What is mod_spin

mod_spin is an Apache 2.x module that provides the following functionality (in conjunction with some other modules):

• a simple template language with data replacement capabilities only
• persistent application and session tracking
• dynamic linking of applications into Apache 2 as shared libraries
• parameters, cookies and multipart/form-data parsing via libapreq2
• simple API for (kind of) MVC controller functionality
• simple API for pooled (or not) access to SQL databases

mod_spin is written in C, just like Apache 2 itself and it uses APR, which was written to be cross platform, secure and perform well. Generally speaking, you should see speed improvements when compared to Java, PHP and Perl solutions, sometimes even by an order of magnitude.

If you want to find out more, check out the documentation.

What does the template language look like

Not surprisingly it is similar to Velocity, but with far fewer directives/commands (i.e. it is even simpler):

   #for(${reference})
     some text within the loop and a ${reference.column}
   #end

   #if(${reference}) 
     some text to replace if ${reference} is not NULL
   #else
     some text to replace if ${reference} is NULL
   #end

   #unless(${reference}) 
     some text to replace if ${reference} is NULL
   #else
     some text to replace if ${reference} is not NULL
   #end

The above is the full set of available language constructs in mod_spin template language. Simple, ha?

So, mod_spin is vapourware

As the matter of fact, no, it isn't. A stable release, version 1.0.13, has been released on 19 November, 2007. Note, however, that the binary RPMS have been built on Fedora 8, and you should always pick the correct version of the RPM, as the other one won't work. You can download packages below:

• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/mod-spin/mod_spin-1.0.13.tar.bz2
• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/mod-spin/mod_spin-1.0.13-1.fc8.src.rpm
• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/mod-spin/mod_spin-1.0.13-1.fc8.i386.rpm
• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/mod-spin/mod_spin-devel-1.0.13-1.fc8.i386.rpm

A skeleton application is available from here:

• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/spinapps/app/spin_app-1.0.6.tar.bz2
• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/spinapps/app/spin_app-1.0.6-1.FC4.src.rpm
• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/spinapps/app/spin_app-1.0.6-1.F8.i386.rpm

To run mod_spin, you have to install libapreq2 RPMS, which are available from Fedora.

What is in the works

Only bug fixes related to stability, security and performance from this point on, for the 1.x version of mod_spin.

The stable branch Subversion repository is here:

• http://www.rexursive.com/svn/mod_spin/branches/1.0/
• ViewVC view of mod_spin branch 1.0

Work on the new development branch, which will become mod_spin 1.2, started. You can download the current development release, 1.1.7, from the usual location:

• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/mod-spin/

The usual set of apps has also been released for this version. Simply look for the latest versions here:

• ftp://ftp.rexursive.com/pub/spinapps/

The development (trunk) Subversion repository is here:

• http://www.rexursive.com/svn/mod_spin/trunk/
• ViewVC view of mod_spin trunk

How is mod_spin licensed

mod_spin is licensed under the GNU General Public Licence (GPL). However, it offers special exceptions for linking with Apache and with your own applications that you might want to deploy in mod_spin. See the source code and documentation for more details.

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