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CPAN

Ch 057.1of 28 Package Registries
  1. 1Runs onLinux, Mac, Web, Windows
  2. 2CostsFree plan
  3. 3Package ecosystemssingle
3 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: cpan.org
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The CPAN homepage

Overview

CPAN is ranked #5 of 28 in package registries on Specifiction. It runs on Linux, macOS, Web, Windows. There is a free plan.

CPAN plans and pricing

All plans
CPAN Free Free Perl software and documentation archive cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026

Compared on package registries

Free plan
Yescpan.org
Package ecosystems
singlecpan.org

Facts

What it is
CPAN is a large collection of Perl software and documentation.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Archive size
The homepage states that CPAN contains 33,464,960 Perl modules in 47,830 distributions by 14,750 authors.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
History
The archive has been online since October 1995.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Find modules
The site links to MetaCPAN for searching and lists ways to browse modules, authors, and recent uploads.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Install modules
Perl modules can be downloaded and installed using the CPAN.pm tool, with instructions also available for manual installation.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Dependencies
Modules can depend on other modules, and some require a specific version or a C compiler.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Platform support
The Ports page says Perl supports over 100 platforms and lists Windows, macOS, Linux, and other operating systems.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Source downloads
The source page provides Perl source archives and instructions for compiling and installing Perl.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Distribution workflow
Authors upload modules to PAUSE, which inspects, validates, and indexes uploads before they propagate to CPAN and mirrors.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Namespace controls
PAUSE checks package namespaces and only indexes uploads from the owner or an authorized maintainer for existing namespaces.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Testing
The PAUSE documentation says uploaded modules are tested across dozens of architectures by CPAN Testers.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Mirrors and CDN
The mirror page says CPAN is backed by a CDN and users can point at www.cpan.org for access.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Support
The FAQ says CPAN is not a helpdesk for debugging users’ code, but handles questions and problems related directly to CPAN’s operation.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026
Contributor access
Registered PAUSE developers receive password-protected write access to their CPAN author directory.cpan.org · 4 Oct 2026

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Where it ranks on Specifiction

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Sources