Server Variables in Active Server Pages (ASP)

This tutorial gives you insight in to Server Variables in ASP, what they are, and how they can be used.

What are Server Variables?

Server Variables, as the name suggests, are variables that are held on your web sites server. They hold important information about the web site, the current sessions client, and other various information such as the current pages address and paramters etc.

How do I access the Server Variables?

To get access to the Server Variables in ASP, you use the ServerVariables() command of the request object:

request.ServerVariables("VarName")

The ServerVariables collection is read-only. You can use a variable from the list below in place of 'VarName'

What are the Variables?

Below is a list of Server Variables that can be accessed, and what they represent.

Name	Description
AUTH_PASSWORD	Returns the clear text password used to authenticate the user. This value is only valid for clear text authenication schemes.
AUTH_TYPE	Returns the name of the scheme used to authenticate the user.
AUTH_USER	Returns the raw authenticated user name.
HTTP_REFERER	Returns a string containing the URL of the original request when a redirect has occurred.
HTTP_<HeaderName>	Returns the value of the HTTP request header (HeaderName). Note that the server will convert any underscore characters in the header name to dashes before searching for the value in the request header.
LOCAL_ADDR	Returns the IP address of the server as a string
LOGON_USER	Returns the name of the currently logged on user.
NET_STAT	Returns true if the network is currently available.
QUERY_STRING	Query information stored in the string following the question mark (?) in the HTTP request.
REMOTE_ADDR	Returns the IP address of the client as a string.
REQUEST_METHOD	Returns the HTTP request method.
REQUEST_PATH	Returns path from the HTTP request.
REQUEST_URL	The URL for the client request
SCRIPT_NAME	The virtual path of the current script page.
PACKAGE_NAME	The name of the current package.
SERVER_NAME	The DNS name or IP address of the server based on the current request.
SERVER_PORT	The TCP port the request was received on.
SERVER_SOFTWARE	The name and version of the current server software.