1. A deprecated term for a device that enables data to flow between different networks (forming an internet). Preferred terms are "protocol converter" (connects networks that use different protocols), "router" (connects two broadcast networks at layer 3 (network layer). Another example is a mail gateway, which is a layer 7 ({application layer}) gateway. 2. An interface between an information source and a World-Wide Webserver. Common Gateway Interface is a standard for such interfaces. The information source can be any system that can be accessed by a program running on the web server. A typical example is a {relational database}. (2000-05-24)
