Get Dependency Tree of PHP Packages using Composer

Managing package dependencies is essential for building robust and efficient applications. Composer, the package manager for PHP, offers many features to simplify the process. One such feature is the ability to obtain a project's dependency tree. It provides a visual representation of the relationships between packages, allowing developers to understand the complexity and hierarchy of their project's dependencies. This tutorial shows how to get dependency tree of PHP packages using Composer.

The following command generates a dependency tree:

composer show --tree

The command will display a hierarchical structure that represents the relationships between the packages. Each package is represented by a node in the tree, and the arrows indicate the dependencies between them. Here's an example of the output:

symfony/http-client v6.3.0 Provides powerful methods to fetch HTTP resources synchronously or asynchronously
├──php >=8.1
├──psr/log ^1|^2|^3
│  └──php >=8.0.0
├──symfony/deprecation-contracts ^2.5|^3
│  └──php >=8.1
├──symfony/http-client-contracts ^3
│  └──php >=8.1
└──symfony/service-contracts ^2.5|^3
   ├──php >=8.1
   └──psr/container ^2.0
      └──php >=7.4.0