Difference Between CGI and Servlet


In this post, we will understand the difference between CGI and servlet.

Servlet

  • It is a Java class that helps extend the abilities of servers.

  • These are the servers that help host applications, which are accessed using a requestresponse model.

  • They help extend the applications that are hosted using web servers.

  • But they also have the ability to respond to other kinds of requests.

  • For different kinds of applications, HTTP-specific servlet classes can be defined using Java Servlet.

  • These programs are written in Java, and they run on Java virtual machine.

  • It is based on thread.

  • This means that for every new request, a new thread is created.

  • It is an object oriented concept.

  • It is portable.

  • It stays in memory until not explicitly eliminated.

  • It can use any web-server.

  • It allows data sharing.

  • It helps link directly to the server.

  • It can read and set the HTTP servers.

  • The process of construction and destroying a thread is not expensive.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface)

  • It behaves like a middleware between www servers and external database and information resources.

  • World Wide Web consortium has defined CGI.

  • It also defines how a program would interact with a HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) server.

  • The server would pass the information to an application.

  • This application would process the data, and send a confirmation message stating the same.

  • This process of passing/communicating the data back and forth between the application and the server is known as CGI.

  • It is based on a process. This means that for every new request, a new process is created.

  • It can be implemented in any programming language.

  • It need not be object oriented.

  • It doesn’t link the server directly to the application.

  • It doesn’t have the ability to set or read HTTP server data.

  • The construction and destruction of processes is considered expensive.

  • It is not portable.

  • It is removed from memory once the request has been server.

  • It uses web-server that it supports.

  • It doesn’t support data sharing.

Updated on: 23-Mar-2021

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