---
layout: default
navsection: sdk
navmenu: Perl
title: "Perl SDK"

...

The Perl SDK provides a generic set of wrappers so you can make API calls easily.

It should be treated as alpha/experimental. Currently, limitations include:
* Verbose syntax.
* No native Keep client.
* No CPAN package.

h3. Installation

h4. Option 1: Install from distribution packages

First, "add the appropriate package repository for your distribution":{{ site.baseurl }}/install/install-manual-prerequisites.html#repos.

On Debian-based systems:

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">sudo apt-get install libjson-perl libio-socket-ssl-perl libwww-perl libipc-system-simple-perl libarvados-perl</code>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

On Red Hat-based systems:

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">sudo yum install perl-ExtUtils-MakeMaker perl-JSON perl-IO-Socket-SSL perl-Crypt-SSLeay perl-WWW-Curl libarvados-perl</code>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

h4. Option 2: Install from source

First, install dependencies from your distribution.  Refer to the package lists above, but don't install @libarvados-perl@.

Then run the following:

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">git clone https://github.com/curoverse/arvados.git</span>
~$ <span class="userinput">cd arvados/sdk/perl</span>
~$ <span class="userinput">perl Makefile.PL</span>
~$ <span class="userinput">sudo make install</span>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

h3. Test installation

If the SDK is installed, @perl -MArvados -e ''@ should produce no errors.

If your @ARVADOS_API_HOST@ and @ARVADOS_API_TOKEN@ environment variables are set up correctly (see "api-tokens":{{site.baseurl}}/user/reference/api-tokens.html for details), the following test script should work:

<notextile>
<pre>~$ <code class="userinput">perl &lt;&lt;'EOF'
use Arvados;
my $arv = Arvados-&gt;new('apiVersion' => 'v1');
my $me = $arv-&gt;{'users'}-&gt;{'current'}-&gt;execute;
print ("arvados.v1.users.current.full_name = '", $me-&gt;{'full_name'}, "'\n");
EOF</code>
arvados.v1.users.current.full_name = 'Your Name'
</pre>
</notextile>

h3. Examples

Set up an API client user agent:

<notextile>
<pre><code class="userinput">my $arv = Arvados->new('apiVersion' => 'v1');
</code></pre>
</notextile>

Get the User object for the current user:

<notextile>
<pre><code class="userinput">my $current_user = $arv->{'users'}->{'current'}->execute;
</code></pre>
</notextile>

Get the UUID of an object that was retrieved using the SDK:

<notextile>
<pre><code class="userinput">my $current_user_uuid = $current_user->{'uuid'}
</code></pre>
</notextile>

Retrieve an object by ID:

<notextile>
<pre><code class="userinput">my $some_user = $arv->{'users'}->{'get'}->execute('uuid' => $current_user_uuid);
</code></pre>
</notextile>

Create an object:

<notextile>
<pre><code class="userinput">my $test_link = $arv->{'links'}->{'create'}->execute('link' => { 'link_class' => 'test', 'name' => 'test' });
</code></pre>
</notextile>

Update an object:

<notextile>
<pre><code class="userinput">my $test_link = $arv->{'links'}->{'update'}->execute(
        'uuid' => $test_link->{'uuid'},
        'link' => { 'properties' => { 'foo' => 'bar' } });
</code></pre>
</notextile>

Get a list of objects:

<notextile>
<pre><code class="userinput">my $repos = $arv->{'repositories'}->{'list'}->execute;
print ("UUID of first repo returned is ", $repos->{'items'}->[0], "\n");
</code></pre>
</notextile>

The SDK retrieves the list of API methods from the server at run time. Therefore, the set of available methods is determined by the server version rather than the SDK version.