Home/ Questions/Q 8920573
In Process

The Archive Base Latest Questions

Editorial Team
  • 0
Asked: 2026-06-15T06:18:24+00:00

I am a noob; trying to create and use a simple webserver in Python

  • 0

I am a noob; trying to create and use a simple webserver in Python that executes CGI scripts written in Python. I am using Windows XP and Python v3.3.0. I have a “myserver” directory which contains “myserver.py”,”sample.html” and the directory “cgi-bin” which in turn contains “cgi_demo.py”

myserver.py

from http.server import HTTPServer
from http.server import CGIHTTPRequestHandler

port = 8080
host = '127.0.0.1'
server_address = (host,port) 
httpd = HTTPServer(server_address,CGIHTTPRequestHandler)
print("Starting my web server on port "+str(port))
httpd.serve_forever()

cgi_demo.py

import cgi
import cgitb; cgitb.enable()

print("Content-type: text/html")
print
print("<html><body>")
for i in range(0,100):
  print(i,"<br>")
print("</body></html>")

Now the directory listing works fine for “myserver” but not for “cgi-bin”; maybe that is how it is coded – I don’t have a problem here. “sample.html” is retrieved fine too. However, the execution of “cgi_demo.py” is not proper. I get a blank page in the browser; and the console window (which is blank too) appears and disappears. Moreover, on the server’s console I get the message

127.0.0.1 - - [29/Nov/2012 12:00:31] "GET /cgi-bin/cgi_demo.py HTTP/1.1" 200 -
127.0.0.1 - - [29/Nov/2012 12:00:31] command: C:\Python33\python.exe -u "D:\python apps\my web server\cgi-bin\cgi_demo.py" ""
127.0.0.1 - - [29/Nov/2012 12:00:32] CGI script exited OK

Please tell me what is wrong! I get the feeling that the output stream of my script is not connected to the server. What am I doing wrong? Don’t say that I have to extend CGIHTTPRequestHandler!!

Share

Leave an answer

You must login to add an answer.

Need An Account,

1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    SORRY for the trouble!

    Well, it is my fault. 2 things to note:

    [1]The console window that appeared and disappeared; it only happens when I use IDLE to execute the server. If the script is already running in a normal windows console then this does not happen. My Feeling was WRONG.

    [2]There is an bug/error in my cgi script. After printing the HTTP header; the print statement that I wrote was just “print” instead of actually being “print()”.This is so embarrassing! But, even then why didn’t the interpreter catch this error?

    • 0