Netscape Server Application Programming Interface
| Industry | Software, Internet |
|---|---|
| Founder | Rob McCool |
The Netscape Server Application Programming Interface (NSAPI) serves as an application programming interface designed to enhance server software, with a primary focus on web server platforms.
History
Created by Rob McCool at Netscape, NSAPI was initially developed for the Netscape Enterprise Server. A modified form of this API is also utilized within the Netscape Directory Server.
Since NSAPI lacks an official standard, applications built with it may face compatibility issues when moved between different servers. By 2007, support for NSAPI varied among servers such as the Sun Java System Web Server and Zeus Web Server.
NSAPI plug-ins
Applications developed using NSAPI, known as plug-ins, consist of one or more Server Application Functions (SAFs).
Server administrators set up these plug-ins to implement SAFs, commonly through configuration in the magnus.conf file. The timing and parameters for SAF execution are managed within obj.conf.
NSAPI provides a web server interface comparable to the earlier Common Gateway Interface (CGI). Unlike CGI scripts that execute externally from the server process, NSAPI plug-ins operate inside the server’s process, resulting in enhanced performance. Conversely, CGI’s external execution can improve stability by isolating faulty applications from the core server.
SAFs in NSAPI can be assigned to various phases of HTTP request handling, including authentication, URI mapping, content generation, and logging.
Following NSAPI’s introduction, Microsoft developed the Internet Server Application Programming Interface (ISAPI), while the Apache Software Foundation created the Apache API (ASAPI). Each of these APIs allows applications to run within the server process and engage at different points during request processing. Notably, Apache API hooks bear a strong resemblance to those found in NSAPI.
See also
- NPAPI (Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface)