PHP

The CLI version of PHP is quite similar to the CGI version, upon which it was
once based. The main difference lies in all the web server integration, which is
really what CGI is about. With CLI, PHP is trimmed down to the very basics,
and imports no GET or POST form variables, outputs no MIME headers in the
output, and generally does none of the behind-the-scenes that other SAPI
implementations do. (more…)

The CLI version of PHP is meant for writing standalone shell-scripts running
independently from any web server. As of PHP 4.3.0, the CLI version of PHP
is installed by default, alongside whatever web server interface you choose to
install. (more…)

Traditionally, PHP is used in web environments to produce HTML markup
that the user views in a web browser. The interaction between PHP and the
web server (Apache, AOLserver, Microsoft IIS, or whatever) happens through
a layer called SAPI (short for web Server API). A separate build of PHP is
required to interface with each type of web server through SAPI.
In this chapter, you explore the CLI (short for Command Line Interface)
server API, which makes PHP a traditional scripting language. This chapter
demonstrates using CLI for writing command-line tools as well as a stand-
alone server application.

By now, you must have noticed the use of macros here and there starting with
TSRM, which stands for Thread-Safe Resource Manager. These macros give
your extension the possibility of having its own global variables, as previously
mentioned. (more…)