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Perl.org refers to ActiveState as “the simplest way to install the latest version of Perl.” We have been programmers’ trusted provider of Windows, Linux, and macOS Perl distributions for more than 20 years, ever since Larry Wall invented it. We offer the latest versions of a number of open source programming languages, including Perl, Python, Ruby, and Tcl.
We specialize in stable, secure, and easy-to-deploy Perl environments. Unlike other Perl distributions such as Strawberry Perl or perlbrew, our universal package manager, the State Tool, replaces Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN) and Perl Package Manager (PPM), and allows you to build runtimes with CPAN modules from source code (including linked C libraries), reducing your exposure to vulnerabilities and eliminate the need for a local compiler/build environment.
With ActiveState, you can install the Perl interpreter plus modules and the State Tool directly on the command line, or you can use our Windows executable or MSI installer for ActivePerl 5.28. We allow sign-up with GitHub and provide documentation on many Perl programming topics such as using Perl with html, xml, Perl scripts, subroutines, and more in our community forum. Docs are available online.
ActiveState’s Perl downloads are free, but there are some limits on use: you can use no more than one “active runtime” for free. An active runtime is the number of instances of software from the ActiveState Platform that are run in a 24 hour period.
If you need more than one Active Runtime, please see our Plans and Pricing page.
For more information, see the ActiveState Platform Terms of Service
Recent versions of ActiveState Perl for Windows, Mac and Linux can be downloaded from the ActiveState Platform. Just copy the install script and paste it at a CMD command prompt to complete your installation of Perl. No prerequisite.
Much like PHP and JavaScript, the Perl programming language is a general-purpose scripting language ideal for beginners. Perl code is an excellent choice for text manipulation, and can also be used for regular expressions, text processing, web development, system administration, Perl tutorials, arrays, and more. If you‘re developing Perl code, you may want to take advantage of our free Komodo IDE or text editor, which has long been a standard for Perl 5 and Perl 6 (Raku) development.
ActiveState Perl has been used to develop both commercial and non-commercial applications, scripts, APIs and other code for individual developers and organizations in a wide range of industries. Learn more about ActiveState Perl.
32-bit and older/legacy versions of ActivePerl are available only with a subscription to our Team or Enterprise tiers. See our Plans & Pricing for more information.