Server Side Processing: What is server side scripting and its advantages and disadvantages

Server-side scripting, the back-end web development technology, can be defined as a method used in web development in order to produce a customized response for each request from the user to the website. Google uses these scripts to fill in your search term, to place Ads, or to find out the thing you are searching for and so on, while e-commerce sites like Amazon use the scripts to list products and record what you have bought.

Uses can be generalized to Process user input, Display pages, Structure web applications, Interact with permanent storage (SQL, files), etc.

This involves running of user/process request on the originating server by employing scripts on the server. Many languages including ActiveVFP, ASP, C, PHP, Python, etc. can be used to create these scripts and are generally used to deliver dynamic content.

Many server-side scripting languages are cross-platform and are open for anyone to use. This is accomplished with the help of a Common Gateway Interface (CGI).

An alternative for the server is to deliver static web pages. The static page file has a .htm or .html extension whereas dynamic pages have a .cgi or .php file extension. Once a request with one of these extensions are received, the web server passes the request to CGI, which correctly interprets it and scripting is executed in the particular scripting language.

Then the output is passed back to the server which is to be delivered in response to the user request. Server-side scripts written in Python enables us to reuse most of the knowledge from writing Python programs on the desktop. MySQL is utilized for storing information.

The procedures for setting up a server-side scripting in Python for Windows OS are mentioned below:

• Installing a suitable XAMPP installation package for your Operating System to simulate a web server locally.

• Add python path to the system path

• Download and install the MySQL connector for proper communication.

• A proper HTML editor like notepad is required to highlight your code and make it easier to spot mistakes.

• Since you are now ready, simply remember to host with a service provider which supports Python as a scripting language to make the scripts available on the internet.

Advantages of server side scripting

1. Server-side scripting prevents increasing of the load as it does not require plugins or browser scripting technology (such as Javascript). Overloading leads to problems like slow loading, high CPU usage, and even freezing.

2. It is used to create pages dynamically on the fly. Based on the user interaction, new pages can instantly be created.

3. Server-side scripting is necessary to run dynamic pages on browsers that do not fully support Javascript.

4. Server-side scripting does not depend on browser processing as all the processing is performed on the server side.

5. Website owners can create their own applications and make use of CMS (content management system) to easily create and update content on the web without coding as the Server-side scripting languages like PHP can be configured to run CMS applications, like WordPress and Joomla.

6. As the scripting is done on the server, it is not sent back to the browser, which prevents it from being cloned, copied, or scrutinized for hacking vulnerabilities.

7. Loading time of the web pages is often reduced with Server-side scripting which helps to improve your site’s Google ranking.

8. An increased security is ensured for user privacy and is the preferred choice for e-commerce, membership and social media sites.

Disadvantages of server side scripting

• Server-side scripting is slow at times like: 1.) If the user disconnects from the internet, or 2.) The web hosting is down, Then the script may take a long time to execute.

• The scripting software has to be installed on the server.

• New security concerns are associated with the dynamic scripts as in some cases hackers exploit the code flaws to gain access to servers.

• A database is required to store the dynamic data that needs a regular backing up and has to be kept secure.

• Here the pages have to be refreshed often in order to show the dynamic content. Ajax, an innovative method of exchanging data with a server is used by the developers which resolve the problem.

• Websites using large applications and with heavy traffic have to make use of more powerful hosting methods like dedicated servers or cloud hosting to cope with demand.

Server-side scripting is inevitable in today’s world. However, to combat security attacks, all server-side scripts have to be updated to the latest secure versions, and also utilize application firewalls, such as ModSecurity.

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