Composer

ApplicationNils Adermann / Jordi Boggiano

Also called php composer, composer.phar

Nils Adermann / Jordi BoggianoProductivity

The PHP dependency manager. On Windows the command is composer.exe. It is not npm.

What you need to know

Composer is the PHP manager. npm is the Node manager.

composer.exe installs PHP packages from Packagist. npm ships with Node.js and reads package.json. XAMPP can provide PHP. It does not replace Composer.

What is it?: PHP dependency manager
Same as npm?: No. npm is for Node
Need PHP?: Yes. composer calls php.exe

Feex says

If composer is not recognized, I would install it from getcomposer.org and check php -v. I would not repair Node.js to fix a PHP lockfile.

What is Composer?

Composer is the PHP dependency manager. composer.exe is the Windows command. It is not npm, not PEAR as the modern default, and not XAMPP by itself.

If you have never used it

If a PHP README said install Composer, get the Windows installer from getcomposer.org/download. composer.exe reads composer.json and talks to Packagist. npm is the Node.js package manager. You need PHP on PATH. Composer will not install Node modules.

What is it used for?

Install PHP packages

composer install. npm install is the JavaScript analog, not this command.

Lockfiles

composer.lock. package-lock.json is npm's file.

Global PHP tools

composer global require. That is still PHP. It will not add node.exe.

Who is it for?

PHP developers whose repo has composer.json
Students using Laravel or Symfony
Anyone who ran npm in a PHP project and wondered why vendor/ was empty

Current status

Composer (2012) is a current php package manager from Nils Adermann / Jordi Boggiano. The vendor still points Windows users at https://getcomposer.org/download/.

How old is it?

Nils Adermann and Jordi Boggiano released Composer in 2012, the same era as npm's rise. Current 2.x Windows builds are the product. A 1.x-only tutorial may miss Composer 2 lockfile rules.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Composer 2

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, plus a supported PHP, per getcomposer.org
RAM	The client is small. Large vendor trees want disk

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
composer.exe	Composer Windows command

Startup components

composer.exe does not start with Windows. You run it in a project folder.

File locations

Common Composer locations
Typical install	C:\ProgramData\ComposerSetup\bin\

File formats

composer.jsoncomposer.lock

Common problems

PHP missing from PATH

Composer needs php.exe. XAMPP or a PHP zip can provide it. node.exe will not run composer.json.

openssl or missing extensions

Windows PHP builds need the extensions Composer documents. That is not an npm optional dependency.

Getting unstuck

Install from getcomposer.org/download

The project hosts Composer-Setup.exe. A Composer pack on a freeware site is junk.

php -v then composer -V

Both must work. where.exe npm is a different toolchain.

Delete vendor and rerun composer install if the lock is sane

Do not delete node_modules to fix a PHP autoload error.

Alternatives

npm if the project is JavaScript. PEAR is the older PHP channel. XAMPP if you still need a local PHP binary.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	getcomposer.org/download/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	getcomposer.org/doc/ Vendor support
Official site	getcomposer.org/ Start here, not a random exe host
Composer docs	getcomposer.org/doc/ require, install, and Windows notes

Related hardware

The client is light. vendor/ wants disk. A GPU is irrelevant.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Composer official site · Vendor product page
Composer help · Vendor support
Composer documentation · Official getcomposer.org docs
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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