Python ISPs

[Stuart D. Gathman]

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 01:38:57 -0400, Cliff Wells wrote:

> On Thu, 2003-09-18 at 13:24, Paradox wrote:
>> Does anyone know of some ISPs that have Mod_Python installed. Most seem
>> to allow Python CGI but not things like Mod_Python or Spyce. Is this a
>> viable solution or should I just learn PHP. I would prefer to leverage
>> my Python knowledge but I also would like a fast robust solution.
> 
> Interestingly enough, I just started a new job at
> http://www.commandprompt.com and I convinced my boss yesterday that
> Python-friendly hosting would be a good thing.  If you're interested you
> can email me offlist.  We're pretty open to most things, including
> third-party modules, specific Python version installs and the like.
> There's only a few things my boss won't bend on (No Windows [Linux
> only], no MySQL [PostgreSQL only], no gaping security holes).  Other
> than that, we're open to most other things.

I was thinking about the security aspects of this.  Wouldn't it be a good
idea to have each client (or the hosting company) run their own Python VM?
 It could use fast_cgi so the VM would stay loaded.  Python does not have
enough isolation to make multiple clients within a single VM a good idea.

We do this with Java (even though Java provides much better isolation than
Python, it is still pretty easy to DOS a VM with infinite loops and memory
hogging).

In addition to fast_cgi, the Python code can run its own micro web
server, and the shared Apached server simply proxies a subtree to the
Python server.

-- 
	      Stuart D. Gathman <stuart at bmsi.com>
Business Management Systems Inc.  Phone: 703 591-0911 Fax: 703 591-6154
"Confutatis maledictis, flamis acribus addictis" - background song for
a Microsoft sponsored "Where do you want to go from here?" commercial.