What Composer Does in Drupal:

1. Manages Dependencies: Composer automates downloading and updating of Drupal core, contributed modules, themes, and third-party libraries.
2. Maintains a Consistent Environment: It uses a composer.lock file to ensure everyone working on the project uses the exact same versions of dependencies.
3. Installs Drupal the Modern Way: Drupal 8 and newer versions (Drupal 9, 10) are best installed and managed using Composer. It ensures proper file structure and places third-party code in the correct locations (e.g., vendor/ folder).

Key Files:

• composer.json – Defines your project's dependencies.
• composer.lock – Records exact versions of installed packages to ensure consistency.
• vendor/ – Contains installed PHP packages, including Drupal core and libraries.

Common Composer Commands in Drupal:

• Create a new Drupal project:

• Add a contributed module:

• Update Drupal core:

Install all dependencies (if pulling from a Git repo):

Benefits of Using Composer in Drupal:

• Avoids manually downloading modules.
• Handles dependencies automatically.
• Keeps your project up-to-date and reproducible.
• Integrates well with modern development workflows (CI/CD, version control).