SSI stands for Server Side Includes, which are HTML-embedded directives that allow for more interactive web pages. SSI is a good way to create dynamic content without having to do a lot of extra work, such as adding simple counters. For truly dynamic web websites, however, it is best to use Perl (CGI) or PHP (Scripting). In fact, as PHP continues to grow in popularity and functionality, fewer and fewer sites use SSI.
Put simply, SSI is like using your HTML server as a cut and paste editor. Here is basically what happens when your server handles a request for an SSI document with a .shtml suffix.
- The server reads the document and "parses it," a technical term meaning chops up and looks for special instructions. These instructions are called "directives," a technical term for directions.
- The server follows the instructions that it finds and merges their results into a finished document.
- The document is then sent to the client browser for viewing.
The Apache Site.
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