https://github.com/vadimkantorov/perlpack

Primer on a fully self-contained, statically linked build of Perl embedding in the binary system .pm files and any other files
https://github.com/vadimkantorov/perlpack

embed io perl static-linking virtual-file-system

Last synced: about 1 month ago
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Primer on a fully self-contained, statically linked build of Perl embedding in the binary system .pm files and any other files

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/vadimkantorov/perlpack
• Owner: vadimkantorov
• Created: 2024-08-13T17:04:47.000Z (3 months ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2024-09-26T14:12:39.000Z (about 2 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-09-28T18:40:59.530Z (about 2 months ago)
• Topics: embed, io, perl, static-linking, virtual-file-system
• Language: C
• Homepage:
• Size: 140 KB
• Stars: 0
• Watchers: 1
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md

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README

        
# Primer on a single-file, self-contained, fully statically-linked build of Perl, embedding a virtual, read-only file system (with all `*.pm` files and arbitrary files)

- build Perl into a single, self-contained, fully statically-linked executable

- builds all builtin modules statically and then links them statically

- showcases using Alpine Linux and musl libc for static linking with libc

- embeds `*.pm` modules into the executable

- showcases embedding a user Perl script (for illustration is used `perlpack.pl`, see [`Makefile`](./Makefile))

- showcases embedding arbitrary files along (see [`Makefile`](./Makefile) and add files into the `packfs` directory)

# Limitations

- not all I/O function calls are reimplemented

- it's only a proof-of-concept, very little tested

# Files of interest

- [`perlpack.c`](./perlpack.c) - the main C program which embeds Perl, includes [`perlpack.h`](./perlpack.h) and override I/O callback to enable transparent access to the embedded files

- [`perlpack.pl`](./perlpack.pl) - generates in place a more non-empty [`perlpack.h`](./perlpack.h), default [`perlpack.h`](./perlpack.h) provided only from illustrative purposes

- [`Makefile`](./Makefile) - showcases building of main binaries `perlpackstatic` (and embedded `myscript.o`, `perlpack.o`)

- [`.github/workflows/perlpack.yml`](.github/workflows/perlpack.yml) - showcases testing command sequence

- `libc_perlpack.a` - built in [`Makefile`](./Makefile), a musl libc modification which renames file-related functions like `open(...)` -> `orig_open(...)`, this enables overriding these file-related functions without dynamic loading (a typical way of using a shared library with overrides and `LD_PRELOAD` loader mechanism for tracing file-related function calls is at https://gist.github.com/vadimkantorov/2a4e092889b7132acd3b7ddfc2f2f907)

- `perlpackstatic` - built in [`Makefile`](./Makefile), the main binary with embedded Perl (using `/mnt/packperl/` as the "mount-point" for the embedded, read-only virtual FS)

# Overridden functions

- `open`

- `access`

- `stat`

- `fstat`

- `lseek`

- `read`

- `close`

- `fopen`

- `fileno`

# Prior complete, but also more complex approaches

- https://metacpan.org/dist/App-Staticperl/view/staticperl.pod

- http://staticperl.schmorp.de/smallperl.html

- http://staticperl.schmorp.de/smallperl.bundle

- http://staticperl.schmorp.de/bigperl.bundle

- https://metacpan.org/pod/PAR::Packer

# References and alternatives

- https://metacpan.org/pod/PerlIO

- https://perldoc.perl.org/perlembed

- https://perldoc.perl.org/open

- https://perl.mines-albi.fr/perl5.8.5/5.8.5/sun4-solaris/Encode/PerlIO.html

- https://perldoc.perl.org/Encode::PerlIO

- https://linux.die.net/man/1/perliol

- https://docs.mojolicious.org/perliol

- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12729545/why-is-this-xs-code-that-returns-a-perlio-leaky

- https://perldoc.perl.org/perlembed

- https://perldoc.perl.org/perlguts

- https://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=385469

- https://github.com/Perl/perl5/commit/0301e899536a22752f40481d8a1d141b7a7dda82

- https://github.com/Perl/perl5/issues/16565

- https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/23260.1527026547%40sss.pgh.pa.us

- https://medium.com/booking-com-development/native-extensions-for-perl-without-smoke-and-mirrors-40479999dfc8

- https://github.com/xsawyerx/xs-fun

- https://perldoc.perl.org/perlxs

- https://perldoc.perl.org/perlapi

- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10763394/how-to-build-a-c-program-using-a-custom-version-of-glibc-and-static-linking