How to make older SSI code work with latest Apache version

The Apache web server, which is the core site availability engine, is constantly updated. Due to this fact and for the purpose of sustaining good levels of online performance, the software developers have to keep their code consistent with the latest web standards.

In many cases where code is not synchronized with the latest Apache standards, performance degeneration does not occur due to backwards compatibility. Because of this, sites hosted on a web server that has just updated its software can continue to function without a problem.

However, for some software developers backwards compatibility is still not a top priority. As a consequence, old code may often break particularly after a software update.

A few months ago the support team at ResellersPanel had a case that refers to this topic. One of the customers contacted them because several SSI elements on his website were not working.

After a thorough examination of the issue, the technical team concluded that it stems from the fact that the client was using an older SSI syntax.

As of version 2.3.13 of the Apache web server onward this syntax was no longer supported by default.

How to fix SSI backwards compatibility errors

The addition of the SSILegacyExprParser directive into the .htaccess file solved the problem:

SSILegacyExprParser on

Thanks to this small line the old SSI parser was restarted. This allowed the SSI elements on the client’s website to start working again.

Provided the developer of your website(s) keeps up with the times, you won’t experience this problem – but if you do, now you’ll know how to tackle it.

In case you would like to leave the job to the pros – you can always get in touch with the support team representatives. They are online 24/7/365, ready to help.

Common uses of SSI on websites:

• A single Page header file (including a page source comment)
• Conditional generation of CSS in-line data (depending on browser variables)
• Conditional generation of in-line Javascript (depending on browser variables)
• News sections on certain pages
• Left-hand navigation on certain pages
• Right-hand navigation on certain pages
• Standard footers on all pages (including copyright and page modified dates)
• Printer-friendly pages using conditionally generated CSS