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
- cPanel Hosting: Access to a hosting account with Python installed (most Linux hosts have Python pre-installed).
- File Access: Access via File Manager or FTP/SSH.
Step 1: Create the Script
Create a file named hello.py.
Crucial Requirements:
- Shebang Line: The very first line must point to the Python interpreter. On most cPanel servers, this is
#!/usr/bin/env python3or#!/usr/bin/python3. - Content-Type Header: You must print the HTTP header before any other output, followed by a blank line.
#!/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("<!DOCTYPE html>")
print("<html>")
print("<head>")
print("<title>Python on Apache</title>")
print("</head>")
print("<body>")
print("<h1>Hello from Python!</h1>")
print(f"<p>Python Version: {sys.version}</p>")
print("</body>")
print("</html>")Step 2: Upload and Permissions
- Upload
hello.pyto yourpublic_htmlorcgi-binfolder. - 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:
Options +ExecCGI
AddHandler cgi-script .pyTroubleshooting
- 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) ordos2unixcommand. - Shebang: Ensure the path
#!/usr/bin/env python3is correct for your server.
- Code Displayed as Text:
- Apache doesn't know it should execute the file. Check your
.htaccessconfiguration (AddHandler).
- Apache doesn't know it should execute the file. Check your