CGI refers to a specification that allows a web server and a CGI program to communicate and transfer data.

CGI programs provide interactivity for users of a web site, a typical example of a CGI implementation is a contact form where the data the user enters into a web form gets transferred to the CGI program and then processed.

The transfer of data can be done using the ACTION parameter of a HTML form, the two options are GET and POST, the former sending the data as part of the URL and the latter sending the data via the HTTP headers.

More information about the CGI specification can be found at http://www.w3.org/CGI/.

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