CPAN vs Maven Central
CPAN
cpan.orgMaven Central
central.sonatype.comSide by side
| Figure | CPAN | Maven Central |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Package Registries | 8.1 (#12) | 7.8 (#16) |
| Support | The FAQ says CPAN is not a helpdesk for debugging users’ code, but handles questions and problems related directly to CPAN’s operation. | Publishers can contact [email protected] for usage reviews, higher limits, exemptions or commercial-scale publishing guidance. |
Plans
In their own words
CPAN
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.
Maven Central
Maven Central has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.