[docs] Page serving process

Davor Ocelic docelic at mail.inet.hr
Mon Nov 22 17:18:20 EST 2004


Please, I need someone's 5 minutes to write relatively short
description of what really happens in the process of serving a page.
The general procedure should be precise and detailed where important
(such as when explaining parse order).

Just use plaintext, I'll reformat to XML.

Here's an example list that you can use as a beginning (fill/correct
my omissions if any - point #4 needs most work):

1) The user clicks a link or enters an URL. The webserver is contacted,
   with the request to show a page from a selected vhost:

   host: something.somewhere.net
   GET /cgi-bin/ic/tutorial/test?arg=x

2) IC CGI is called with following parameters:

   file: test
   form GET arguments: arg=x
   form POST arguments: ...

3) IC process is started if needed, or the request is given to
   already running process.

4) IC starts serving a page:

  4.1) Pre-setup
  4.2) Reading a page
  4.3) Parsing a page (parse order and stuff!)
  4.4) Final output

5) Data is filled back to web server.

6) Data is sent back to client.

7) Client's browser munches on input and displays result in a browser.


More information about the docs mailing list