Common Gateway Interface

(C-G-I)

A method of transferring data from web pages to scripts running on a web server and back again. CGI scripts on the server are most-often written in the Perl language.

The CGI specification defines how to pass arguments to the program as well as various environment variables the program can use (e.g., the browser's IP address). CGI programs can be very flexible. They are usually located in the directory "/cgi-bin" but this is not required. Some Web hosts may also provide standard scripts located in "/cgi-sys".

More Information

• W3 CGI Description