CPAN vs Inedo ProGet

CPAN is a free archive of Perl software and documentation, with ways to find, download, and install modules. Its homepage lists 33,464,960 modules in 47,830 distributions from 14,750 authors; the archive has been online since October 1995. Visitors can search through MetaCPAN or browse modules, authors, and recent uploads. Modules can be installed with CPAN.pm, and manual installation instructions are available. Dependencies can require other modules, a particular version, or a C compiler. The site also provides Perl source archives and instructions for compiling and installing Perl. Authors submit uploads through PAUSE, which inspects, validates, and indexes them before they propagate to CPAN and its mirrors. For existing package namespaces, PAUSE indexes uploads only from the owner or an authorized maintainer. Its documentation says uploaded modules are tested across dozens of architectures by CPAN Testers. The Ports page lists Perl support for over 100 platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. CPAN is backed by a CDN. The FAQ says CPAN handles questions about its own operation, not debugging users’ code.

Inedo ProGet is a package and container repository for teams that need a central place to manage software packages and Docker images. It supports formats including NuGet, PyPI, Conda, npm, Ruby Gems, Maven, Chocolatey, PowerShell/DSC, RPM/Yum, Debian/apt, and Alpine/APK. Teams can cache upstream packages, set approval workflows, scan for vulnerabilities, identify licenses, and block packages that fail their requirements. ProGet can host private Docker registries and scan container contents to help control which images reach production. It integrates with CI/CD tools and includes a CLI and HTTP API for component identification and SBOM publishing. Deployment options include self-hosted Windows or Linux installations and cloud VM or container environments. Identity and operational features include LDAP, SAML, load balancing, high availability, and feed replication for disaster recovery. The free edition permits commercial use and unlimited feeds for private packages and Docker, but has limited security and compliance features. Paid annual plans start at $2,395/year. Licensing is per server, and test or development installations require separate licenses.