Mechanism for optimizing processing of client requests

This invention relates generally to computer systems, and more particularly to a mechanism for optimizing processing of client requests. An improved mechanism for processing client requests is disclosed. The first time a client request for a particular resource is received by a server, it is processed by stepping through a configuration file, and selectively executing directives specified in the configuration file. As the request is processed, a list of executed directives is compiled. This list of directives is stored for future reference. The next time a request for that same resource is received, the configuration file is not consulted. Instead, the stored list of directives is accessed and used to process the request. More specifically, all of the directives on the list are executed to process the request. Processing the subsequent request in this way eliminates much of the overhead associated with request processing. There is no need to open or to step through the configuration file, and there is no need to step through the directives themselves. By removing this overhead for all requests for a resource after the first, request processing efficiency is significantly improved.