Member Avatar for davidianstyle

If I want to create a dynamic page where most of the work is handled by the server, is ASP the way to go? I'm guessing my host will have to support ASP in order to do this...

  • 5 Contributors
  • 5 Replies
  • 123 Views
  • 1 Week Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by hopalongcassidy

Dani AI

Generated

If the goal is "most work handled by the server," pick a server-side platform that fits your language preference and hosting. Classic ASP (older Microsoft/IIS technology) will do server-side rendering, but Ruby is not normally embedded inside .asp pages. Trying to mix Ruby into Classic ASP is uncommon and brittle; instead treat Ruby as the server-side platform (Rails, Sinatra, or another Rack app) or choose a Microsoft stack (Classic ASP or ASP.NET) that your host comfortably supports.

Practical paths to consider:

  • If you want Ruby: develop a Ruby web app (Rails or a lightweight framework) and host it on a Ruby-friendly server (Passenger, Puma, or a PaaS). Deploy the Ruby app directly rather than trying to inject Ruby into .asp files. Use PostgreSQL or MySQL for production databases—Rails works well with either, and migrations handle schema changes.
  • If your host is Windows/IIS only: use Classic ASP or move to ASP.NET (recommended for new apps). You can still run a Ruby service separately and proxy requests from IIS to the Ruby process, but that requires more sysadmin work.
  • If you must mix technologies: isolate responsibilities (serve HTML from one stack, expose a JSON API from the other) and integrate via HTTP calls or a reverse proxy. This keeps each part simple and maintainable.

Notes and cautions: Classic ASP is legacy and not ideal for new projects; ASP.NET Core is the modern, cross-platform Microsoft option. IronRuby and similar ways to run Ruby on the .NET CLR are effectively deprecated. Check hosting support (language, web server, database) before committing. As pointed out, database choice influences your stack; is correct that MySQL can be used with Microsoft stacks; and ’s tip to verify ISP support is essential before you start.

Recommended Answers

All 5 Replies

Member Avatar for dilipjangid

Yes! ASP is server supported script, request is exected on server and result revert back to cliect.
You are going to right way.

Member Avatar for davidianstyle

Sounds great! I just requested for my host to upgrade my account to support ASP. I'm very excited to start building my own site!!!

So, to start off...if I'm using Ruby, what will I need to do? Is there a tutorial out there to show how to correctly embed Ruby code into the ASP page?

Member Avatar for warren2787

Maybe...

Are you planning to use a database as part of your application? I currently use ASP with MS Access (on the server side) for several sites - and it works great.

If your wanted to use open source DBs - MySql for instance - I would put the effort into learning PHP.

I'm currently trying to move a site from Access to MySql (and retain the ASP code) - and think I may have been smarter to have done PHP/MySql from the start.

My 2 cents...Warren

Member Avatar for SheSaidImaPregy

I am not sure of that warren, mysql and asp is very easy! It's actually much easier than php with mysql. And you know what is even easier? asp.net and mysql/mssql.

Member Avatar for hopalongcassidy

I've used ASP (or what is now called "Classic ASP") for a while. I like it, but I've been reading and experimenting with ASP.Net. It is not only very cool, but has some real advantages over classic ASP.

Firstly, it's part of Microsoft's long term strategy for internet applications. This means that all the new goodies will be focused on ASP.Net, not on Classic ASP.

Secondly, it is more efficient than Classic ASP (particularly with large pages) because you can use it to change the data on your page without reloading the page. This saves server time constructing the page, browser time formatting the page and traffic on the Internet. Essentially the client can take action that just requests new data be displayed in a given part of the page while leaving the rest of the page unchanged.

But, before you do anything, make sure your ISP can support it. That includes not only your choice of language (ASP, ASP.Net, PHP, etc.) but also the database (mysql, MS SQL, etc).

Hoppy

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.