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I'm trying to become familiar with cgi-bin web servers on Linux. &nbsp;I know that the cgi binary generally is compiled using g++. In very basic terms, can someone explain the &quot;basics&quot;?<br />
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1. &nbsp;How does an html file call the cgi binary?<br />
2. &nbsp;What is the basic structure of the cgi code? &nbsp;Java servlets use send/receive responses/requests? &nbsp;Does cgi do something similar?<br />
3. &nbsp;Why is it popular among webhosts?
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I'm trying to become familiar with cgi-bin web servers on Linux.  I know that the cgi binary generally is compiled using g++. In very basic terms, can someone explain the "basics"?

1.  How does an html file call the cgi binary?
2.  What is the basic structure of the cgi code?  Java servlets use send/receive responses/requests?  Does cgi do something similar?
3.  Why is it popular among webhosts?

Linux cgi-bin

A scripting language is a programming language that supports scripts, programs written for a special run-time environment that automate the execution of tasks that could alternatively be executed one-by-one by a human operator. Scripting languages are often interpreted (rather than compiled). Primitives are usually the elementary tasks or API calls, and the language allows them to be combined into more complex programs. Environments that can be automated through scripting include software applications, web pages within a web browser, the shells of operating systems (OS), embedded systems, as well as numerous games. A scripting language can be viewed as a domain-specific language for a particular environment; in the case of scripting an application, this is also known as an extension language.

Scripting Languages

A Linux distribution is an operating system made as a software collection based on the Linux kernel and, often, on a package management system and are available for a variety of systems. A typical Linux distribution comprises a Linux kernel, GNU tools and libraries, additional software, documentation, a window system (the most common being the X Window System), a window manager, and a desktop environment. Most Linux systems are open-source software made available both as compiled binaries and in source code form, allowing modifications to the original software. Over three hundred distributions are in active development, including commercially backed distributions (such as Fedora, openSUSE and Ubuntu) and community-driven distributions (such as Debian, Slackware, Gentoo and Arch Linux).