Shared Apache 2.0 Module vs Static Apache Module

Question

I found it from http://www.php.net/manual/en/configure.about.php

These are the configure options of PHP compilation

--with-apache[=DIR]
    Build a static Apache module. DIR is the top-level Apache build directory, defaults to /usr/local/apache.

--with-apxs2[=FILE]
    Build shared Apache 2.0 module. FILE is the optional pathname to the Apache apxs tool; defaults to apxs.

What is meaning of static and shared?

Answer 1

static: The PHP module will be compiled into the Apache binary itself and will be loaded everytime Apache is started.

dynamic: The PHP module will be compiled as dynamic shared library and you can choose whether you want to load it or not.

Apache may be faster with static modules but in order to remove or update an module you have to recompile the whole code.