run exe file on apache server

Question

Should it be possible to put an exe file on an apache server, send a text file via a php form, have the exe process the text file and then send the results back to the client?

Or is this generally not possible (if so, why)?

I looked around a bit but I havent really gotten a conclusive answer. Some say you should use the exe as a cgi script and some say it's only possible on a windows server.

Thanks!

EDIT

My code:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>
<head>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
<?php
echo exec('whoami');
echo exec("my.exe");
echo "<h1>Success</h1>";
?> 
</body>
</html>

Works locally. Should this also work on an apache server hosted by a webspace company? (provided that they didn't prohibit exec).

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12251634/how-to-run-abc-exe-using-php — FiringSquadWitness, May 08 '16 at 22:56
Ah okay, so it should work if a) the apache server is on a Windows machine and b) the hosting provider allows it? But it is wrong to say that an apache server generally cannot execute an exe file called by php? — user3629892, May 08 '16 at 23:02
.exe is an executable filefor Windows. Most servers run on *nix flavors, so while it may work on your windows machine it probably will not work live unless you're sure the live server is Windows. — I wrestled a bear once., May 08 '16 at 23:03
@Pedro Lobito In my case on windows. However, We are having an argument here. I say "apache server + windows OS" should work, and the other guy says "no, you need an IIS". — user3629892, May 08 '16 at 23:04
The host has to allow it, PHP/Apache needs permission to access and execute the file. IIS is for ASP not PHP and has nothing to do with the question. — I wrestled a bear once., May 08 '16 at 23:06
above this code working in local environment in your PC because in my side it does not run . — Karthi, Feb 22 '17 at 06:12

Pedro Lobito · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-15T08:22:42.057

Or is this generally not possible (if so, why)?

There's no "generally", it depends on how apache is configured by your host provider. If you've a vps or a dedicated server the "generally" is what you want.

Some points to consider:

Play safe and provide the full path to the exe, i.e.:

exec("c:/someDir/my.exe");
Make sure the user that apache's running under has permissions to execute the file;
As you may already know, exe files run on windows systems, but not exclusively, they can run under Linux if you've wine installed;
Consider using shell_exec instead of exec, why? shell_exec returns all of the output stream as a string. exec returns the last line of the output by default, but can provide all output as an array specified as the second parameter;

run exe file on apache server

1 Answers1