How to Use composer.json for PHP Dependencies

The composer.json file defines PHP project dependencies managed by Composer. Similar to package.json for Node.js, composer.json specifies required packages, versions, and project metadata for PHP applications.

Opening composer.json

JSON format text file. Open with any text editor. Code editors provide JSON syntax highlighting.

Basic Structure

{
"name": "vendor/project",
"require": {
"php": "^7.4|^8.0",
"monolog/monolog": "^2.0",
"guzzlehttp/guzzle": "^7.0"
},
"require-dev": {
"phpunit/phpunit": "^9.5"
}
}

Installing Dependencies

Install Composer from getcomposer.org (free), then run:

composer install - Install all dependencies
composer require vendor/package - Add new package
composer update - Update dependencies

Creates vendor/ folder with all packages.

Version Constraints

^2.0 - Compatible with 2.x (allows minor/patch updates)
~2.0.0 - Compatible with 2.0.x (patch updates only)
>=2.0 - Greater than or equal to version

Autoloading

Composer generates autoloader. Include in PHP: require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

Creating composer.json

Run composer init interactively or create manually. Follow prompts to set up project metadata and dependencies.

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