Overview of Internet Information Services 5.0

Common Gateway Interface

IIS 5.0 fully supports both scripts and executable programs written for the CGI specification. When you or your customers create executable CGI programs on a Web server, remote users can start these programs by filling out an HTML form or by simply requesting a URL from the server. Arguments following the question mark in the URL are passed to the CGI application as an environment string, which is then parsed and acted upon. CGI applications run out of process on the server, which means each request creates its own process. This architecture makes CGI applications slower than other types, but because they run in their own process, any problems are less likely to affect the operation of the server.