The Request Processing Cycle

All requests pass through ap_process_request_internal() in request.c, including subrequests and redirects. If a module doesn't pass generated requests through this code, the author is cautioned that the module may be broken by future changes to request processing.

To streamline requests, the module author can take advantage of the hooks offered to drop out of the request cycle early, or to bypass core Apache hooks which are irrelevant (and costly in terms of CPU.)

<Location> sections are consistently enforced for all requests. If the request is an internal redirect or a sub-request, it may borrow some or all of the processing from the previous or parent request's ap_location_walk, so this step is generally very efficient after processing the main request.

mod_vhost_alias will translate the URI's path into the configured virtual host, mod_alias will translate the path to an alias path, and if the request falls back on the core, the DocumentRoot is prepended to the request resource.

If all modules DECLINE this phase, an error 500 is returned to the browser, and a "couldn't translate name" error is logged automatically.

mod_proxy compares and merges the appropriate <Proxy> sections. If the URI is nothing more than a local (non-proxy) TRACE request, the core handles the request and returns DONE. If no module answers this hook with OK或DONE, the core will run the request filename against the <Directory>和<Files> sections. If the request 'filename' isn't an absolute, legal filename, a note is set for later termination.

<Location> sections. The request again borrows some or all of the processing from its previous location_walk above, so this step is almost always very efficient unless the translated URI mapped to a substantially different path or Virtual Host.

Hook: header_parser

The main request then parses the client's headers. This prepares the remaining request processing steps to better serve the client's request.

The Security Phase

Needs Documentation. Code is:

switch (ap_satisfies(r)) {
case SATISFY_ALL:
case SATISFY_NOSPEC:
    if ((access_status = ap_run_access_checker(r)) != 0) {
        return decl_die(access_status, "check access", r);
    }

    if (ap_some_auth_required(r)) {
        if (((access_status = ap_run_check_user_id(r)) != 0)
            || !ap_auth_type(r)) {
            return decl_die(access_status, ap_auth_type(r)
                          ? "check user.  No user file?"
                          : "perform authentication. AuthType not set!",
                          r);
        }

        if (((access_status = ap_run_auth_checker(r)) != 0)
            || !ap_auth_type(r)) {
            return decl_die(access_status, ap_auth_type(r)
                          ? "check access.  No groups file?"
                          : "perform authentication. AuthType not set!",
                          r);
        }
    }
    break;

case SATISFY_ANY:
    if (((access_status = ap_run_access_checker(r)) != 0)) {
        if (!ap_some_auth_required(r)) {
            return decl_die(access_status, "check access", r);
        }

        if (((access_status = ap_run_check_user_id(r)) != 0)
            || !ap_auth_type(r)) {
            return decl_die(access_status, ap_auth_type(r)
                          ? "check user.  No user file?"
                          : "perform authentication. AuthType not set!",
                          r);
        }

        if (((access_status = ap_run_auth_checker(r)) != 0)
            || !ap_auth_type(r)) {
            return decl_die(access_status, ap_auth_type(r)
                          ? "check access.  No groups file?"
                          : "perform authentication. AuthType not set!",
                          r);
        }
    }
    break;
}

mod_mime和mod_mime_magic use this phase to compare the file name or contents against the administrator's configuration and set the content type, language, character set and request handler. Some modules may set up their filters or other request handling parameters at this time.

If all modules DECLINE this phase, an error 500 is returned to the browser, and a "couldn't find types" error is logged automatically.

Hook: fixups

Many modules are 'trounced' by some phase above. The fixups phase is used by modules to 'reassert' their ownership or force the request's fields to their appropriate values. It isn't always the cleanest mechanism, but occasionally it's the only option.

mod_autoindex, will create subrequests for a given URI, and then never serve the subrequest, but simply lists it for the user. Remember not to put required teardown from the hooks above into this module, but register pool cleanups against the request pool to free resources as required.