What serves as an alternative to application server software for connecting a Web server and databases?

The correct choice is CGI, which stands for Common Gateway Interface. CGI acts as a method for web servers to communicate with executable scripts, which can interact with databases to retrieve or update information. When a web server receives a request for dynamic content, CGI scripts can process the request, interact with the database, and then send the appropriate response back to the web server, which ultimately delivers it to the client's browser.

CGI provides a way to extend the capabilities of a web server, allowing for dynamic content generation. For instance, when a user submits a form on a web page, the web server can invoke a CGI script that retrieves data from a database and processes it to provide a tailored response.

On the other hand, HTML is a markup language used to create static web pages and does not provide any server-side processing capabilities to interact with databases. Java, while powerful and capable of server-side processing, typically requires additional frameworks or technologies (such as a servlet container) to connect with web servers and databases. SQL is a language specifically used to manage and query data in relational database systems, but it does not facilitate direct communication between web servers and databases without a programming or scripting language.