How can I manage Perl module dependencies?

Question

I\'m currently in a project which develops using a framework developed by another department as the base. We are currently introducing quality standards (at last, yay!) in o

Answer 1

It's a very sensible plan, and I implement it through a private CPAN-like repository that I've been calling 'DPAN'. You select the distributions and versions that you want from the real CPAN (or BackPAN), and create your own repository from it. Your CPAN clients point only at this repository, effectively freezing versions to exactly what you want. You only upgrade when you want to.

Additionally, the DPAN allows you to easily add not only your own local, private code, but to modify third party packages to fix problems with their installations, etc. I have a complete justification for the idea in the Summer 2009 issue of The Perl Review. You can also see my slides from my Creating Your Own CPAN talk at YAPC::Russia.

If you're interested in this sort of solution, check out my MyCPAN::App::DPAN module. It takes a directory of distros and does the rest for you. You point your CPAN client at it (and ensure that it won't connect to the internet) and that's that.

Once you can make your own repository, you can easily make a testing repository. Dump the versions that you think you want to upgrade into it, deploy the code on your testing server, and collect the results. If you don't like the results, you can easily change the repository.

The next big step in my DPAN work is to take an existing Perl installation, with whatever modules you might have installed, and create the repository that would give you that installation state. I have all the major pieces I need to do the work, but I've been a bit busy getting a couple of customers running with the first bits.

If you'd like to hear more about this stuff, just let me know. :)