[Zope] Zope and Apache vs ZAP? Which server to use?

Michel Pelletier michel@digicool.com
Tue, 13 Jul 1999 14:22:40 -0400


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Philip Suh [mailto:phil@organic.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 1999 1:57 PM
> To: zope@zope.org
> Subject: [Zope] Zope and Apache vs ZAP? Which server to use?
> 
> 
> 
> Ok, I'm installing Zope.
> 
> My goal is to set up a development environment on my local 
> Linux box, which
> would then be the basis of a live production environment on 
> another box, to
> be placed at an ISP.
> 
> So basically, while I have a little time to learn, I want to 
> learn in the
> setup that makes the most sense when I take the site live.
> 
> The site is a commercial website with roughly 8-10 templates 
> and maybe 350
> pages of content, which will grow every week by at least 10 pages.
> (Obviously, I'm thinking in non-Zope terms).
> 
> Anyway, which server should I use?
> 
> I'm guessing the Zope Server is not what I want.

Sure it is.  ZServer does not mean you can't use Apache.  In fact, I
would recommend using Apache to talk to ZServer using PCGI.  This is how
we run the digicool site and our top secret internal zope site overhall.

I don't understand in your subject line bout Apache vs Zap, because Zap
*is* apache.  Zap is our preconfigured and pre-setup Apache binary for
Linux that can be dropped right into Zope.

I think you might be a bit confused about what your publishing options
are.

First, Zope is not a web server, it is an object publisher which can
publish over any protocol and happens to come with a bunch of really
cool objects and a managment interface to deal with them.

The most common protocol to publish these objects over is HTTP.  To
dothis, you can use any webserver which supports CGI.  This includes
Apache.

Zope comes with its own general purpose server called ZServer.  You do
not need to use ZServer to use Zope, however for Zope 2.0.0 is is pretty
highly recommended.  but ZServer is really friendly, it can currently
publish Zope in two transport protcols, HTTP and FTP, by listening
directly on any TCP port you specify.  It can also publish Zope in the
PCGI protcol, which lets it talk to Apache.  So, ZServer can listen on
port 80 for incomming HTTP requests, or you can set up Apache to listen
on port 80 for incomming HTTP requests and then channel those requests
to ZServer over PCGI.  You can even have ZServer listen on one HTTP port
and Apache listen on another HTTP port, and both publish the same Zope.

I have to admit that this is really poorly documented in the
WEBSERVER.txt file.  In fact, I'm going to rewrite that file right now.

> 
> What's the difference between Zope+Apache and ZAP? Which do 
> you recommend I
> use?
> 

There's no real difference.  Zap is apache.  Even if you compile and use
your own Apache, however, it is still quite useful to use Zap's .conf
file as a template for you own.

-Michel

> Thanks again,
> 
> Phil
> who one day will stop spamming you all ;-)
> 
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