ASP (Active Server Pages) is a server-side scripting technology developed by Microsoft for creating dynamic web pages. ASP files contain a mix of HTML, script code (typically VBScript or JScript), and server-side commands. When a web browser requests an ASP file, the web server processes the script code within the file before sending the resulting HTML to the browser. This allows for dynamic content generation, database interaction, and personalized user experiences. ASP was a popular technology for building web applications, particularly in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before being largely superseded by ASP.NET. While still supported by Microsoft's IIS web server, ASP is considered a legacy technology. ASP files are interpreted by the server, meaning the client (browser) only receives the final HTML output, keeping the server-side code secure. They are often used for tasks like handling form submissions, managing user sessions, and displaying data from databases.