PComposer - Fast PHP Package Manager

PComposer is a fast PHP package manager inspired by pnpm, designed to resolve Composer's drawback of having a global package directory. It uses a global package store to avoid re-downloading existing packages, making it much faster than traditional Composer installations.

Features

• Global Package Store: Packages are stored globally and shared between projects
• Symbolic Links: Uses symbolic links in vendor directory to point to global store
• Composer.json Compatibility: Works with existing composer.json files
• Lock File Support: Uses pcomposer.lock for reproducible installations
• Fast Installations: Avoids re-downloading packages that are already installed
• Disk Space Efficient: Multiple projects can share the same packages
• Familiar Commands: Uses the same command structure as Composer

Installation

Option 1: Single File Distribution (Recommended)

Download the pre-built single-file executable:

# Download the latest version
curl -O https://github.com/your-repo/pcomposer/releases/download/v1.0.0/pcomposer-1.0.0.php

# Make executable
chmod +x pcomposer-1.0.0.php

# Use directly
./pcomposer-1.0.0.php install

Option 2: Installer Scripts

Use the platform-specific installers:

Unix/Linux/macOS:

curl -O https://github.com/your-repo/pcomposer/releases/download/v1.0.0/install.sh
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

Windows (Composer-style):

# One-liner installer (recommended)
php -r "copy('https://github.com/your-repo/pcomposer/releases/download/v1.0.0/installer.php', 'installer.php');" && php installer.php && del installer.php

Note: After installation, open a NEW command prompt/PowerShell window for the pcomposer command to be available.

Option 3: From Source (Development)

1. Clone or download this repository

2. Run the installation script:

   chmod +x install.sh
   ./install.sh

   Or install manually:

   chmod +x pcomposer
   sudo ln -s $(pwd)/pcomposer /usr/local/bin/pcomposer

Requirements

• PHP 7.4 or higher
• PHP extensions: zip, json, curl (or allow_url_fopen enabled)
• Unix-like system (Linux, macOS) for symbolic links

Usage

Basic Commands

# Install dependencies from composer.json
pcomposer install

# Update dependencies
pcomposer update

# Add a package
pcomposer require vendor/package

# Add a package with specific version
pcomposer require vendor/package "^1.0"

# Remove a package
pcomposer remove vendor/package

# List installed packages
pcomposer list

# Show package information
pcomposer show vendor/package

# Generate autoloader
pcomposer dump-autoload

# Clear global package cache
pcomposer clear-cache

# Show lock file information
pcomposer lock

# Remove lock file to force fresh install
pcomposer unlock

# Show version
pcomposer --version

# Show help
pcomposer --help

Working with Projects

1. Initialize a new project:

   # Create composer.json manually or use existing one
   echo '{
     "name": "my/project",
     "require": {}
   }' > composer.json
   
   pcomposer install

2. Add dependencies:

   pcomposer require monolog/monolog
   pcomposer require symfony/http-foundation "^5.0"

3. Install in existing project:

   cd /path/to/your/project
   pcomposer install

Lock File Management

PComposer uses a pcomposer.lock file to ensure reproducible installations across different environments. This is similar to Composer's composer.lock file.

Key Benefits:

• Reproducible Builds: Everyone gets the exact same versions
• Faster Installations: No need to resolve versions each time
• Team Consistency: All team members use identical dependencies
• CI/CD Reliability: Guarantees consistent deployments

Lock File Commands:

# View lock file information
pcomposer lock

# Remove lock file to force fresh version resolution
pcomposer unlock

# Install will automatically create/use lock file
pcomposer install

# Update will regenerate lock file with latest versions
pcomposer update

Lock File Behavior:

• pcomposer install uses locked versions if lock file exists and is up-to-date
• pcomposer install creates new lock file if none exists
• pcomposer update removes old lock file and creates new one with latest versions
• pcomposer unlock removes lock file to force fresh dependency resolution

How It Works

Global Package Store

PComposer stores packages in a global directory (~/.pcomposer/store) similar to pnpm's store. When you install a package:

1. PComposer checks if the package exists in the global store
2. If not found, it downloads and stores it globally
3. Creates a symbolic link in your project's vendor/ directory pointing to the global store
4. Multiple projects can share the same package files

Symbolic Links

Instead of copying packages to each project's vendor directory, PComposer creates symbolic links:

Your Project/
├── composer.json
├── vendor/
│   ├── monolog/          -> ~/.pcomposer/store/monolog/monolog/2.0.0
│   ├── symfony/          -> ~/.pcomposer/store/symfony/http-foundation/5.0.0
│   └── autoload.php

Benefits

• Speed: No re-downloading of existing packages
• Disk Space: Shared packages across projects
• Consistency: Same package versions across projects
• Compatibility: Works with existing composer.json files

Configuration

Global Store Location

The global store is located at:

• Linux/macOS: ~/.pcomposer/store
• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.pcomposer\store

Environment Variables

• PCOMPOSER_HOME: Override the home directory
• PCOMPOSER_CACHE_DIR: Override the cache directory

Comparison with Composer

Feature	Composer	PComposer
Package Storage	Local to each project	Global shared store
Installation Speed	Downloads every time	Reuses existing packages
Disk Usage	Duplicates packages	Shares packages
Command Interface	composer	pcomposer
Configuration	composer.json	composer.json (compatible)
Autoloader	Generated locally	Generated locally

Advanced Usage

Custom Global Store Location

export PCOMPOSER_HOME=/custom/path
pcomposer install

Package Information

# Show detailed package info
pcomposer show monolog/monolog

# List all packages in global store
pcomposer list --global

Cache Management

# Clear global cache
pcomposer clear-cache

# Show cache statistics
pcomposer stats

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Symbolic link permissions:

   # Ensure you have permission to create symbolic links
   sudo chmod 755 /path/to/your/project

2. Global store access:

   # Check global store permissions
   ls -la ~/.pcomposer/store

3. Broken links:

   # Repair broken symbolic links
   pcomposer repair-links

Debug Mode

# Enable debug output
PCOMPOSER_DEBUG=1 pcomposer install

Development

Project Structure

pcomposer/
├── pcomposer              # Main executable
├── src/                   # Source code
│   ├── PComposer.php     # Main class
│   ├── GlobalStore.php   # Global package store
│   ├── PackageManager.php # Package downloading
│   ├── ComposerJsonParser.php # JSON handling
│   ├── VendorLinker.php  # Symbolic link management
│   └── Utils.php         # Utility functions
└── README.md

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

Building from Source

If you want to build PComposer from source or create your own distribution:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-repo/pcomposer.git
cd pcomposer

# Run the build script
php build.php

# The built files will be in the dist/ directory
ls -la dist/

For detailed build information, see BUILD.md.

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by pnpm for Node.js
• Compatible with Composer ecosystem
• Uses Packagist as the package registry

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.