Configuring Apache for PHP CGI Scripts

∟Configuring Apache for PHP CGI Scripts

This section describes how to configure Apache server to support PHP CGI scripts.

With both PHP engine and Apache Web server installed on my Windows system, I continued to configure the Apache server to support PHP CGI scripts:

1. Open the Apache configuration file, \local\apache\conf\httpd.conf, in a text editor

2. First I have to define a CGI script directory alias, mapping an Apache document directory to a real directory where php-cgi.exe is located. Go to alias_module section and add one line:

<IfModule alias_module>
...
   ScriptAlias /cgi-bin-php/ "/local/php/"
</IfModule>

3. Then I need to add an access control section for this directory as:

<Directory "/local/php/">
     AllowOverride None
     Options None
     Require all granted
</Directory>

4. Next, I have to define a new MIME type to support the .php file extension. Go to mime_module section and one line:

<IfModule mime_module>
...    
    AddType application/x-httpd-php .php 
</IfModule>

5. The last setting is to tell Apache to serve the new MIME type with php-cgi.exe located in the directory alias /cgi-bin-php/: At the root level below the LoadModule section, define an "Action" entry:

#LoadModule xml2enc_module modules/mod_xml2enc.so

Action application/x-httpd-php "/cgi-bin-php/php-cgi.exe"

6. The configuration changes are done. Now restart the Apache server by closing the following command line window and re-enter it again:

C:\herong> \local\apache\bin\httpd

Another way to integrate Apache with PHP is to set PHP as a load module. This is more efficient than the CGI script interface. But for my personal testing purpose, the CGI script interface is good enough.