Perl Script Basics
This guide covers the essentials for running Perl scripts on hosting.com servers, including permissions, file extensions, and execution.
File Permissions for Perl Scripts
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Web-accessible scripts: Set permissions to
755(read, write, execute for user; read and execute for group and others). -
Command-line only scripts: Set permissions to
700(read, write, execute for user; no permissions for group and others).
Note: If a script needs to write to a file (e.g., guestbooks or bulletin boards), the target file can have 644 permissions (read/write for user, read-only for group and others). |
File Extensions
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.cgi – Use for Perl scripts that generate web output accessible to the public.
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.pl – Use for scripts run only from the command line or that do not generate web output.
Perl Version
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Hosting.com servers use Perl 5.16.
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To check the version from the command line:
perl -vPath to Perl Executable
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Absolute path:
/usr/bin/perl -
/usr/binis in the default PATH, so you can usually run scripts like this:
perl filenameFTP Transfer Mode
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Always use ASCII mode when uploading Perl scripts via FTP.
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Uploading in binary mode can cause errors such as:
Internal Server Error: Premature End of Script Headers (500)More Information
For official Perl documentation, visit Perl Docs.
