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# Guide to Perl in cPanel - Perl Environments

## Introduction

cPanel & WHM servers include multiple Perl environments. Your Perl modules can use these Perl environments, but they may require certain modifications in order to function correctly.

## Perl environments

### The server's Perl binary

The server's Perl binary environment is in the `/usr/bin/perl` directory. Operating system maintenance scripts and some custom modules use this environment.

The cPanel & WHM server's operating system determines the Perl binary environment as follows:

| Operating system | Perl version |
|  --- | --- |
| AlmaLinux OS 8 | `5.26.3` |
| AlmaLinux 9 | `5.32.1` |
| CloudLinux 6 | `5.10.1` |
| CloudLinux 7 | `5.16.3` |
| CloudLinux 8 | `5.26.3` |
| CloudLinux 9 | `5.26.3` |
| Rocky Linux 8 | `5.26.3` |
| Rocky Linux 9 | `5.32.1` |
| Ubuntu 22.04 | `5.34.0` |


You can manage modules for this Perl environment with the `cpan` command or with WHM's [*Module Installers*](https://docs.cpanel.net/whm/software/module-installers/) interface (*WHM >> Home >> Software >> Module Installers*).

### cPanel-included Perl installation

The server may use a self-embedded Perl `5.36.0` environment that compiles in the cPanel binary to handle CGI scripts, as well as maintenance scripts from the `/usr/local/cpanel/scripts` directory.

You can use this environment to manage the system's Perl binary independently from cPanel & WHM, and to install Perl scripts to a cPanel & WHM server.

The symlink to this Perl environment is `/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/perl`. You may install custom modules for this Perl environment into the `/opt/cpanel/perl5/536/site_lib` directory. This directory will **only** appear once you have [installed a Perl module](https://docs.cpanel.net/whm/software/install-a-perl-module/).

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Note:

* `@INC` walks this directory after it walks all other directories for modules.
* For more information about how to modify scripts and modules to use this Perl environment, read our [Modules and Scripts](/guides/guide-to-perl/guide-to-perl-in-cpanel-modules-and-scripts) documentation.