Advantages of web server scripting

[healthyaddiction]

I am trying to get my head around the specification for a course my college is running (i'm not teaching it but am in charge of course quality).  Two of the advantages identified about using web server scripting in the specification are:

 

• Run as lower overhead code inside web server plugins
  
• Hide web server interface inside economical APIs
  

 

I am unsure as to what these two specific things are as benefits and I was hoping someone on this site might be able to help me understand.  I do have a generally good knowledge of web server scripting so I figure that my lack of understanding is down to the wording.  I apologise if I have posted this on the wrong forum.

 

I would be most grateful for any help that is offered.

 

Thanks

[requinix]

What do you mean by "web server scripting"? Scripting the web server software itself? That's the best interpretation I can make given those two points.

 

- Plugins to the server would mean higher overhead. They would have to be executed where before they were not. I don't know what this point is getting at.

- APIs would enable someone to control the server without having to care about exactly what happens. Imagine a Restart command: someone could script that command without having to know how to shutdown every application themselves.

[healthyaddiction]

Web server scripts is just the specs way of referring to server-side scripts such as using php.

[healthyaddiction]

btw, thanks for the help, I understand the second point quite clearly now, just need to figure out the first.  Unfortunately the people who write these specifications often don't seem to really know what they're talking about themselves.

[requinix]

Then in that case,

- Run as lower overhead... compared to what?

- Pretty much the same as I said before, except it isn't the server being controlled. Could access a database, send emails, play music, whatever you can make a script do.