CPAN
Encyclopedia
CPAN, the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, is an archive of nearly 100,000 modules of software
written in Perl
, as well as documentation for it. It has a presence on the World Wide Web
at www.cpan.org and is mirrored
worldwide at more than 200 locations. CPAN can denote either the archive network itself, or the Perl program that acts as an interface to the network and as an automated software installer (somewhat like a package manager). Most software on CPAN is free and open source software
.
s, Perl has mechanisms to use external libraries of code, making one file contain common routines used by several programs. Perl calls these modules. Perl module
s are typically installed in one of several directories
whose paths
are placed in the Perl interpreter
when it is first compiled
; on Unix-like
operating system
s, common paths include /usr/lib/perl5, /usr/local/lib/perl5, and several of their subdirectories.
Perl comes with a small set of core modules. Some of these perform bootstrapping tasks, such as ExtUtils::MakeMaker, which is used for building and installing other extension modules; others, like CGI.pm
, are merely commonly-used. The authors of Perl do not expect this limited group to meet every need, however.
, although the source for the modules is often stored on GitHub
. Also, the complete history of the CPAN and all its modules is available as the GitPAN project, allowing to easily see the complete history for all the modules and for easy maintenance of forks. CPAN is also used to distribute new versions of Perl, as well as related projects, such as Parrot
.
The CPAN is an important resource for the professional Perl programmer. With over 23,000 modules (containing 20,000,000 lines of code) as of July 2011, the CPAN can save programmers weeks of time, and large Perl programs often make use of dozens of modules. Some of them, such as the DBI
family of modules used for interfacing with SQL
database
s, are nearly irreplaceable in their area of function; others, such as the List::Util module, are simply handy resources containing a few common functions.
ped tar archive or a ZIP file. Distributions will often contain installation scripts (usually called Makefile.PL or Build.PL) and test scripts which can be run to verify the contents of the distribution are functioning properly. New distributions are uploaded to the Perl Authors Upload Server, or PAUSE (see the section Uploading distributions with PAUSE).
In 2003 distributions started to include metadata files, called META.yml, indicating the distribution's name, version, dependencies, and other useful information; however, not all distributions contain metadata. When metadata is not present in a distribution, the PAUSE's software will usually try to analyze the code in the distribution to look for the same information; this is not necessarily very reliable.
With thousands of distributions, CPAN needs to be structured to be useful. Distributions on the CPAN are divided into 24 broad chapters based on their purpose, such as Internationalization
and Locale
; Archiving, Compression
, And Conversion
; and Mail
and Usenet
News. Distributions can also be browsed by author. Finally, the natural hierarchy of Perl module names (such as "Apache::DBI" or "Lingua::EN::Inflect") can sometimes be used to browse modules in the CPAN.
CPAN module distributions usually have names in the form of CGI-Application-3.1 (where the :: used in the module's name has been replaced with a dash, and the version number has been appended to the name), but this is only a convention; many prominent distributions break the convention, especially those that contain multiple modules. Security restrictions prevent a distribution from ever being replaced, so virtually all distribution names do include a version number.
s of data, or a subset of it if the mirror's maintainer wishes to selectively choose.
Most mirrors update themselves hourly, daily or bidaily from the CPAN master site. Some sites are major FTP servers which mirror lots of other software, but others are simply servers owned by companies that use Perl heavily. There are at least two mirrors on every continent except Antarctica.
For more information on CPAN mirrors, see mirrors.cpan.org.
More recently, an effort to replace CPAN.pm with something cleaner and more modern has resulted in the CPANPLUS or CPAN++ set of modules. CPANPLUS separates the back-end work of downloading, compiling, and installing modules from the interactive shell used to issue commands. It also supports several advanced features, such as cryptographic signature checking and test result reporting. Finally, CPANPLUS can uninstall a distribution. CPANPLUS was added to the Perl core in version 5.10.0.
Both modules can check a distribution's dependencies
and can be set to recursively install any prerequisites, either automatically or with individual user approval. Both support FTP and HTTP and can work through firewalls and proxies.
Registrations are manually reviewed, so the process may take a week or longer.
Once registered, the new PAUSE account has a directory in the CPAN under authors/id/(first letter)/(first two letters)/(author ID). They may use a web interface at pause.perl.org, or the PAUSE ftp server to upload files to their directory and delete them. PAUSE will warn an administrator if a user uploads a module that already exists, unless they are listed as a co-maintainer. This can be specified through PAUSE's web interface.
typesetting language has an equivalent, the CTAN
(and in fact the CPAN's name is based on the CTAN), few languages have an exhaustive central repository for libraries. The PHP
language has PECL and PEAR
, Python
has a PyPI (Python Package Index) repository, Ruby
has RubyGems
, Lua has LuaRocks, Haskell
has Hackage and an associated installer/make clone cabal
; but none of these are as large as the CPAN. Other major languages, such as Java
and C++
, have nothing similar to the CPAN (though for Java there is central Maven
, and C++ has the Boost C++ Libraries).
The CPAN has grown so large and comprehensive over the years that many people learning Perl seem to elevate it to a sort of mythical status, and express surprise when they begin to encounter topics for which a CPAN module doesn't exist already.
The CPAN's influence on Perl's eclectic culture should not be underestimated either. As a hive of activity in the Perl world, the CPAN both shapes and is shaped by Perl culture. Its "self-appointed master librarian", Jarkko Hietaniemi
, often takes part in the April Fools Day jokes so popular on the Internet; on 1 April 2002 the site was temporarily named to CJAN, where the "J" stood for "Java". In 2003, the www.cpan.org domain name was redirected to Matt's Script Archive
, a site infamous in the Perl community for having badly-written code.
Beyond April Fools', however, some of the distributions on the CPAN are jokes in themselves. The Acme
:: hierarchy is reserved for joke modules; for instance, Acme::Don't adds a
, the JavaScript Archive Network. The JSAN is a near-direct port of the CPAN infrastructure for use with the JavaScript language, which for most of its lifespan did not have a cohesive "community".
In 2008, after a chance meeting with CPAN admin Adam Kennedy
at the Open Source Developers Conference, Linux kernel developer Rusty Russell
created the CCAN, the Comprehensive C Archive Network. The CCAN is a direct port of the CPAN architecture for use with the C language.
Modular programming
Modular programming is a software design technique that increases the extent to which software is composed of separate, interchangeable components called modules by breaking down program functions into modules, each of which accomplishes one function and contains everything necessary to accomplish...
written in Perl
Perl
Perl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier. Since then, it has undergone many changes and revisions and become widely popular...
, as well as documentation for it. It has a presence on the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
at www.cpan.org and is mirrored
Mirror (computing)
In computing, a mirror is an exact copy of a data set. On the Internet, a mirror site is an exact copy of another Internet site.Mirror sites are most commonly used to provide multiple sources of the same information, and are of particular value as a way of providing reliable access to large downloads...
worldwide at more than 200 locations. CPAN can denote either the archive network itself, or the Perl program that acts as an interface to the network and as an automated software installer (somewhat like a package manager). Most software on CPAN is free and open source software
Free and open source software
Free and open-source software or free/libre/open-source software is software that is liberally licensed to grant users the right to use, study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code...
.
Modules
Like many programming languageProgramming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s, Perl has mechanisms to use external libraries of code, making one file contain common routines used by several programs. Perl calls these modules. Perl module
Perl module
A Perl module is a discrete component of software for the Perl programming language. Technically, it is a particular set of conventions for using Perl's package mechanism that has become universally adopted....
s are typically installed in one of several directories
Directory (file systems)
In computing, a folder, directory, catalog, or drawer, is a virtual container originally derived from an earlier Object-oriented programming concept by the same name within a digital file system, in which groups of computer files and other folders can be kept and organized.A typical file system may...
whose paths
Path (computing)
A path, the general form of a filename or of a directory name, specifies a unique location in a file system. A path points to a file system location by following the directory tree hierarchy expressed in a string of characters in which path components, separated by a delimiting character, represent...
are placed in the Perl interpreter
Interpreter (computing)
In computer science, an interpreter normally means a computer program that executes, i.e. performs, instructions written in a programming language...
when it is first compiled
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
; on Unix-like
Unix-like
A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification....
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s, common paths include /usr/lib/perl5, /usr/local/lib/perl5, and several of their subdirectories.
Perl comes with a small set of core modules. Some of these perform bootstrapping tasks, such as ExtUtils::MakeMaker, which is used for building and installing other extension modules; others, like CGI.pm
CGI.pm
CGI.pm is a large and widely used Perl module for programming Common Gateway Interface web applications, providing a consistent API for receiving user input and producing HTML or XHTML output....
, are merely commonly-used. The authors of Perl do not expect this limited group to meet every need, however.
Role
The CPAN's main purpose is to help programmers locate modules and programs not included in the Perl standard distribution. Its structure is decentralized. Authors maintain and improve their own modules. Forking, and creating competing modules for the same task or purpose is common. There is no formal bug tracking system, but there is a third-party bug tracking system that CPAN designated as the suggested official method of reporting issues with modules. Continuous development on modules is rare, many are abandoned by their authors, or go years between new versions being released. Sometimes a maintainer will be appointed to an abandoned module. They can release new versions of the module, and accept patches from the community to the module as their time permits. CPAN has no revision control systemRevision Control System
The Revision Control System is a software implementation of revision control that automates the storing, retrieval, logging, identification, and merging of revisions. RCS is useful for text that is revised frequently, for example programs, documentation, procedural graphics, papers, and form...
, although the source for the modules is often stored on GitHub
Github
GitHub is a web-based hosting service for software development projects that use the Git revision control system. GitHub offers both commercial plans and free accounts for open source projects...
. Also, the complete history of the CPAN and all its modules is available as the GitPAN project, allowing to easily see the complete history for all the modules and for easy maintenance of forks. CPAN is also used to distribute new versions of Perl, as well as related projects, such as Parrot
Parrot virtual machine
Parrot is a register-based process virtual machine designed to run dynamic languages efficiently. It uses just-in-time compilation for speed to reduce the interpretation overhead. It is currently possible to compile Parrot assembly language and PIR to Parrot bytecode and execute it...
.
The CPAN is an important resource for the professional Perl programmer. With over 23,000 modules (containing 20,000,000 lines of code) as of July 2011, the CPAN can save programmers weeks of time, and large Perl programs often make use of dozens of modules. Some of them, such as the DBI
Perl DBI
In computing, the Perl DBI offers a standardized way for programmers using the Perl programming language to embed database communication within their programs. The latest DBI module for Perl from CPAN can run on a range of operating systems....
family of modules used for interfacing with SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
s, are nearly irreplaceable in their area of function; others, such as the List::Util module, are simply handy resources containing a few common functions.
Structure
Files on the CPAN are referred to as distributions. A distribution may consist of one or more modules, documentation files, or programs packaged in a common archiving format, such as a gzipGzip
Gzip is any of several software applications used for file compression and decompression. The term usually refers to the GNU Project's implementation, "gzip" standing for GNU zip. It is based on the DEFLATE algorithm, which is a combination of Lempel-Ziv and Huffman coding...
ped tar archive or a ZIP file. Distributions will often contain installation scripts (usually called Makefile.PL or Build.PL) and test scripts which can be run to verify the contents of the distribution are functioning properly. New distributions are uploaded to the Perl Authors Upload Server, or PAUSE (see the section Uploading distributions with PAUSE).
In 2003 distributions started to include metadata files, called META.yml, indicating the distribution's name, version, dependencies, and other useful information; however, not all distributions contain metadata. When metadata is not present in a distribution, the PAUSE's software will usually try to analyze the code in the distribution to look for the same information; this is not necessarily very reliable.
With thousands of distributions, CPAN needs to be structured to be useful. Distributions on the CPAN are divided into 24 broad chapters based on their purpose, such as Internationalization
Internationalization
In economics, internationalization has been viewed as a process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets, although there is no agreed definition of internationalization or international entrepreneurship...
and Locale
Locale
In computing, locale is a set of parameters that defines the user's language, country and any special variant preferences that the user wants to see in their user interface...
; Archiving, Compression
Data compression
In computer science and information theory, data compression, source coding or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation would use....
, And Conversion
Data conversion
Data conversion is the conversion of computer data from one format to another. Throughout a computer environment, data is encoded in a variety of ways. For example, computer hardware is built on the basis of certain standards, which requires that data contains, for example, parity bit checks....
; and Mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
and Usenet
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
News. Distributions can also be browsed by author. Finally, the natural hierarchy of Perl module names (such as "Apache::DBI" or "Lingua::EN::Inflect") can sometimes be used to browse modules in the CPAN.
CPAN module distributions usually have names in the form of CGI-Application-3.1 (where the :: used in the module's name has been replaced with a dash, and the version number has been appended to the name), but this is only a convention; many prominent distributions break the convention, especially those that contain multiple modules. Security restrictions prevent a distribution from ever being replaced, so virtually all distribution names do include a version number.
Mirrors
The heart of CPAN is its worldwide network of more than 260 mirrors in more than 60 countries. CPAN's master site has over 149 direct public mirrors. Each site contains up to the full 3.9 gigabyteGigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
s of data, or a subset of it if the mirror's maintainer wishes to selectively choose.
Most mirrors update themselves hourly, daily or bidaily from the CPAN master site. Some sites are major FTP servers which mirror lots of other software, but others are simply servers owned by companies that use Perl heavily. There are at least two mirrors on every continent except Antarctica.
For more information on CPAN mirrors, see mirrors.cpan.org.
Search engines
Several search engines have been written to help Perl programmers sort through the CPAN. The most popular and official is search.cpan.org, which includes textual search, a browsable index of modules, and extracted copies of all distributions currently on the CPAN. Other CPAN search engines that have been set up are:- metacpan.org A modern CPAN search site
- kobesearch.cpan.org Randy Kobes' search engine (linked to by cpan.org)
- cpan.uwinnipeg.ca
- cpantools.com CPAN suggest as you type
Testers
CPAN Testers are a group of volunteers, who will download and test distributions as they are uploaded to CPAN. This enables the authors to have their modules tested on many platforms and environments that they would otherwise not have access to, thus helping to promote portability, as well as a degree of quality. Smoke testers send reports, which are then collated and used for a variety of presentation websites, including the main reports site, statistics and dependencies.- CPAN Testers Reports co-ordinates and collects testing results for all CPAN uploads on various platforms.
- CPAN Testers Statistics provides statistical analysis and monitoring of the CPAN Testing infrastructure.
- CPAN Testers Wiki contains useful help and advice for getting started as a smoke tester, as well as planning for CPAN Testers 2.0
- CPAN Dependencies, which combines data from META.yml files and the CPAN testers to graphically show a module's dependencies and attempt to calculate how likely it is to work on a particular platform.
- CPAN Testers Development contains the links to all the supporting tools, data and source that are used to maintain the CPAN Testers infrastructure.
Other supporting websites
A family of other loosely integrated support websites have been created as the CPAN has grown in size and scale. These are created and managed by individual Perl developers, and provide data feeds to each other in various ad-hoc ways.- CPANRatings allows users to write short reviews and rate modules on a 5-star scale
- CPAN::Forum is a discussion forum where threads are classified by CPAN distribution
- AnnoCPAN displays the documentation for all the modules on CPAN, along with user-contributed annotations
- rt.cpan.org is a request tracker for bugs and features, and provide all 20,000 modules with their own ticket queue.
- CPANTS, the CPAN Testing Service, evaluates distributions automatically for quality assurance metrics of varying usefulness and assigns them a "kwalitee" rating.
CPAN.pm and CPANPLUS
There is also a Perl core module named CPAN; it's usually differentiated from the repository itself by calling it CPAN.pm. CPAN.pm is mainly an interactive shell which can be used to search for, download, and install distributions. An interactive shell called cpan is also provided in the Perl core, and is the usual way of running CPAN.pm. After a short configuration process and mirror selection, it uses tools available on the user's computer to automatically download, unpack, compile, test, and install modules. It is also capable of updating itself.More recently, an effort to replace CPAN.pm with something cleaner and more modern has resulted in the CPANPLUS or CPAN++ set of modules. CPANPLUS separates the back-end work of downloading, compiling, and installing modules from the interactive shell used to issue commands. It also supports several advanced features, such as cryptographic signature checking and test result reporting. Finally, CPANPLUS can uninstall a distribution. CPANPLUS was added to the Perl core in version 5.10.0.
Both modules can check a distribution's dependencies
Coupling (computer science)
In computer science, coupling or dependency is the degree to which each program module relies on each one of the other modules.Coupling is usually contrasted with cohesion. Low coupling often correlates with high cohesion, and vice versa...
and can be set to recursively install any prerequisites, either automatically or with individual user approval. Both support FTP and HTTP and can work through firewalls and proxies.
Uploading distributions with PAUSE
Authors can upload new distributions to the CPAN through the Perl Authors Upload Server (PAUSE). To do so, they must request a PAUSE account. Registration information can be found at the PAUSE faqRegistrations are manually reviewed, so the process may take a week or longer.
Once registered, the new PAUSE account has a directory in the CPAN under authors/id/(first letter)/(first two letters)/(author ID). They may use a web interface at pause.perl.org, or the PAUSE ftp server to upload files to their directory and delete them. PAUSE will warn an administrator if a user uploads a module that already exists, unless they are listed as a co-maintainer. This can be specified through PAUSE's web interface.
Influence
Experienced Perl programmers often comment that half of Perl's power is in the CPAN. It has been called Perl's killer app. Though the TeXTeX
TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
typesetting language has an equivalent, the CTAN
CTAN
CTAN is an acronym for the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network.It is the authoritative place where TeX related material and software can be found for download...
(and in fact the CPAN's name is based on the CTAN), few languages have an exhaustive central repository for libraries. The PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
language has PECL and PEAR
PHP Extension and Application Repository
The PHP Extension and Application Repository, or PEAR, is a repository of PHP software code. Stig S. Bakken founded the PEAR project in 1999 to promote the re-use of code that performs common functions. The project seeks to provide a structured library of code, maintain a system for distributing...
, Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
has a PyPI (Python Package Index) repository, Ruby
Ruby (programming language)
Ruby is a dynamic, reflective, general-purpose object-oriented programming language that combines syntax inspired by Perl with Smalltalk-like features. Ruby originated in Japan during the mid-1990s and was first developed and designed by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto...
has RubyGems
RubyGems
RubyGems is a package manager for the Ruby programming language that provides a standard format for distributing Ruby programs and libraries , a tool designed to easily manage the installation of gems, and a server for distributing them. It is analogous to EasyInstall for the Python programming...
, Lua has LuaRocks, Haskell
Haskell (programming language)
Haskell is a standardized, general-purpose purely functional programming language, with non-strict semantics and strong static typing. It is named after logician Haskell Curry. In Haskell, "a function is a first-class citizen" of the programming language. As a functional programming language, the...
has Hackage and an associated installer/make clone cabal
Cabal (software)
The Haskell Cabal is the Common Architecture for Building Applications and Libraries; it aids in the packaging and distribution of software packages...
; but none of these are as large as the CPAN. Other major languages, such as Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
and C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
, have nothing similar to the CPAN (though for Java there is central Maven
Apache Maven
Maven is a build automation and software comprehension tool. While primarily used for Java programming, it can also be used to build and manage projects written in C#, Ruby, Scala, and other languages. Maven serves a similar purpose to the Apache Ant tool, but it is based on different concepts and...
, and C++ has the Boost C++ Libraries).
The CPAN has grown so large and comprehensive over the years that many people learning Perl seem to elevate it to a sort of mythical status, and express surprise when they begin to encounter topics for which a CPAN module doesn't exist already.
The CPAN's influence on Perl's eclectic culture should not be underestimated either. As a hive of activity in the Perl world, the CPAN both shapes and is shaped by Perl culture. Its "self-appointed master librarian", Jarkko Hietaniemi
Jarkko Hietaniemi
Jarkko Hietaniemi is a Finnish Perl programmer best known as the creator and "master librarian" of CPAN. Otherwise, he has originated , and coauthored the book . He has been the maintainer of perl 5.7.x that lead into perl-5.8.0 5.8.1, but later stepped down from maintaining the perl 5.8.x branch.-...
, often takes part in the April Fools Day jokes so popular on the Internet; on 1 April 2002 the site was temporarily named to CJAN, where the "J" stood for "Java". In 2003, the www.cpan.org domain name was redirected to Matt's Script Archive
Matt's Script Archive
Matt's Script Archive is a collection of CGI scripts written in Perl. Started in 1995 by Matt Wright , the archive contains about a dozen free scripts, designed to be easily added to a site and configured...
, a site infamous in the Perl community for having badly-written code.
Beyond April Fools', however, some of the distributions on the CPAN are jokes in themselves. The Acme
Acme Corporation
The Acme Corporation is a fictional corporation that features prominently in the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons as a running gag featuring outlandish products that fail catastrophically at the worst possible times...
:: hierarchy is reserved for joke modules; for instance, Acme::Don't adds a
don't function that doesn't run the code given to it (to complement the do built-in, which does). Even outside the Acme:: hierarchy, some modules are still written largely for amusement; one example is Lingua::Romana::Perligata, which can be used to write Perl programs in a subset of Latin.Derivative works
In 2005, a group of Perl developers who also had an interest in JavaScript got together to create JSANJSAN
The JavaScript Archive Network is an on-line collaborative resource to develop Open Source libraries and software for JavaScript. JSAN's aim is to create the JavaScript equivalent of Perl' s CPAN. For example, the module Joose is an equivalent to the CPAN module Moose...
, the JavaScript Archive Network. The JSAN is a near-direct port of the CPAN infrastructure for use with the JavaScript language, which for most of its lifespan did not have a cohesive "community".
In 2008, after a chance meeting with CPAN admin Adam Kennedy
Adam Kennedy (programmer)
Adam Kennedy is an Australian Perl programmer, and one of several CPAN administrators. Under his CPAN author id of ADAMK, he is the maintainer of over 200 module distributions on CPAN which places him at the top of the CPAN contribution leaderboard...
at the Open Source Developers Conference, Linux kernel developer Rusty Russell
Rusty Russell
Paul "Rusty" Russell is an Australian free software programmer and advocate.- Software development :Russell wrote the packet filtering systems ipchains and netfilter/iptables in the Linux operating system kernel...
created the CCAN, the Comprehensive C Archive Network. The CCAN is a direct port of the CPAN architecture for use with the C language.
Oddities
Over the years, the CPAN has had a range of unusual non-Perl things uploaded to it. Here are a few examples.- DBD::SQLite - The full CC (programming language)C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
code for the SQLiteSQLiteSQLite is an ACID-compliant embedded relational database management system contained in a relatively small C programming library. The source code for SQLite is in the public domain and implements most of the SQL standard...
database, along with a Perl database driver for SQLite. - PITA::Test::Image::Qemu - A fully working (if small) LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
distribution. - Religion::Islam::Quran - The full Muslim holy book, the Quran, in 5 different languages; to support a search engine for religious text.
See also
- April fools CPAN: CJANCJANCJAN is an acronym standing for Comprehensive Java Archive Network. CJAN as a concept is an extension of CPAN, the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network. In 2004 the CJAN project has ceased development.-Apache CJAN:...
- dataDataThe term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
(knowledge) equivalent: CKANCKANThe Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network is a web-based system for the storage and distribution of data, such as spreadsheets and the contents of databases supported by the Open Knowledge Foundation... - C++C++C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
semi-equivalent: Boost C++ Libraries - Chicken Scheme equivalent: Eggs Unlimited
- ErlangErlangErlang may refer to:* Agner Krarup Erlang , a mathematician and engineer after whom several concepts are named** Erlang , a unit to measure traffic in telecommunications or other domains...
equivalent: CEANCEANCEAN is an acronym for the Comprehensive Erlang Archive Network.It follows the tradition of the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network, Comprehensive Perl Archive Network and the Comprehensive R Archive Network....
and Agner - HaskellHaskell (programming language)Haskell is a standardized, general-purpose purely functional programming language, with non-strict semantics and strong static typing. It is named after logician Haskell Curry. In Haskell, "a function is a first-class citizen" of the programming language. As a functional programming language, the...
equivalent: Hackage - JavaJava (programming language)Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
semi-equivalent: MavenApache MavenMaven is a build automation and software comprehension tool. While primarily used for Java programming, it can also be used to build and manage projects written in C#, Ruby, Scala, and other languages. Maven serves a similar purpose to the Apache Ant tool, but it is based on different concepts and... - JavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
equivalent: JSANJSANThe JavaScript Archive Network is an on-line collaborative resource to develop Open Source libraries and software for JavaScript. JSAN's aim is to create the JavaScript equivalent of Perl' s CPAN. For example, the module Joose is an equivalent to the CPAN module Moose... - Lua equivalent: LuaRocks
- Node.jsNode.jsNode.js is a software system designed for writing highly-scalable internet applications, notably web servers.Programs are written in JavaScript, using event-driven, asynchronous I/O to minimize overhead and maximize scalability....
equivalent: npm - Objective CamlObjective CamlOCaml , originally known as Objective Caml, is the main implementation of the Caml programming language, created by Xavier Leroy, Jérôme Vouillon, Damien Doligez, Didier Rémy and others in 1996...
equivalent: The Hump - PHPPHPPHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
equivalents: PEARPHP Extension and Application RepositoryThe PHP Extension and Application Repository, or PEAR, is a repository of PHP software code. Stig S. Bakken founded the PEAR project in 1999 to promote the re-use of code that performs common functions. The project seeks to provide a structured library of code, maintain a system for distributing...
and PECL - PythonPython (programming language)Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
equivalent: PyPI - RR (programming language)R is a programming language and software environment for statistical computing and graphics. The R language is widely used among statisticians for developing statistical software, and R is widely used for statistical software development and data analysis....
equivalent: CRAN - RubyRuby (programming language)Ruby is a dynamic, reflective, general-purpose object-oriented programming language that combines syntax inspired by Perl with Smalltalk-like features. Ruby originated in Japan during the mid-1990s and was first developed and designed by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto...
equivalent: RubyGemsRubyGemsRubyGems is a package manager for the Ruby programming language that provides a standard format for distributing Ruby programs and libraries , a tool designed to easily manage the installation of gems, and a server for distributing them. It is analogous to EasyInstall for the Python programming... - TeXTeXTeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
equivalent: CTANCTANCTAN is an acronym for the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network.It is the authoritative place where TeX related material and software can be found for download...
External links
- ZCAN - "The Zen of Comprehensive Archive Networks" - a document that aims to explain how and why CPAN succeeded and how to duplicate it in similar efforts. (09-January-2003 by Jarkko HietaniemiJarkko HietaniemiJarkko Hietaniemi is a Finnish Perl programmer best known as the creator and "master librarian" of CPAN. Otherwise, he has originated , and coauthored the book . He has been the maintainer of perl 5.7.x that lead into perl-5.8.0 5.8.1, but later stepped down from maintaining the perl 5.8.x branch.-...
).