NAME

Apache::ePerl - mod_perl handler for fast emulated ePerl facility

SYNOPSIS

#   httpd.conf
PerlModule Apache::ePerl

<Files ~ "/root/of/webmaster/area/.+\.iphtml$">
SetHandler  perl-script
PerlHandler Apache::ePerl::handler
</Files>

DESCRIPTION

This packages provides a handler function for Apache/mod_perl which can be used to emulate the stand-alone Server-Side-Scripting-Language ePerl (see eperl(3) for more details) in a very fast way. This is not a real 100% replacement for nph-eperl because of reduced functionality, principal runtime restrictions and speedup decisions. For instance this variant does not (and cannot) provide the SetUID feature of ePerl nor does it check for allowed filename extensions (speedup), etc. Instead it uses further features like object caching which ePerl does not use.

But the accepted bristled source file format is exactly the same as with the regular ePerl facility, because Apache::ePerl uses the Parse::ePerl package which provides the original ePerl parser and translator. So, any valid ePerl which works under nph-eperl can also be used under Apache::ePerl.

The intent is to use this special variant of ePerl for scripts which are directly under control of the webmaster. In this situation no real security problems exists for him, because all risk is at his own hands. For the average user you should not use Apache::ePerl. Instead install the regular stand-alone ePerl facility (nph-eperl) for your users.

ADVANTAGE

The advantage of Apache::ePerl against the regular nph-eperl is better performance. Actually scripts executed under Apache::ePerl are at least twice as fast as under nph-eperl. The reason its not that ePerl itself is faster. The reason are the runtime in-core environment of Apache+mod_perl which does not use forking.

AUTHOR

Ralf S. Engelschall
rse@engelschall.com
www.engelschall.com

HISTORY

Apache::ePerl was first implemented by Mark Imbriaco <mark@itribe.net> in December 1996 as a plain Perl module after he has seen the original ePerl from Ralf S. Engelschall. It implimented the ePerl idea, but not compatible to the original ePerl. In May 1997 Hanno Mueller <hmueller@kabel.de> has taken over the maintainance from Mark I. and enhanced Apache::ePerl by adding caching for P-Code, adding the missing chdir-stuff, etc. Nearly at the same time Ralf S. Engelschall was unhappy of the old Apache::ePerl from Mark I. and already started to write this version (the one you are current reading its POD). He has rewritten the complete module from scratch, but incorporated the P-Code caching idea and the Apache::Status implementation from Hanno M.'s version. The big difference between this one and Mark I.'s or Hanno M.'s versions are that that version makes use of the new Parse::ePerl module which itself incorporates the original ePerl parser. So this version is more compliant to the original ePerl facility.

SEE ALSO

Parse::ePerl(3), eperl(1), http://www.engelschall.com/sw/eperl/.