CGI Introduction

The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) standard was published, allowing web servers to execute external programs to dynamically generate web pages. This was the primordial soup from which all dynamic web content eventually emerged.

Significance

CGI was the first widely adopted mechanism for dynamic web content, but its process-per-request model highlighted the need for more efficient and structured server-side programming methods, paving the way for frameworks.

Key facts

Date
1993-02-01
Type
invention
Location
NCSA, University of Illinois