How to Install Perl on Ubuntu

Perl, short for Practical Extraction and Reporting Language, is a high-level, interpreted programming language developed by Larry Wall in 1987. It is widely used for various purposes, including web development, system administration, network programming, and data analysis. Perl’s popularity stems from its ease of use, flexibility, and extensive libraries, making it an essential tool for many developers and system administrators.

Install Perl on Ubuntu is crucial for users who need to run Perl scripts, develop Perl applications, or use Perl-based tools. Ubuntu, being one of the most popular Linux distributions, provides an easy and convenient way to install Perl. In this guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of installing Perl on Ubuntu.

Prerequisites to Install Perl on Ubuntu

• Ubuntu Version Compatibility: This guide is compatible with various Ubuntu versions, including 20.04, 18.04, and newer releases.
• Permissions: You need to have sudo (administrator) privileges on your Ubuntu system to execute commands that modify system files.
• Internet Connection: An active internet connection is required to download Perl packages from the Ubuntu repository or PPAs.

Installing Perl using the Ubuntu Repository

This method utilizes the official Ubuntu repository to Perl install Ubuntu which provides a stable and well-maintained version of Perl.

Step 1: Update the Package Lists

Open a terminal window and execute the following command to update the package lists, ensuring you have the latest information about available packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Installing Perl on Ubuntu

Install the Perl package using the following command:

sudo apt install perl

The system will prompt you for confirmation. Type ‘Y’ and press Enter to proceed with the installation.

Step 3: Verify Installation

Once the installation is complete, verify that Perl has been installed correctly by running the following command:

perl -v

This command will display the installed Perl version, confirming a successful install Perl Linux.

Installing Perl using a Source

Installing Perl from source code provides more control over the installation process and allows you to install latest Perl on Ubuntu and customize the build to your specific needs. However, it requires more technical expertise and can be more time-consuming than using a package manager. Here’s a step-by-step guide to installing Perl from source on Ubuntu:

Step 1: Download the Perl Source Code

In this step, we use the wget command to download the Perl source code from the official CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network) website. 

wget https://www.cpan.org/src/5.0/perl-5.34.0.tar.gz

You can check the CPAN website for the latest version and update the URL accordingly.

Step 2: Extract the Source Code Archive

After downloading the source code to extract the tar.gz files, we extract it using the `tar` command with the `-xvf` options. The `-x` option extracts the archive, the `-v` option enables verbose mode, and the `-f` option specifies the file to extract:

tar -xvf perl-5.34.0.tar.gz

This command will create a new directory named perl-5.34.0 containing the source code.

Step 3: Change into the Source Code Directory

In this step, we change into the perl-5.34.0 directory using the cd command. This is where the source code is extracted, and we’ll run the configure and build commands from here:

cd perl-5.34.0

Step 4: Installing make Package

The make command is a build automation tool that’s essential for building and installing software from source code. It’s used to read a Makefile (a file that specifies the build process) and execute the necessary commands to compile and link the code:

sudo apt install make

This package is required to build and install Perl from source code.

Step 5: Installing build-essential Package

The build-essential package is a meta-package that provides a set of essential build tools, including compilers, linkers, and other utilities. It’s a dependency package that’s required to build and compile software from source code.

The build-essential package is a dependency for many packages that require building from source code, including Perl.

By installing build-essential, you’re ensuring that you have all the necessary build tools and dependencies to compile and build software from source code.

Step 6: Configure the Build

This crucial step runs the configuration script that checks your system for dependencies and prepares the build environment:

./Configure -des -Dprefix=/usr/local/perl-5.36.0

The `Configure` script is used to configure the Perl build. The `-de` option enables the “debug” and “embeddable” options, which are suitable for most users. You can customize the build by adding or removing options. For example, you can use `-Dprefix=/usr/local/perl` to change the installation prefix.

Step 7: Build Perl

The `make` command is used to build Perl from the source code. This step may take some time, depending on your system’s processing power and the complexity of the build.

make

Step 8: Install Perl

Finally, the `make install` command installs Perl to the system. This step may require root privileges, depending on the installation prefix and other configuration options.

After completing these steps, you should have a working Perl installation on your Ubuntu system. You can verify this by running `perl -v` in your terminal, which should display the version of Perl you just installed.

make install

Conclusion

In this guide, we have walked you through the step-by-step process of installing Perl on Ubuntu using two methods: the Ubuntu repository and a PPA. By following these instructions, you should now have Perl installed on your Ubuntu system, ready to use for your development and system administration needs.

Installing Perl on Ubuntu can be achievable through the official Ubuntu repository or PPAs. This guide provided step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting tips to ensure a smooth installation process. With Perl successfully installed, you can now leverage its power for various scripting and programming tasks within the Ubuntu environment.

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