# Running Python Scripts on Apache (cPanel) This guide demonstrates how to run Python scripts on a standard Apache web server, such as those provided by cPanel shared hosting. The most common method for simple scripts in this environment is using **CGI (Common Gateway Interface)**. ## Prerequisites 1. **cPanel Hosting**: Access to a hosting account with Python installed (most Linux hosts have Python pre-installed). 2. **File Access**: Access via File Manager or FTP/SSH. ## Step 1: Create the Script Create a file named `hello.py`. **Crucial Requirements:** 1. **Shebang Line**: The very first line must point to the Python interpreter. On most cPanel servers, this is `#!/usr/bin/env python3` or `#!/usr/bin/python3`. 2. **Content-Type Header**: You must print the HTTP header before any other output, followed by a blank line. ```python #!/usr/bin/env python3 import cgitb import sys # Enable detailed error reporting (useful for debugging 500 errors) cgitb.enable() # 1. Print HTTP Header print("Content-Type: text/html\n") # 2. Print HTML Content print("") print("") print("") print("Python on Apache") print("") print("") print("

Hello from Python!

") print(f"

Python Version: {sys.version}

") print("") print("") ``` ## Step 2: Upload and Permissions 1. Upload `hello.py` to your `public_html` or `cgi-bin` folder. 2. **Set Permissions**: You must change the file permissions to **755** (rwxr-xr-x). * In cPanel File Manager: Right-click file -> Change Permissions. * Via SSH: `chmod 755 hello.py` ## Step 3: Configure Apache (.htaccess) By default, Apache might only execute scripts in the `cgi-bin` directory or might treat `.py` files as plain text. To execute them in `public_html`, you need to modify your `.htaccess` file. Create or edit the `.htaccess` file in the same directory as your script: ```apache Options +ExecCGI AddHandler cgi-script .py ``` ## Troubleshooting * **500 Internal Server Error**: * **Permissions**: Ensure the file is 755. * **Line Endings**: If you wrote the script on Windows, it might have Windows line endings (`\r\n`). Convert it to Unix (`\n`) using a text editor (Notepad++ -> Edit -> EOL Conversion -> Unix) or `dos2unix` command. * **Shebang**: Ensure the path `#!/usr/bin/env python3` is correct for your server. * **Code Displayed as Text**: * Apache doesn't know it should execute the file. Check your `.htaccess` configuration (`AddHandler`). [[programming/python/python]]