How to install Perl in Fedora Linux

I am migrating an old Perl project from an unsupported OS to Fedora Linux 38. However, I discovered that Perl is not installed by default, while Python 3 is. This seems ridiculous. Anyway, here is how to install Perl in Fedora Linux including latest version of mod_perl with Apache (HTTPD) and get on with your life.

Tutorial details
Difficulty level	Easy
Root privileges	Yes
Requirements	Linux terminal
Category	Web Server
OS compatibility	AlmaLinux • CentOS • Fedora • RHEL • Rocky • Stream
Est. reading time	3 minutes

Installing Perl in Fedora Linux using the dnf command

1. Log into the remote server using the terminal application provided by your operating system.
2. First, patch the Fedora Linux server by running the following:
   # dnf update
   Outputs:

   Last metadata expiration check: 2:44:04 ago on Sun Oct 22 12:18:11 2023.
   Dependencies resolved.
   ===================================================================================
    Package               Architecture   Version                Repository       Size
   ===================================================================================
   Upgrading:
    iptables-libs         x86_64         1.8.9-4.fc38.1         updates         414 k
    librepo               x86_64         1.17.0-1.fc38          updates          96 k
    
   Transaction Summary
   ===================================================================================
   Upgrade  2 Packages
    
   Total download size: 510 k
   Is this ok [y/N]: y
   Downloading Packages:
   (1/2): librepo-1.17.0-1.fc38.x86_64.rpm            1.5 MB/s |  96 kB     00:00    
   (2/2): iptables-libs-1.8.9-4.fc38.1.x86_64.rpm     3.6 MB/s | 414 kB     00:00    
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Total                                              2.4 MB/s | 510 kB     00:00     
   Running transaction check
   Transaction check succeeded.
   Running transaction test
   Transaction test succeeded.
   Running transaction
     Preparing        :                                                           1/1 
     Upgrading        : librepo-1.17.0-1.fc38.x86_64                              1/4 
     Upgrading        : iptables-libs-1.8.9-4.fc38.1.x86_64                       2/4 
     Cleanup          : librepo-1.16.0-2.fc38.x86_64                              3/4 
     Cleanup          : iptables-libs-1.8.9-4.fc38.x86_64                         4/4 
     Running scriptlet: iptables-libs-1.8.9-4.fc38.x86_64                         4/4 
     Verifying        : iptables-libs-1.8.9-4.fc38.1.x86_64                       1/4 
     Verifying        : iptables-libs-1.8.9-4.fc38.x86_64                         2/4 
     Verifying        : librepo-1.17.0-1.fc38.x86_64                              3/4 
     Verifying        : librepo-1.16.0-2.fc38.x86_64                              4/4 
    
   Upgraded:
     iptables-libs-1.8.9-4.fc38.1.x86_64         librepo-1.17.0-1.fc38.x86_64        
    
   Complete!

3. Now the server is patched, and up to date with all apps, it is time to search for Perl packages and modules offered by Fedora Linux. Run:
   # dnf list perl

   Last metadata expiration check: 2:39:16 ago on Sun Oct 22 12:18:11 2023.
   Available Packages
   perl.x86_64                        4:5.36.1-497.fc38                        updates

   Here is how to search for all packages:
   # dnf search perl
# Regex search to narrow down results #
# dnf search 'perl-*' | more
# regex but with "grep" or "egrep" #
# dnf search perl | grep -Ei 'Ajax|AWS'
   Here is output from the last command:

   Last metadata expiration check: 2:48:49 ago on Sun Oct 22 12:18:11 2023.
   claws-mail-plugins-perl.x86_64 : Perl based extended filtering engine for Claws Mail
   perl-CGI-Ajax.noarch : Perl-specific system for writing Asynchronous web applications
   perl-AWS-Signature4.noarch : Create a version4 signature for Amazon Web Services

4. I wanted to see which Perl version Fedora was about to install, so I typed:
   # dnf info perl
   Look like I’m getting the Perl version 5.36.1:

   Last metadata expiration check: 2:40:11 ago on Sun Oct 22 12:18:11 2023.
   Available Packages
   Name         : perl
   Epoch        : 4
   Version      : 5.36.1
   Release      : 497.fc38
   Architecture : x86_64
   Size         : 14 k
   Source       : perl-5.36.1-497.fc38.src.rpm
   Repository   : updates
   Summary      : Practical Extraction and Report Language
   URL          : https://www.perl.org/
   License      : GPL+ or Artistic
   Description  : Perl is a high-level programming language with roots in C, sed, awk
                : and shell scripting. Perl is good at handling processes and files,
                : and is especially good at handling text. Perl's hallmarks are
                : practicality and efficiency. While it is used to do a lot of
                : different things, Perl's most common applications are system
                : administration utilities and web programming.
                : 
                : This is a metapackage with all the Perl bits and core modules that
                : can be found in the upstream tarball from perl.org.
                : 
                : If you need only a specific feature, you can install a specific
                : package instead. E.g. to handle Perl scripts with /usr/bin/perl
                : interpreter, install perl-interpreter package. See perl-interpreter
                : description for more details on the Perl decomposition into
                : packages.

5. Okay, let us install the Perl. Type:
   # dnf install perl
   
   

   Click to enlarge

6. To find out the version of Perl installed just now, simply type “perl -v” on the command line. For example:
   # perl -v
   Here is what my Fedora cloud Linux server displayed back:

    
   This is perl 5, version 36, subversion 1 (v5.36.1) built for x86_64-linux-thread-multi
    
   Copyright 1987-2023, Larry Wall
    
   Perl may be copied only under the terms of either the Artistic License or the
   GNU General Public License, which may be found in the Perl 5 source kit.
    
   Complete documentation for Perl, including FAQ lists, should be found on
   this system using "man perl" or "perldoc perl".  If you have access to the
   Internet, point your browser at https://www.perl.org/, the Perl Home Page.

7. The next step is to install an embedded Perl interpreter for the Apache web server as follows:
   # dnf install httpd mod_perl
8. Edit the /etc/httpd/conf.d/perl.conf
   # vim /etc/httpd/conf.d/perl.conf
   Ensure that the following config exists:

   # Enable registry scripts for mod_perl #
   Alias /perl /var/www/perl
   <Directory /var/www/perl>
       SetHandler perl-script
       PerlResponseHandler ModPerl::Registry
       PerlOptions +ParseHeaders
       Options +ExecCGI
   </Directory>

   Create a new directory using the mkdir command and change directory using the cd command:
   # mkdir -v /var/www/perl
# cd /var/www/perl
   Create the following hello.pl script for testing purpose:
   # vim hello.pl
   Append the following code:

   #!/usr/bin/perl
   print "Content-type: text/plain\n\n";
   print "This is a mod_perl 2.0 setup test by nixCraft.com\n";

   Finally, set executable bit on the script:
   # chmod +x -v hello.pl
   Test it using the browser or the CLI. For example:

   https://your-domain-com/perl/hello.pl

   OR from the server itself:

   {vivek@desktop~:}$ curl https://127.0.0.1/perl/hello.pl

   

   Click to enlarge

9. Finally, I’m going to test and config mod_perl handlers. Here is how to test a response handler similar to the registry script. Create a new directory inside /var/www/perl called app1/
   # mkdir /var/www/perl/app1/
   Create a new file named /var/www/perl/app1/test.pm and add the following code:

   #file:app1/test.pm
   #----------------------
   package app1::test;
    
   use strict;
   use warnings;
    
   use Apache2::RequestRec ();
   use Apache2::RequestIO ();
    
   use Apache2::Const -compile => qw(OK);
    
   sub handler {
        my $r = shift;
    
        $r->content_type('text/plain');
        print "nixcraft.com mod_perl /app/ handler test!\n";
    
        return Apache2::Const::OK;
   }
   1;

   Create a new script /var/www/perl/startup.pl and set @INC path for your app. For example:

   use lib qw(/var/www/perl);
   1;

   Edit the /etc/httpd/conf.d/perl.conf and update as follows (append at the end):

   PerlRequire /var/www/perl/startup.pl
   <Location /app>
         SetHandler perl-script
         PerlResponseHandler  app1::test
   </Location>

   Restart the Apache (HTTPD) server using the systemctl command:
   # systemctl restart httpd
   Test it:

   {vivek@desktop~:}$ curl -I http://localhost/app/
   ##OR type in your browser##
   http://your-domain-com/app/

   

   Click to enlarge

How do I remove mod_perl and perl?

Simply run the dnf command:
# dnf erase httpd perl mod_perl

Conclusion

That is all for now. My perl is working, including mod_perl with Apache 2 under Fedora Linux. Please see Perl and mod_perl documentation here. Please note that this page provides instructions on installing and configuring mod_perl/perl to create and execute dynamic web pages. However, it is your responsibility to ensure your Perl application is secure. Web programming is vulnerable to various attacks, especially when your application deals with database queries, form submissions, sending emails, caching data, and other similar functionalities. Therefore, I recommend you refer to OWASP Web Security guides for complete information. Furthermore, it is highly advisable to protect your application from unwanted traffic using a web application firewall (WAF). Happy coding in Perl!

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