Install Composer on Linux Step by Step Guide

Learn how to install Composer on Linux using the official method. Follow simple step by step instructions to download, verify, install, update, and use Composer for PHP projects.

Composer is the most popular dependency manager for PHP. It helps you install libraries, manage project packages, and keep your PHP applications organized. Whether you are working with Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, or a custom PHP project, Composer is an essential tool.

This guide shows you how to install the latest version of Composer on any Linux distribution using the official installation method.

Prerequisites

Before installing Composer, make sure your system has:

A Linux server or desktop
PHP 7.2.5 or later installed
Internet access
A user account with sudo privileges

You can check your PHP version with:

php -v

If PHP is installed, you will see its version information.

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by updating your package list.

Ubuntu and Debian

sudo apt update

Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream, and Fedora

sudo dnf update

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Install the tools needed to download and verify Composer.

Ubuntu and Debian

sudo apt install curl php-cli php-mbstring php-zip unzip -y

Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream, and Fedora

sudo dnf install curl php-cli php-mbstring php-zip unzip -y

Step 3: Download the Composer Installer

Download the official Composer installer.

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

This command saves the installer as composer-setup.php.

Step 4: Verify the Installer

Verify the installer before running it.

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); }"

If everything is correct, you will see:

Installer verified

The official Composer website updates this verification hash whenever needed, so always use the latest value from the download page.

Step 5: Install Composer Globally

Run the installer and place Composer in /usr/local/bin.

sudo php composer-setup.php --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

You should see output similar to:

Composer successfully installed

Step 6: Remove the Installer

Delete the installer file after installation.

rm composer-setup.php

Step 7: Verify the Installation

Check that Composer is installed correctly.

composer --version

Example output:

Composer version 2.x.x

This confirms Composer is ready to use.

Create Your First PHP Project

Move to your project directory.

cd /path/to/your/project

Initialize Composer.

composer init

Follow the prompts to create a composer.json file.

Install a PHP Package

To install a package, use the require command.

For example:

composer require monolog/monolog

Composer downloads the package and creates a vendor directory automatically.

Install Existing Project Dependencies

If your project already contains a composer.json file, install all required packages with:

composer install

This downloads every dependency listed in the project.

Update Installed Packages

To update all project packages:

composer update

Update Composer

To install the latest stable version of Composer itself:

sudo composer self-update

This updates Composer to the newest available release.

Uninstall Composer

If you want to remove Composer from your system:

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/composer

Conclusion

You have successfully installed Composer on Linux using the official installation method. Composer is now available from any terminal session, making it easy to manage PHP packages and project dependencies. Whether you are building a Laravel application, a WordPress plugin, or a custom PHP project, Composer provides a simple and reliable way to keep your development environment organized.