ASP

Active Server Pages (ASP) is a server-side scripting environment for generating dynamic web pages. It was developed by Microsoft and released in 1996 as part of Internet Information Services (IIS).

ASP pages use the .asp file extension. They are processed on the server by an ASP engine, which executes code blocks embedded in HTML using languages such as VBScript or JScript. The resulting output, typically HTML, is sent to the client's browser.

ASP exposes a set of built-in objects, including Request, Response, Server, Session, Application, and Context, which provide access to client data, server resources, and application state. It can automate COM components with CreateObject and uses ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) for database access via Connection and Recordset objects. Common features include server-side includes and simple error handling via On Error statements.

Historically, classic ASP was popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a rapid development solution for Windows servers running IIS. It is distinct from ASP.NET, which is a separate framework introduced in 2002 as part of the .NET platform and uses .aspx pages and compiled code.

Today ASP is largely superseded by ASP.NET for new development, but remains in use on legacy sites and in environments that rely on Windows-based hosting. Developers often distinguish "ASP" (classic) from "ASP.NET" to avoid confusion.