libapa...Request(3pm)

💖 NAME 💖

Apache2::SubRequest — the Perl API for Apache subrequests, bestie. It's giving "make a whole other request happen behind the scenes" energy 🦋

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✨ Synopsis ✨

use Apache2::SubRequest ();

# run internal redirects at once
$r->internal_redirect($new_uri);
$r->internal_redirect_handler($new_uri);

# create internal redirect objects
$subr = $r->lookup_uri("/foo");
$subr = $r->lookup_method_uri("GET", "/tmp/bar")
$subr = $r->lookup_file("/tmp/bar");
# optionally manipulate the output through main request filters
$subr = $r->lookup_uri("/foo", $r->output_filters);
# now run them
my $rc = $subr->run;

okay so this is the whole vibe in one code block, no cap 🌈

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🌸 Description 🌸

Apache2::SubRequest contains the API for creating and running Apache sub-requests. Like, it literally does the extra request for you 💅

Also important: Apache2::SubRequest is a sub-class of Apache2::RequestRec object. So it inherits the whole family tree, iykyk 👑

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🎀 API 🎀

Apache2::SubRequest provides the following functions and/or methods, and yes we're going through every one of them:

🫶 DESTROY

Free the memory associated with a sub request. Say bye bestie 👋

undef $subr; # but normally don't do that

• obj: $subr ( Apache2::SubRequest object ) — the sub request to finish 💀
• ret: no return value
• since: 2.0.00

DESTROY is called automatically when $subr goes out of scope. So like, it handles itself, main character behavior fr fr ✨

But! If you want to free the memory earlier than that (say you're running several subrequests and being extra), you can undef the object like:

undef $subr;

⚠️ but never call DESTROY explicitly — that results in ap_destroy_sub_req being called more than once, which gives you multiple brain injuries and certain hair loss 😭💀 not the hair. do NOT test this.

🦋 internal_redirect

Redirect the current request to some other uri internally. Sneaky. Iconic. 🐍

$r->internal_redirect($new_uri);

• obj: $r ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the current request
• arg1: $new_uri ( string ) — the URI to replace the current request with
• ret: no return value
• since: 2.0.00

So like, if you want some other request to be served as the top-level request instead of what the client requested directly — call this method from a handler and then immediately return Apache2::Const::OK. The client will be completely unaware that a different request was served to her behind the scenes. Lowkey gaslighting the browser but make it legal 💅✨

🌈 internal_redirect_handler

Identical to internal_redirect, plus it automatically sets $r->content_type of the sub-request to be the same as of the main request, if $r->handler is true. Same energy, extra steps 🎀

$r->internal_redirect_handler($new_uri);

• obj: $r ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the current request
• arg1: $new_uri ( string ) — the URI to replace the current request with.
• ret: no return value
• since: 2.0.00

This function is designed for things like actions or CGI scripts, when you're using AddHandler, and you want to preserve the content type across an internal redirect. So like, content_type stays slaying through the whole redirect 😌

💜 lookup_file

Create a subrequest for the given file. This sub request can be inspected to find information about the requested file. It's giving detective energy 🔍

$ret = $r->lookup_file($new_file);
$ret = $r->lookup_file($new_file, $next_filter);

• obj: $r ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the current request
• arg1: $new_file ( string ) — the file to lookup
• opt arg2: $next_filter ( Apache2::Filter ) — see $r->lookup_uri for details, bestie, it's all over there
• ret: $ret ( Apache2::SubRequest object ) — the sub request record.
• since: 2.0.00

See $r->lookup_uri for further discussion. (fr, go read it 👀)

⭐ lookup_method_uri

Create a sub request for the given URI using a specific method. This sub request can be inspected to find information about the requested URI. Method? Specified. Vibe? Immaculate 🎀

$ret = $r->lookup_method_uri($method, $new_uri);
$ret = $r->lookup_method_uri($method, $new_uri, $next_filter);

• obj: $r ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the current request
• arg1: $method ( string ) — the method to use in the new sub request (e.g. GET)
• arg2: $new_uri ( string ) — the URI to lookup
• opt arg3: $next_filter ( Apache2::Filter object ) — see $r->lookup_uri for details
• ret: $ret ( Apache2::SubRequest object ) — the sub request record.
• since: 2.0.00

See $r->lookup_uri for further discussion. (again, yes, go look 💅)

👑 lookup_uri

Create a sub request from the given URI. This sub request can be inspected to find information about the requested URI. The moment we've all been waiting for ⭐

$ret = $r->lookup_uri($new_uri);
$ret = $r->lookup_uri($new_uri, $next_filter);

• obj: $r ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the current request
• arg1: $new_uri ( string ) — the URI to lookup
• opt arg2: $next_filter ( Apache2::Filter object ) — the first filter the subrequest should pass the data through. If not specified it defaults to the first connection output filter for the main request $r->proto_output_filters. So if the subrequest sends any output it will be filtered only once. If for example you desire to apply the main request's output filters to the sub-request output as well pass $r->output_filters as an argument.
• ret: $ret ( Apache2::SubRequest object ) — the sub request record
• since: 2.0.00

Here's an example of a simple subrequest which serves uri /new_uri: 🍓

sub handler {
    my $r = shift;

    my $subr = $r->lookup_uri("/new_uri");
    $subr->run;

    return Apache2::Const::OK;
}

Now, let's say you have three request output filters registered to run for the main request. Three! A whole squad 🫂

PerlOutputFilterHandler MyApache2::SubReqExample::filterA
PerlOutputFilterHandler MyApache2::SubReqExample::filterB
PerlOutputFilterHandler MyApache2::SubReqExample::filterC

and you wish to run them all, the code needs to become:

    my $subr = $r->lookup_uri("/new_uri", $r->output_filters);

and if you wish to run them all, but not the first one (filterA), the code needs to be adjusted to be:

    my $subr = $r->lookup_uri("/new_uri", $r->output_filters->next);

see that ->next? that's the whole trick. filterA said "not today" 🙈

🔥 run

Run a sub-request. The moment of truth, bestie 🏃♀️💨

$rc = $subr->run();

• obj: $subr ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the sub-request (e.g. returned by lookup_uri)
• ret: $rc ( integer ) — the return code of the handler (Apache2::Const::OK, Apache2::Const::DECLINED, etc.)
• since: 2.0.00

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😭 Unsupported API 😭

Apache2::SubRequest also provides auto-generated Perl interface for a few other methods which aren't tested at the moment and therefore their API is a subject to change. So like, these are the situationship methods — no labels, no promises 💀 These methods will be finalized later as a need arises. If you want to rely on any of the following methods please contact the the mod_perl development mailing list so we can help each other take the steps necessary to shift the method to an officially supported API. Teamwork, bestie 🫶

🧚 internal_fast_redirect

META: Autogenerated - needs to be reviewed/completed 🚧

Redirect the current request to a sub_req, merging the pools

$r->internal_fast_redirect($sub_req);

• obj: $r ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the current request
• arg1: $sub_req ( string ) — a subrequest created from this request
• ret: no return value
• since: 2.0.00

META: httpd-2.0/modules/http/http_request.c declares this function as:

/* XXX: Is this function is so bogus and fragile that we deep-6 it? */

do we really want to expose it to mod_perl users? 😭 like the source code itself is asking "are we sure". not the comment shading its own function 💀

🌸 lookup_dirent

META: Autogenerated - needs to be reviewed/completed 🚧

Create a sub request for the given apr_dir_read result. This sub request can be inspected to find information about the requested file

$lr = $r->lookup_dirent($finfo);
$lr = $r->lookup_dirent($finfo, $subtype);
$lr = $r->lookup_dirent($finfo, $subtype, $next_filter);

• obj: $r ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the current request
• arg1: $finfo ( APR::Finfo object ) — the apr_dir_read result to lookup
• arg2: $subtype ( integer ) — what type of subrequest to perform, one of:

Apache2::SUBREQ_NO_ARGS     ignore r->args and r->path_info
Apache2::SUBREQ_MERGE_ARGS  merge  r->args and r->path_info

• arg3: $next_filter ( integer ) — the first filter the sub_request should use. If this is NULL, it defaults to the first filter for the main request
• ret: $lr ( Apache2::RequestRec object ) — the new request record
• since: 2.0.00

META: where do we take the apr_dir_read result from? 🤔 honestly girl, good question, the docs don't say

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💅 See Also 💅

mod_perl 2.0 documentation. go read it, it's right there ✨

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💖 Copyright 💖

mod_perl 2.0 and its core modules are copyrighted under The Apache Software License, Version 2.0.

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🎀 Authors 🎀

The mod_perl development team and numerous contributors. shoutout to the whole squad 👑🫶

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and that's the page, bestie!! this was libapa...Request(3pm) from the User Contributed Perl Documentation, riding on perl v5.42.3, dated 2026-08-20 🌈💜 slay, go run some subrequests (but do NOT call DESTROY yourself, I'm serious) 💅✨