php frontend, python backend

[poiboy]

Assuming you have access to a Python/MySQL-enabled server
(perhaps at home?), you may be able to connect the front-
and backends via RPCs like SOAP and XMLRPC.

The XMLRPC solution (probably the simplest) looks like this:

See if the webhost's PHP has XMLRPC functions enabled. 
The functions are well documented at 
http://xmlrpc-epi.sourceforge.net (look for the section 
"About xmlrpc-epi-php") and not so well documented in the 
PHP docs. This extension also supports SOAP and SimpleRPC.

If these functions aren't available, you can use the XMLRPC
includes for PHP at http://phpxmlrpc.sourceforge.net.

Use these to build your PHP client ("send function name with
parameters to backend server and wait for a reply").

Next, set up the Python XMLRPC server ("listen for requests
and process them accordingly"). There are instructions at:

http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/python/2001/01/17/xmlrpcserver.html

and general information at 

http://www.pythonware.com/products/xmlrpc/

If you want the client and server to communicate securely 
(using SSL), the easiest way to wrap the PHP client is with
the PHP Curl (cURL, CURL, ..) extension - assuming of course
that the webhost enabled PHP with Curl and that Curl was 
enabled with SSL.

Aloha, the poiboy