How do you set up Python scripts to work in Apache 2.0?

There are two main ways of running Python on Apache. The simplest would be to use CGI and write normal Python scripts while the second is using a web framework like Django or Pylons.

Using CGI is straightforward. Make sure your Apache config file has a cgi-bin set up. If not, follow their documentation (http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/howto/cgi.html). At that point all you need to do is place your Python scripts in the cgi-bin directory and the standard output will become the HTTP response. Refer to Python's documentation for further info (https://docs.python.org/library/cgi.html).

If you want to use a web framework you'll need to setup mod_python or FastCGI. These steps are dependent on which framework you want to use. Django provides clear instructions on how to setup mod_python and Django with Apache (http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/modpython/)

Yes, mod_python is pretty confusing to set up. Here's how I did it.

In httpd.conf:

LoadModule python_module modules/mod_python.so<Directory "/serverbase/htdocs/myapp">  AddHandler mod_python .py  PythonHandler myapp  PythonDebug On

and in your application directory:

$ /serverbase/htdocs/myapp$ ls -ltotal 16-r-xr-xr-x 1 root sys        6484 May 21 15:54 myapp.py

Repeat the configuration for each python program you wish to have running under mod_python.

Are you running Python on UNIX or Windows?

An alternative to mod_python and FastCGI is mod_wsgi. You can find out more at modwsgi

I have built and installed this on Solaris without problems. I had previously tried mod_python but ran into problems with shared libraries as part of the build. There are good install docs available.