# Composer Application: Nils Adermann / Jordi Boggiano Also called php composer, composer.phar Nils Adermann / Jordi Boggiano, Productivity 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 | 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. | composer.exe | Composer Windows command | | ------------ | ------------------------ | ## Startup components composer.exe does not start with Windows. You run it in a project folder. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\ProgramData\ComposerSetup\bin\\ | | --------------- | ---------------------------------- | ## File formats composer.json, composer.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. | Download | [getcomposer.org/download/ ](https://getcomposer.org/download/)Official installer or vendor page | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Help | [getcomposer.org/doc/ ](https://getcomposer.org/doc/)Vendor support | | Official site | [getcomposer.org/ ](https://getcomposer.org/)Start here, not a random exe host | | Composer docs | [getcomposer.org/doc/ ](https://getcomposer.org/doc/)require, install, and Windows notes | ## Related hardware The client is light. vendor/ wants disk. A GPU is irrelevant. ## Technical details Technical details Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [Node.js: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/nodejs)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [Composer official site ](https://getcomposer.org/)· Vendor product page - [Composer help ](https://getcomposer.org/doc/)· Vendor support - [Composer documentation ](https://getcomposer.org/doc/)· Official getcomposer.org docs - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Nils Adermann / Jordi Boggiano **Category**: PHP package manager **Process**: composer.exe **License**: MIT **First released**: 2012 **Official site**: [getcomposer.org](https://getcomposer.org/) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/composer/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)