1cpanfile-faq(3)       User Contributed Perl Documentation      cpanfile-faq(3)
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NAME

6       cpanfile-faq - cpanfile FAQ
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QUESTIONS

9   Does cpanfile replace Makefile.PL/Build.PL or META.yml/json?
10       No, it doesn't. "cpanfile" is a simpler way to declare CPAN
11       dependencies, mainly for your application rather than CPAN
12       distributions.
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14       However, while CPAN distributions do not need to switch to "cpanfile",
15       you can certainly manage the dependencies in "cpanfile", then export
16       them into "META.json" files when shipping to CPAN, using tools such as
17       Dist::Milla or Module::Install::CPANfile
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19   Why do we need yet another format?
20       Here are some of the reasons that motivates the new cpanfile format.
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22       Not everything is a CPAN distribution
23           First of all, it is annoying to write (a dummy) "Makefile.PL" when
24           what you develop is not a CPAN distribution, just so that
25           installation like "cpanm --installdeps ." would work.
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27           It gets more painful when you develop a web application that you
28           want to deploy on a different environment using version control
29           system (such as PaaS/cloud infrastructure), because it requires you
30           to often commit the META file or "inc/" directory (or even worse,
31           both) to a repository.
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33           Many web application frameworks generate a boiler-plate
34           "Makefile.PL" for dependency declaration and to let you install
35           dependencies with "cpanm --installdeps .", but that doesn't always
36           mean they are meant to be installed. Things can be often much
37           simpler if you run the application from the checkout directory.
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39           With cpanfile, dependencies can be installed either globally or
40           locally using supported tools such as cpanm or Carton. Because
41           "cpanfile" lists all the dependencies of your entire application
42           and will be updated over time, it makes perfect sense to commit the
43           file to a version control system, and push the file for a
44           deployment.
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46       Familiar DSL syntax
47           This is a new file type, but the format and syntax isn't entirely
48           new. The metadata it can declare is exactly a subset of "Prereqs"
49           in CPAN Meta Spec.
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51           The syntax borrows a lot from Module::Install. Module::Install is a
52           great way to easily declare module metadata such as name, author
53           and dependencies. cpanfile format is simply to extract the
54           dependencies into a separate file, which means most of the
55           developers are familiar with the syntax.
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57       Complete CPAN Meta Spec v2 support
58           "cpanfile" basically allows you to declare CPAN::Meta::Spec
59           prerequisite specification using an easy Perl DSL syntax. This
60           makes it easy to declare per-phase dependencies and newer version 2
61           features such as conflicts and version ranges.
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63   How can I start using "cpanfile"?
64       First of all, most distributions on CPAN are not required to update to
65       this format.
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67       If your application currently uses "Makefile.PL" etc. for dependency
68       declaration because of the current toolchain implementation (e.g.
69       "cpanm --installdeps ."), you can upgrade to "cpanfile" while keeping
70       the build file based installation working for the backward
71       compatibility.
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73       If you are an author of CPAN module and want to manage CPAN module
74       prerequisites using "cpanfile" you can use one of the following tools:
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76       Dist::Milla
77           Dist::Milla is a profile for Dist::Zilla that has a "cpanfile"
78           support to declare dependencies for your module.
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80       Dist::Zilla
81           Dist::Zilla::Plugin::Prereqs::FromCPANfile provides a way to merge
82           dependencies declared in "cpanfile" into META files as well as
83           build files. You can combine them using other prerequisite scanners
84           like "AutoPrereqs".
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86       Minilla
87           Minilla is a yet another authoring tool that supports "cpanfile" as
88           a way to describe dependencies for your CPAN module.
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90       Module::Install
91           Module::Install::CPANfile provides a "cpanfile" DSL that reads
92           "cpanfile" to merge prerequisites when dumping "MYMETA" files upon
93           installation.
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95       Module::Build
96           Module::Build::Pluggable::CPANfile merges "cpanfile" dependencies
97           from "Build.PL" when dumping out MYMETA information.
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99           However you're recommended to switch to an authoring system that
100           emits "Build.PL" with parsed CPANfile information, like Dist::Zilla
101           mentioned above.
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103       ExtUtils::MakeMaker
104           ExtUtils::MakeMaker::CPANfile merges "cpanfile" prerequisites when
105           dumping "MYMETA" files upon installation.
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107           However you're recommended to switch to an authoring system that
108           emits "Makefile.PL" with parsed CPANfile information, like
109           Dist::Zilla mentioned above.
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113perl v5.32.1                      2021-01-27                   cpanfile-faq(3)
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