= Installing Trac as CGI
[[TracGuideToc]]
[[PageOutline]]

{{{#!div class=important
 ''Please note that using Trac via CGI is the slowest deployment method available. It is slower than [TracModPython mod_python], [TracFastCgi FastCGI] and even [trac:TracOnWindowsIisAjp IIS/AJP] on Windows.''
}}}

CGI script is the entrypoint that web-server calls when a web-request to an application is made. The `trac.cgi` script can be created using the `trac-admin <env> deploy <dir>` command which automatically substitutes the required paths, see TracInstall#cgi-bin. Make sure the script is executable by your web server.

== Apache web-server configuration

In [http://httpd.apache.org/ Apache] there are two ways to run Trac as CGI:

 1. Use a `ScriptAlias` directive that maps an URL to the `trac.cgi` script (recommended)
 1. Copy the `trac.cgi` file into the directory for CGI executables used by your web server (commonly named `cgi-bin`). You can also create a symbolic link, but in that case make sure that the `FollowSymLinks` option is enabled for the `cgi-bin` directory.

To make Trac available at `http://yourhost.example.org/trac` add `ScriptAlias` directive to Apache configuration file, changing `trac.cgi` path to match your installation:
{{{#!apache
ScriptAlias /trac /path/to/www/trac/cgi-bin/trac.cgi
}}}

 ''Note that this directive requires enabled `mod_alias` module.''

If you're using Trac with a single project you need to set its location using the `TRAC_ENV` environment variable:
{{{#!apache
<Location "/trac">
  SetEnv TRAC_ENV "/path/to/projectenv"
</Location>
}}}

Or to use multiple projects you can specify their common parent directory using the `TRAC_ENV_PARENT_DIR` variable:
{{{#!apache
<Location "/trac">
  SetEnv TRAC_ENV_PARENT_DIR "/path/to/project/parent/dir"
</Location>
}}}

 ''Note that the `SetEnv` directive requires enabled `mod_env` module. It is also possible to set TRAC_ENV in trac.cgi. Just add the following code between "try:" and "from trac.web ...":''

{{{#!python
    import os
    os.environ['TRAC_ENV'] = "/path/to/projectenv"
}}}

 '' Or for TRAC_ENV_PARENT_DIR: ''

{{{#!python
    import os
    os.environ['TRAC_ENV_PARENT_DIR'] = "/path/to/project/parent/dir"
}}}

If you are using the [http://httpd.apache.org/docs/suexec.html Apache suEXEC] feature please see [trac:ApacheSuexec].

On some systems, you ''may'' need to edit the shebang line in the `trac.cgi` file to point to your real Python installation path. On a Windows system you may need to configure Windows to know how to execute a .cgi file (Explorer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> File Types -> CGI).

=== Using WSGI

You can run a [http://henry.precheur.org/python/how_to_serve_cgi WSGI handler] [http://pythonweb.org/projects/webmodules/doc/0.5.3/html_multipage/lib/example-webserver-web-wsgi-simple-cgi.html under CGI].  You can [wiki:TracModWSGI#Thetrac.wsgiscript write your own application function], or use the deployed trac.wsgi's application.

== Mapping Static Resources

See TracInstall#MappingStaticResources.

== Adding Authentication

See TracInstall#ConfiguringAuthentication.

----
See also:  TracGuide, TracInstall, [wiki:TracModWSGI], TracFastCgi, TracModPython