Can I execute a shell script from a web page?

Question

My web page uploads a file. Currently it places that file in a directory which is polled by a cron job. If the file is there, a bash script acts on the file. I hate the fact that I am polling. The upload happens perhaps once a week, but the user wants to see results within minutes from their file, so I end up polling every 5 minutes.

So rather than polling, I'd like to evoke the script once the upload is complete. How can I get my web page to fire up the bash script. The web page is coded with JSP.

Just a note that you've got quite the entry point there - make sure you've done a thorough security audit here! — Gavin Miller
– Gavin Miller, Commented Jan 21, 2009 at 22:59
@LFSR, The upload page is authenticated and within our intranet. It is not an issue. — dacracot
– dacracot, Commented Jan 21, 2009 at 23:03

Tom Hawtin - tackline · Accepted Answer · 2009-01-21 23:06:37Z

3

So long as you haven't got a SecurityManager set, you can use Runtime.exec to call an executable program. In particular you can run /bin/bash (or whatever path it is to your shell). Note the -c option for shells.

As LFSR points out, this is the sort of thing likely to be full of security flaws.

answered Jan 21, 2009 at 23:06

Tom Hawtin - tackline

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Tom Hawtin - tackline Over a year ago

java.lang.SecurityManager. Not very fashionable. Mostly used for applets and WebStart.

Eldelshell · Accepted Answer · 2009-01-21 23:37:05Z

-2

Why don't you do this from your app? It won't be very hard to implement an FTP client in Java. Surely there are open/free libraries to accomplish this somewhere. I don't believe this script does anything that you can't do in Java. A message driven bean with the FTP code should be enough. Your server is not FTP? Well, installing FTP isn't that hard either.

answered Jan 21, 2009 at 23:37

Eldelshell

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dacracot Over a year ago

The script does more than we are willing to write in Java. Not because Java can't, but one line in bash to do a rsync using a dsa/rsa link would take considerable effort to replicate in Java.

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