PAR is a Cross-Platform Packaging and Deployment tool, dubbed as a cross between Java's JAR and Perl2EXE/PerlApp. It was developed by Audrey Tang. Currently, it is maintained via an active mailing list [par@perl.org] with help from numerous UsersAndContributors.

Update: The PAR distribution was split into two distributions with release 0.970: PAR and PAR-Packer. PAR-Packer contains all development tools such as pp, parl, etc. and requires a C compiler to install. PAR itself is now pure-Perl and can be installed even without a C development environment.

* PAR offers a wide set of Features.
* Current version of PAR: 0.970, released on approximately 2006-12-4 Download | ChangeLog | Requirements | CPAN page
* Current version of PAR-Packer: 0.970, released on approximately 2006-12-4 Download | ChangeLog | Requirements | CPAN page
* Repository - Accessible with SVK, Subversion, WebDAV, or any HTTP clients | Instructions for getting the development version
* CPAN Request Tracker: Bug and feature request queue for PAR. Get involved!

Note: Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a C compiler on Windows to install PAR – just follow the "Download" link, extract it to some temporary directory, and install it like any other perl module by following README's instructions. An incomplete compatibility list between PAR binary releases and Win32 Perl versions can be found here.