4.14. Perl (Optional)
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## 4.14. Perl (Optional)

Perl is an interpreted programming language. It is used to convert various text files into usable source code, but it it is not required for general Wireshark development. Perl version 5.6 and above should work fine.

#### Unix

Perl is available for most UNIX and UNIX-like platforms. If it isn’t already installed or available as a package for your platform, you can get it at https://www.perl.org/.

After correct installation, typing `perl --version` on the command line should result in something like:

    This is perl 5, version 26, subversion 0 (v5.26.0) built for x86_64-linux-gnu-thread-multi
    (with 62 registered patches, see perl -V for more detail)

    Copyright 1987-2017, 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 http://www.perl.org/, the Perl Home Page.

However, the version string may vary.

### 4.14.1. Windows

Unless you need to run one of the check or code generation scripts in the tools directory or have a need for Perl outside of Wireshark development you should probably avoid installing it on Windows.

At the time of this writing (early 2025), the two main Windows Perl distributions are problematic for separate reasons. Strawberry Perl includes many components that overlap with and are incompatible with Wireshark’s dependencies. ActiveState Perl might require a license fee depending on your environment.

If you do need to install Perl you can do so by downloading installation packages from the Strawberry Perl site or the ActiveState site, or using Chocolatey:

    PS:\> choco install strawberryperl

or

    PS:\> choco install activeperl

After correct installation, typing `perl --version` on the command line should result in something like:

    This is perl 5, version 40, subversion 0 (v5.40.0) built for MSWin32-x64-multi-thread

    Copyright 1987-2024, Larry Wall
    ...

However, the version string may vary.

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