8.4. Pure mod_perl Programming
Although speed is always desirable, the real power of mod_perl comes in using the mod_perl API to process system information, path information, and posted form data. But the best part is something that can’t be done with plain-Jane CGI—mod_perl allows you to modify the guts of Apache to perform unique and specific tasks during different phases of the Apache request handling process. These phases include access control, authentication, and logging (to name just a few).
The first example, as you might guess, prints “hello, world!” First, create a Perl module. This file must be in a directory that Perl knows about. Earlier we discussed the Apache startup.pl script, and this was one line of that script:
use lib ´/var/www/mod_perl´; ...
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