Perl's Net::(SSH vs SSH2 vs OpenSSH) -- how should I compare them?

Question

Looking to execute a perl script on a remote machine via a Perl script. Appears one option is to use system() function and create an ssh key so the password is not required. Which leads me to the focus of this question, the other option appears to be to install and run one of these perl modules:

• Net::SSH
• Net::SSH2
• Net::OpenSSH

Besides the protocol used, what else should I be comparing with these Perl modules?

Answer 1

The Net::OpenSSH documentation has a section describing the pros and cons of each. Here are some excerpts related to the ones you are asking about, but the documentation lists more:

Net::SSH is just a wrapper around any SSH binary commands available on the machine. It can be very slow as they establish a new SSH connection for every operation performed.

Net::SSH2 is much better than Net::SSH::Perl, but not completely stable yet. It can be very difficult to install on some specific operative systems and its API is also limited, in the same way as Net::SSH::Perl.

Net::OpenSSH has a very perlish interface. Most operations are performed in a fashion very similar to that of the Perl builtins and common modules (i.e. IPC::Open2).

However, choice of platform may limit your options.

On the other hand, Net::OpenSSH does not work on Windows, not even under Cygwin.

Granted, the list is biased towards Net::OpenSSH, but it gives you an idea of the major differences between the modules.