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Enable CGI, SSI with .htaccess

Web Hosting Articles » A simple guide to .htaccess » Enable CGI, SSI with .htaccess


As .htaccess is a powerful tool. It gives you option to change the way the webserver serves your files. On most web hosting servers you can use SSI (Server Side Includes) in shtml, or shtm files.

However, you need to use SSI in your .html and htm files. There is an easy solution for this.
Just add the following line in your .htaccess file:

AddHandler server-parsed .html .htm

This line will tell the server to parse your .htm file as SSI and execute any SSI directives you have there.

You can also use .htaccess to enable CGI scripts execution as well as change the default extension for such files as well.

For Perl/CGI scripts you will need:

AddHandler cgi-script .cgi .pl

To make PHP files to be parsed as PHP when PHP is running as module

AddType application/x-httpd-php .html .htm


To make PHP files to be parsed as PHP when PHP is running as CGI (suexec, etc)

AddHandler application/x-httpd-php .html .htm

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Comments 6 >>

Rob Shaffer Said,
Oct 09, 2007 @ 13:06

We needed to add the following as well :


AddHandler extension_Type .html .htm .php3 .php4
Action Extension_Type /cgi-bin/php.dat
meeero Said,
Oct 29, 2007 @ 17:15

sure? my apache says "Invalid command 'Action'"
randy s Said,
Apr 11, 2008 @ 09:45

AddHandler extension_Type .html .htm .php3 .php4
Action Extension_Type /cgi-bin/php.dat

This works correctly on our Network Solutions Unix package. PHP is running as CGI with path as show to the dat file.

Thank you!
S P Arif Sahari Wibowo Said,
Nov 21, 2008 @ 11:04

Just addhandler may not enough to allow CGI run. From Apache manual (http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/howto/htaccess.html), you need both comman below:

Options +ExecCGI
AddHandler cgi-script cgi pl
Calling Cards Said,
Jan 13, 2009 @ 12:06

Each server is different..I had them combined until it work.
uttam Said,
Jul 10, 2009 @ 07:44

I have written below lines in my .htaccess file but still there is error to execute CGI files.
can any one hekp me

Options +ExecCGI
AddHandler cgi-script cgi pl
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