How to Install Composer

Introduction

This article explains how to install Composer.

Users often do not know how to proceed, hence this article.

Note:The Glossary contains explanations on multiple topics and can be consulted to clarify certain terms.

Installation of Composer

Composer is a dependency manager for PHP that allows you to define third-party code packages used by a project, which can then be easily installed and updated.

It is important to distinguish between a global Composer installation and a local one. Installing Composer globally allows you to use the dependency management tool from any folder on your system, whereas a local installation (within your project) restricts its use and the downloaded packages to the specific folder of the current project. For N0C, it is a local installation.

Connect in SSH on your N0C account

First of all, you need to connect to the N0C account via SSH (How to Create an SSH Key and Connect to an Account Remotely). Then, you can proceed with the installation.

In the following commands, “user” must be replaced by the username of the N0C account in question.

Make Sure PHP is Well Installed

Before running the Composer installation, carry out a quick check to ensure that PHP is correctly installed and working properly.

For instance, php -v.

Download Composer

Start by entering the following command:

php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');"

Add hash Verification (Optional)

Add hash verification, as explained at https://getcomposer.org/download/.

For example:

php -r "if (hash_file('sha384', 'composer-setup.php') === 'c8b085408188070d5f52bcfe4ecfbee5f727afa458b2573b8eaaf77b3419b0bf2768dc67c86944da1544f06fa544fd47') { echo 'Installer verified'.PHP_EOL; } else { echo 'Installer corrupt'.PHP_EOL; unlink('composer-setup.php'); exit(1); }"

Install/Configure Composer

Enter this command:

php composer-setup.php

You can install a specific version of Composer using the –version= option. In this case, enter the following command instead (example with version 2.2.18):

php composer-setup.php --version=2.2.18

Move to the Proper File

Add this to your code:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
mv composer.phar ~/.local/bin/composer

Delete the Configuration File

Enter this command:

php -r "unlink('composer-setup.php');"

Add Composer to PATH

Add this to your code:

echo 'export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin"' >> ~/.bash_profile
source ~/.bash_profile

Make a Verification

To check this, type the following:

composer --version

The following message will appear:

All settings correct for using Composer
Downloading…
Composer (version 2.3.4) successfully installed to: /home/zjpqumjq/composer.phar
Use it: php composer.phar