Editing Portal:Linux (section)

=== Practical portability guidance ===

For old-style Unix/Linux portability, Perl is still one of the best bets after POSIX shell. But modern portability requires checking the target environment.

A portable Perl script should:

* use `#!/usr/bin/env perl` when appropriate;
* document that Perl is required;
* avoid assuming non-core modules are installed;
* avoid assuming a full Perl installation when only `perl-base` exists;
* declare package dependencies in RPM, DEB, APK, ebuild, or other packaging systems;
* use local module installation for application dependencies;
* avoid modifying system Perl with unmanaged CPAN installs;
* test on minimal containers if the script is meant for containers;
* package XS dependencies carefully.

The old assumption was: “Every Unix has Perl.” The modern version is: “Many full Unix-like systems still have Perl, but minimal Linux environments may not.”