NAME

       apxs - APache eXtenSion tool

SYNOPSIS

       apxs -g [ -S name=value ] -n modname

       apxs -q [ -v ] [ -S name=value ] query ...

       apxs  -c  [ -S name=value ] [ -o dsofile ] [ -I incdir ] [ -D name=value ] [ -L libdir ] [
       -l libname ] [ -Wc,compiler-flags ] [ -Wl,linker-flags ] files ...

       apxs -i [ -S name=value ] [ -n modname ] [ -a ] [ -A ] dso-file ...

       apxs -e [ -S name=value ] [ -n modname ] [ -a ] [ -A ] dso-file ...

SUMMARY

       apxs is a tool for building and installing extension  modules  for  the  Apache  HyperText
       Transfer  Protocol  (HTTP)  server.  This  is achieved by building a dynamic shared object
       (DSO) from one or more source or object files which then can be  loaded  into  the  Apache
       server under runtime via the LoadModule directive from mod_so.

       So  to  use this extension mechanism your platform has to support the DSO feature and your
       Apache httpd binary has to be built with the mod_so module. The  apxs  tool  automatically
       complains  if  this  is  not the case. You can check this yourself by manually running the
       command

             $ httpd -l

       The module mod_so should be  part  of  the  displayed  list.  If  these  requirements  are
       fulfilled  you can easily extend your Apache server's functionality by installing your own
       modules with the DSO mechanism by the help of this apxs tool:

             $ apxs -i -a -c mod_foo.c
             gcc -fpic -DSHARED_MODULE -I/path/to/apache/include -c mod_foo.c
             ld -Bshareable -o mod_foo.so mod_foo.o
             cp mod_foo.so /path/to/apache/modules/mod_foo.so
             chmod 755 /path/to/apache/modules/mod_foo.so
             [activating module `foo' in /path/to/apache/etc/httpd.conf]
             $ apachectl restart
             /path/to/apache/sbin/apachectl restart: httpd not running, trying to start
             [Tue Mar 31 11:27:55 1998] [debug] mod_so.c(303): loaded module foo_module
             /path/to/apache/sbin/apachectl restart: httpd started
             $ _

       The arguments files can be any C source file (.c), a object file (.o) or  even  a  library
       archive  (.a).  The  apxs tool automatically recognizes these extensions and automatically
       used the C source files for compilation while just using the object and archive files  for
       the  linking  phase.  But when using such pre-compiled objects make sure they are compiled
       for position independent code (PIC) to be able to use them for a dynamically loaded shared
       object.  For  instance  with  GCC you always just have to use -fpic. For other C compilers
       consult its manual page or at watch for the flags apxs uses to compile the object files.

       For more details about DSO support in Apache read the documentation of mod_so  or  perhaps
       even read the src/modules/standard/mod_so.c source file.

OPTIONS

   Common Options
       -n modname
              This  explicitly  sets  the  module  name  for  the  -i  (install) and -g (template
              generation) option. Use this to explicitly specify the module name. For  option  -g
              this  is required, for option -i the apxs tool tries to determine the name from the
              source or (as a fallback) at least by guessing it from the filename.

   Query Options
       -q     Performs a query for variables and environment settings used to build  httpd.  When
              invoked  without  query parameters, it prints all known variables and their values.
              The optional -v parameter formats  the  list  output.  .PP  Use  this  to  manually
              determine settings used to build the httpd that will load your module. For instance
              use INC=-I`apxs -q INCLUDEDIR` .PP inside your own Makefiles  if  you  need  manual
              access to Apache's C header files.

   Configuration Options
       -S name=value
              This option changes the apxs settings described above.

   Template Generation Options
       -g     This  generates  a  subdirectory name (see option -n) and there two files: A sample
              module source file named mod_name.c which can be used as a  template  for  creating
              your  own  modules  or  as a quick start for playing with the apxs mechanism. And a
              corresponding Makefile for even easier build and installing of this module.

   DSO Compilation Options
       -c     This indicates the compilation operation. It first compiles the C source files (.c)
              of  files into corresponding object files (.o) and then builds a dynamically shared
              object in dsofile by linking these object files plus the remaining object files (.o
              and  .a) of files. If no -o option is specified the output file is guessed from the
              first filename in files and thus usually defaults to mod_name.so.

       -o dsofile
              Explicitly specifies the filename of the created dynamically shared object. If  not
              specified  and  the  name  cannot be guessed from the files list, the fallback name
              mod_unknown.so is used.

       -D name=value
              This option is directly passed through to the compilation command(s). Use  this  to
              add your own defines to the build process.

       -I incdir
              This  option  is directly passed through to the compilation command(s). Use this to
              add your own include directories to search to the build process.

       -L libdir
              This option is directly passed through to the linker command. Use this to add  your
              own library directories to search to the build process.

       -l libname
              This  option is directly passed through to the linker command. Use this to add your
              own libraries to search to the build process.

       -Wc,compiler-flags
              This option passes compiler-flags as additional flags to the libtool --mode=compile
              command. Use this to add local compiler-specific options.

       -Wl,linker-flags
              This  option  passes  linker-flags  as  additional flags to the libtool --mode=link
              command. Use this to add local linker-specific options.

       -p     This option causes apxs to link against the apr/apr-util libraries. This is  useful
              when compiling helper programs that use the apr/apr-util libraries.

   DSO Installation and Configuration Options
       -i     This  indicates  the  installation  operation  and installs one or more dynamically
              shared objects into the server's modules directory.

       -a     This activates the module by automatically adding a corresponding  LoadModule  line
              to Apache's httpd.conf configuration file, or by enabling it if it already exists.

       -A     Same as option -a but the created LoadModule directive is prefixed with a hash sign
              (#), i.e., the module is just prepared for later activation but initially disabled.

       -e     This indicates the editing operation, which can be used with the -a and -A  options
              similarly  to  the  -i  operation  to  edit  Apache's httpd.conf configuration file
              without attempting to install the module.

EXAMPLES

       Assume you have an Apache module named mod_foo.c available which  should  extend  Apache's
       server  functionality.  To  accomplish  this you first have to compile the C source into a
       shared object suitable for loading into the Apache server under runtime via the  following
       command:

             $ apxs -c mod_foo.c
             /path/to/libtool --mode=compile gcc ... -c mod_foo.c
             /path/to/libtool --mode=link gcc ... -o mod_foo.la mod_foo.slo
             $ _

       Then  you have to update the Apache configuration by making sure a LoadModule directive is
       present to load this shared object. To simplify this step apxs provides an  automatic  way
       to  install  the shared object in its "modules" directory and updating the httpd.conf file
       accordingly. This can be achieved by running:

             $ apxs -i -a mod_foo.la
             /path/to/instdso.sh mod_foo.la /path/to/apache/modules
             /path/to/libtool --mode=install cp mod_foo.la /path/to/apache/modules
             ...
             chmod 755 /path/to/apache/modules/mod_foo.so
             [activating module `foo' in /path/to/apache/conf/httpd.conf]
             $ _

       This way a line named

             LoadModule foo_module modules/mod_foo.so

       is added to the configuration file if still not present. If you want to have this disabled
       per default use the -A option, i.e.

             $ apxs -i -A mod_foo.c

       For a quick test of the apxs mechanism you can create a sample Apache module template plus
       a corresponding Makefile via:

             $ apxs -g -n foo
             Creating [DIR]  foo
             Creating [FILE] foo/Makefile
             Creating [FILE] foo/modules.mk
             Creating [FILE] foo/mod_foo.c
             Creating [FILE] foo/.deps
             $ _

       Then you can immediately compile this sample module into a shared object and load it  into
       the Apache server:

             $ cd foo
             $ make all reload
             apxs -c mod_foo.c
             /path/to/libtool --mode=compile gcc ... -c mod_foo.c
             /path/to/libtool --mode=link gcc ... -o mod_foo.la mod_foo.slo
             apxs -i -a -n "foo" mod_foo.la
             /path/to/instdso.sh mod_foo.la /path/to/apache/modules
             /path/to/libtool --mode=install cp mod_foo.la /path/to/apache/modules
             ...
             chmod 755 /path/to/apache/modules/mod_foo.so
             [activating module `foo' in /path/to/apache/conf/httpd.conf]
             apachectl restart
             /path/to/apache/sbin/apachectl restart: httpd not running, trying to start
             [Tue Mar 31 11:27:55 1998] [debug] mod_so.c(303): loaded module foo_module
             /path/to/apache/sbin/apachectl restart: httpd started
             $ _