiServer</CODE> within a
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#virtualhost">VirtualHost</A>
does not necessarily limited access to that host. If <EM>filename</EM> is
accessible via other virtual hosts, they too can leverage the same definition.
</P>
<P>
<EM>Option</EM> can be one of (case insensitive):
</P>
<DL>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-appConnTimeout <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (0 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix: </STRONG> The number of seconds to wait for a connection to the FastCGI application
to complete or 0 to indicate a blocking <CODE>connect()</CODE> should be used. Blocking
<CODE>connect()</CODE>s have an OS dependent internal timeout. If the timeout expires, a SERVER_ERROR
results. For non-zero values, this is the amount of time used in a <CODE>select()</CODE> to write to
the file descriptor returned by a non-blocking <CODE>connect()</CODE>. Non-blocking
<CODE>connect()</CODE>s are troublesome on many platforms. See also <CODE>-idle-timeout</CODE>, it
produces similar results but in a more portable manner.<BR>
<STRONG>Windows NT: </STRONG> TCP based applications work as above. Named pipe based applications
(static applications configured without the <CODE>-port</CODE> option and dynamic applications) use
this value successfully to limit the amount of time to wait for a connection (i.e. it's not
"troublesome"). By default, this is 90 seconds (FCGI_NAMED_PIPE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT in
mod_fastcgi.h).
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-group <EM>groupname|#gid</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix (only):</STRONG> When <A HREF="#FastCgiWrapper">FastCgiWrapper</A> is in use, the group is
used to invoke the wrapper. The <CODE>-group</CODE> option must be used together with
<CODE>-user</CODE>.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-idle-timeout <EM>n</EM></STRONG> (30 seconds)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The number of seconds of FastCGI application inactivity allowed before the request is aborted and the
event is logged (at the <CODE>error</CODE> <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#loglevel"><CODE>LogLevel</CODE></A>). The inactivity timer
applies only as long as a connection is pending with the FastCGI application. If a request is queued to
an application, but the application doesn't respond (by writing and flushing) within this period,
the request will be aborted. If communication is complete with the application but incomplete with the
client (the response is buffered), the timeout does not apply.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-flush</STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
Force a write to the client as data is received from the application. By default,
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> buffers data in order to free the application as quickly as possible.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-host <EM>hostname:port</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The hostname or IP address and TCP port number (1-65535) the application uses for communication with
the web server. The <CODE>-socket</CODE> and <CODE>-host</CODE> options are mutually exclusive.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-nph</STRONG></CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
Instructs mod_fastcgi not to parse the headers. See the Apache documentation for more information
about <em>nph</em> (non parse header) scripts.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-pass-header <EM>header</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
The name of an HTTP Request Header to be passed in the <EM>request</EM> environment. This option makes
available the contents of headers which are normally not available (e.g. Authorization) to a CGI
environment.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-socket <EM>filename</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix: </STRONG> The filename of the Unix domain socket the application uses for
communication with the web server. The filename is relative to the <CODE><A HREF=
"#FastCgiIpcDir">FastCgiIpcDir</A></CODE>. The <CODE>-socket</CODE> and <CODE>-port</CODE> options are
mutually exclusive.
</DD>
<DD>
<STRONG>Windows NT: </STRONG> The name of the named pipe the application uses for communicating
with the web server. the name is relative to the <CODE><A HREF=
"#FastCgiIpcDir">FastCgiIpcDir</A></CODE>. The <CODE>-socket</CODE> and <CODE>-port</CODE> options are
mutually exclusive.
</DD>
<DT>
<CODE><STRONG>-user <EM>username|#uid</EM></STRONG> (none)</CODE>
</DT>
<DD>
<STRONG>Unix (only):</STRONG> When <A HREF="#FastCgiWrapper">FastCgiWrapper</A> is in use, the user is
used to invoke the wrapper. The <CODE>-user</CODE> option must be used together with
<CODE>-group</CODE>.
</DD>
</DL>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiIpcDir">FastCgiIpcDir</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<STRONG>Unix: </STRONG> <CODE>FastCgiIpcDir <EM>directory</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
</TD>
<TD>
<STRONG>Windows NT: </STRONG> <CODE>FastCgiIpcDir <EM>name</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Default"><STRONG>Default:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<STRONG>Unix/Apache: </STRONG> <CODE>FastCgiIpcDir logs/fastcgi</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
</TD>
<TD>
<STRONG>Unix/Apache2: </STRONG> <CODE>FastCgiIpcDir RUNTIMEDIR/fastcgi</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
</TD>
<TD>
<STRONG>Windows NT: </STRONG> <CODE>FastCgiIpcDir \\\\.\\pipe\\ModFastCgi\\</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
server config
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
<STRONG>Unix: </STRONG> The <CODE>FastCgiIpcDir</CODE> directive specifies <EM>directory</EM> as the
place to store (and in the case of external FastCGI applications, find) the Unix socket files used for
communication between the applications and the web server. If the directory does not begin with a slash (/)
then it is assumed to be relative to the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</A>. If the directory doesn't exist,
an attempt is made to create it with appropriate permissions. Do not specify a directory that is not on a
local filesystem! If you use the default directory (or another directory within <CODE>/tmp</CODE>),
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> will break if your system periodically deletes files from <CODE>/tmp</CODE>.
</P>
<P>
<STRONG>Windows NT: </STRONG> The <CODE>FastCgiIpcDir</CODE> directive specifies <EM>name</EM> as the
root for the named pipes used for communication between the application and the web server. The
<EM>name</EM> must be in the form of <STRONG>\\\\.\\pipe\\</STRONG><EM>pipename</EM> (notice that the
backslashes are escaped). The <EM>pipename</EM> can contain any character other than a backslash.
</P>
<P>
The <CODE>FastCgiIpcDir</CODE> directive must precede any <A HREF=
"#FastCgiServer"><CODE>FastCgiServer</CODE></A> or <A HREF=
"#FastCgiExternalServer"><CODE>FastCgiExternalServer</CODE></A> directives (which make use of Unix
sockets). The directory must be readable, writeable, and executable (searchable) by the web server, but
otherwise should not be accessible to anyone.
</P>
<P>
<CODE>FastCgiIpcDir</CODE> is typically used move the directory someplace more suitable (than the default)
for the platform or to prevent multiple Apache instances from sharing FastCGI application instances.
</P>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiWrapper">FastCgiWrapper</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiWrapper <EM>On | Off | filename</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Default"><STRONG>Default:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiWrapper Off</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
server config
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
<STRONG>Unix (only):</STRONG> The <CODE>FastCgiWrapper</CODE> directive is used to enable support for a
wrapper such as <A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/suexec.html">suexec</A> (included with Apache in the
support directory) or <A HREF="http://cgiwrap.sourceforge.net/">cgiwrap</A>. To use the same wrapper used
by Apache, set <CODE>FastCgiWrapper</CODE> to <EM>On</EM> (NOTE - mod_fastcgi cannot reliably determine the
wrapper used by Apache when built as a DSO). The <EM>On</EM> argument requires suexec be enabled in Apache
(for CGI). To use a specific wrapper, specify a <EM>filename</EM>. If the filename does not begin with a
slash (/) then it is assumed to be relative to the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</A>. The wrapper is used to invoke all
FastCGI applications (in the future this directive will have directory context).
</P>
<P>
When <CODE>FastCgiWrapper</CODE> is enabled, no assumptions are made about the target application and thus
presence and permissions checks cannot be made. This is the responsibility of the wrapper.
</P>
<P>
The wrapper is invoked with the following arguments: username, group, application. The username and group
are determined as described below. The application is the "filename" Apache resolves the
requested URI to (dynamic) or the filename provided as an argument to another FastCGI (server or
authorizer) directive. These arguments may or may not be used by the wrapper (e.g. suexec uses them,
cgiwrap parses the URI and ignores them). The environment passed to the wrapper is identical to the
environment passed when a wrapper is not in use.
</P>
<P>
When <CODE>FastCgiWrapper</CODE> is enabled, the location of static or external FastCGI application
directives can be important. Under Apache 1.3, they inherit their user and group from the <CODE>user and
group</CODE> of the virtual server in which they are defined. <CODE><A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#user">User</A></CODE> and <CODE><A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#group">Group</A></CODE> directives <I><U>must</U></I> precede
FastCGI application definitions. Under Apache 2.0, the <CODE>-user</CODE> and <CODE>-group</CODE> options
to <A HREF="#FastCgiServer">FastCgiServer</A> and <A HREF=
"#FastCgiExternalServer">FastCgiExternalServer</A> directives must be used (dynamic applications still use
the virtual server's user and group).
</P>
<P>
Note that access to (use of) FastCGI applications is <U><I>not</I></U> limited to the virtual server in
which they were defined. The application is used to service requests from any virtual server with the same
user and group.
</P>
<P>
If a request is received for a FastCGI application without an existing matching definition already running
with the correct user and group, a dynamic instance of the application is started with the correct user and
group. This can lead to multiple copies of the same application running with different user/group. If this
is a problem, preclude navigation to the application from other virtual servers or configure the virtual
servers with the same User and Group.
</P>
<P>
See the Apache documentation for more information about suexec (make sure you fully understand the security
implications).
</P>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiAuthenticator">FastCgiAuthenticator</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAuthenticator <EM>filename</EM> [-compat]</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
directory
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
The <CODE>FastCgiAuthenticator</CODE> directive is used to define a FastCGI application as a per-directory
authenticator. Authenticators verify the requestor is who he says he is by matching the provided username
and password against a list or database of known users and passwords. FastCGI based authenticators are
useful primarily when the user database is maintained within an existing independent program or resides on
a machine other than the web server.
</P>
<P>
If the FastCGI application <EM>filename</EM> does not have a corresponding static or external server
definition, it is started as a dynamic FastCGI application. If the filename does not begin with a slash (/)
then it is assumed to be relative to the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</A>.
</P>
<P>
<CODE>FastCgiAuthenticator</CODE> is used within <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#directory"><CODE>Directory</CODE></A> or <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#location"><CODE>Location</CODE></A> containers and must include
an <A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#authtype"><CODE>AuthType</CODE></A> and <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#authname"><CODE>AuthName</CODE></A> directive. Only the
<CODE>Basic</CODE> user authentication type is supported. It must be accompanied by a <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#require"><CODE>require</CODE></A> or <CODE><A HREF=
"#FastCgiAuthorizer">FastCgiAuthorizer</A></CODE> directive in order to work correctly.
</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<PRE>
<Directory htdocs/protected>
AuthType Basic
AuthName ProtectedRealm
FastCgiAuthenticator fcgi-bin/authenticator
require valid-user
</Directory>
</PRE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> sends nearly all of the standard environment variables typically available to
CGI/FastCGI request handlers. All headers returned by a FastCGI authentication application in a successful
response (Status: 200) are passed to sub-processes (CGI/FastCGI invocations) as environment variables. All
headers returned in an unsuccessful response are passed on to the client. FastCGI specification compliant
behavior can be obtained by using the <CODE>-compat</CODE> option.
</P>
<P>
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> sets the environment variable "FCGI_APACHE_ROLE" to
"AUTHENTICATOR" to indicate which (Apache specific) authorizer phase is being performed.
</P>
<P>
Custom failure responses from FastCGI authorizer applications are not (yet?) supported. See the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#errordocument">ErrorDocument</A> directive for a workaround (a
FastCGI application can serve the document).
</P>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiAuthenticatorAuthoritative">FastCgiAuthenticatorAuthoritative</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAuthenticatorAuthoritative <EM>On | Off</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Default"><STRONG>Default:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAuthenticatorAuthoritative On</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
directory
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
Setting the <CODE>FastCgiAuthenticatorAuthoritative</CODE> directive explicitly to <EM>Off</EM> allows
authentication to be passed on to lower level modules (as defined in the <CODE>Configuration</CODE> and
<CODE>modules.c</CODE> files) if the FastCGI application fails to authenticate the user.
</P>
<P>
A common use for this is in conjunction with a well protected <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_auth.html#authuserfile"><CODE>AuthUserFile</CODE></A> containing a
few (administration related) users.
</P>
<P>
By default, control is not passed on and an unknown user will result in an Authorization Required reply.
Disabling the default should be carefully considered.
</P>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiAuthorizer">FastCgiAuthorizer</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAuthorizer <EM>filename</EM> [-compat]</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
directory
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
The <CODE>FastCgiAuthorizer</CODE> directive is used to define a FastCGI application as a per-directory
authorizer. Authorizers validate whether an authenticated requestor is allowed access to the requested
resource. FastCGI based authorizers are useful primarily when there is a dynamic component to the
authorization decision such as a time of day or whether or not the user has paid his bills.
</P>
<P>
If the FastCGI application <EM>filename</EM> does not have a corresponding static or external server
definition, it is started as a dynamic FastCGI application. If the filename does not begin with a slash (/)
then it is assumed to be relative to the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</A>.
</P>
<P>
<CODE>FastCgiAuthorizer</CODE> is used within <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#directory"><CODE>Directory</CODE></A> or <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#location"><CODE>Location</CODE></A> containers and must include
an <A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#authtype"><CODE>AuthType</CODE></A> and <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#authname"><CODE>AuthName</CODE></A> directive. It must be
accompanied by an authentication directive such as <A HREF=
"#FastCgiAuthenticator"><CODE>FastCgiAuthenticator</CODE></A>, <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_auth.html#authuserfile"><CODE>AuthUserFile</CODE></A>, <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_auth_db.html#authdbuserfile"><CODE>AuthDBUserFile</CODE></A> or <A
HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/mod_auth_dbm.html#authdbmuserfile"><CODE>AuthDBMUserFile</CODE></A>
in order to work correctly.
</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<PRE>
<Directory htdocs/protected>
AuthType Basic
AuthName ProtectedRealm
AuthDBMUserFile conf/authentication-database
FastCgiAuthorizer fcgi-bin/authorizer
</Directory>
</PRE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> sends nearly all of the standard environment variables typically available to
CGI/FastCGI request handlers. All headers returned by a FastCGI authorizer application in a successful
response (Status: 200) are passed to sub-processes (CGI/FastCGI invocations) as environment variables. All
headers returned in an unsuccessful response are passed on to the client. FastCGI specification compliant
behavior can be obtained by using the <CODE>-compat</CODE> option.
</P>
<P>
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> sets the environment variable "FCGI_APACHE_ROLE" to
"AUTHORIZER" to indicate which (Apache specific) authorizer phase is being performed.
</P>
<P>
Custom failure responses from FastCGI authorizer applications are not (yet?) supported. See the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#errordocument">ErrorDocument</A> directive for a workaround (a
FastCGI application can serve the document).
</P>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiAuthorizerAuthoritative">FastCgiAuthorizerAuthoritative</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAuthorizerAuthoritative <EM>On | Off</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Default"><STRONG>Default:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAuthorizerAuthoritative On</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
directory
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
Setting the <CODE>FastCgiAuthorizerAuthoritative</CODE> directive explicitly to <EM>Off</EM> allows
authorization to be passed on to lower level modules (as defined in the <CODE>Configuration</CODE> and
<CODE>modules.c</CODE> files) if the FastCGI application fails to authorize the user.
</P>
<P>
By default, control is not passed on and an unauthorized user will result in an Authorization Required
reply. Disabling the default should be carefully considered.
</P>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiAccessChecker">FastCgiAccessChecker</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAccessChecker <EM>filename</EM> [-compat]</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
directory
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
The <CODE>FastCgiAccessChecker</CODE> (suggestions for a better name are welcome) directive is used to
define a FastCGI application as a per-directory access validator. The Apache Access phase precede user
authentication and thus the decision to (dis)allow access to the requested resource is based on the HTTP
headers submitted with the request. FastCGI based authorizers are useful primarily when there is a dynamic
component to the access validation decision such as a time of day or whether or not a domain has paid his
bills.
</P>
<P>
If the FastCGI application <EM>filename</EM> does not have a corresponding static or external server
definition, it is started as a dynamic FastCGI application. If the filename does not begin with a slash (/)
then it is assumed to be relative to the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</A>.
</P>
<P>
<CODE>FastCgiAccessChecker</CODE> is used within <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#directory"><CODE>Directory</CODE></A> or <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#location"><CODE>Location</CODE></A> containers.
</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<PRE>
<Directory htdocs/protected>
FastCgiAccessChecker fcgi-bin/access-checker
</Directory>
</PRE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> sends nearly all of the standard environment variables typically available to
CGI/FastCGI request handlers. All headers returned by a FastCGI access-checker application in a successful
response (Status: 200) are passed to sub-processes (CGI/FastCGI invocations) as environment variables. All
headers returned in an unsuccessful response are passed on to the client. FastCGI specification compliant
behavior can be obtained by using the <CODE>-compat</CODE> option.
</P>
<P>
<CODE>mod_fastcgi</CODE> sets the environment variable "FCGI_APACHE_ROLE" to
"ACCESS_CHECKER" to indicate which (Apache specific) authorizer phase is being performed.
</P>
<P>
Custom failure responses from FastCGI authorizer applications are not (yet?) supported. See the <A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/core.html#errordocument">ErrorDocument</A> directive for a workaround (a
FastCGI application can serve the document).
</P>
<HR>
<H2>
<A NAME="FastCgiAccessCheckerAuthoritative">FastCgiAccessCheckerAuthoritative</A>
</H2>
<!-- %plaintext <?INDEX {\tt FastCgiConfig} directive> -->
<TABLE BORDER="0" SUMMARY="">
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Syntax" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAccessCheckerAuthoritative <EM>On | Off</EM></CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF=
"http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Default"><STRONG>Default:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<CODE>FastCgiAccessCheckerAuthoritative On</CODE>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<A HREF="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/mod/directive-dict.html#Context" REL=
"Help"><STRONG>Context:</STRONG></A>
</TD>
<TD>
directory
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
Setting the <CODE>FastCgiAccessCheckerAuthoritative</CODE> directive explicitly to <EM>Off</EM> allows
access checking to be passed on to lower level modules (as defined in the <CODE>Configuration</CODE> and
<CODE>modules.c</CODE> files) if the FastCGI application fails to allow access.
</P>
<P>
By default, control is not passed on and a failed access check will result in a Forbidden reply. Disabling
the default should be carefully considered.
</P>
<HR>
<H3 CLASS="c3">
<A HREF="http://www.FastCGI.com/">www.FastCGI.com</A>
</H3>
</BODY>
</HTML>
distrib
>
Mandriva
>
2008.1
>
x86_64
>
media
>
main-release
>
by-pkgid
>
7d709cc25de75def432d1ece8b5720ee
>
files
>
6
