Question
Don from CA writes:
"What extensions can a SSI file have?"

Answer
04/20/00

SSI (Server Side Includes) files can have just about any extension you want. Most web builders give them extensions such as .asp, .shtml, .shtm, .inc, .txt, .html, and .htm, you can also have "combinations" such as .inc.txt or .asp.inc, etc.

Even though you can name your SSI files with just about any extension, it is good practice to give them a extension that will make the server parse the code found in the file for security reasons. How come? you might ask. Well, for instance let's say you have a file that has a lot of server side code (ASP comes to mind), if you give that file a .txt or .inc extension anyone who finds the path to that file will be able to see its content (your source code) - trust me, you do not want that to happen, however if you give that same file a .asp extension, it will be more difficult for anyone who finds that file to see its content because the server will process any source code in that file before it's rendered on that person's browser.