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Laravel includes several Composer scripts that automate common tasks during development and deployment. These scripts are defined in composer.json and can be executed using composer run <script-name>.

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User-Defined Scripts

These scripts are intended for manual execution during development and deployment workflows.

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setup

Sets up a fresh Laravel application by installing dependencies, configuring environment, and building assets. 
composer run setup
Executes the following steps in sequence:
  1. composer install - Installs all PHP dependencies
  2. Copies .env.example to .env if it doesn’t exist
  3. php artisan key:generate - Generates application encryption key
  4. php artisan migrate --force - Runs database migrations
  5. npm install - Installs JavaScript dependencies
  6. npm run build - Builds frontend assets
This script is perfect for setting up your application after cloning the repository for the first time.

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dev

Starts the development environment with all necessary services running concurrently. 
composer run dev
Launches four concurrent processes with color-coded output:
  • Server (blue: #93c5fd) - php artisan serve - Local development server
  • Queue (purple: #c4b5fd) - php artisan queue:listen --tries=1 --timeout=0 - Queue worker
  • Logs (pink: #fb7185) - php artisan pail --timeout=0 - Real-time log viewer
  • Vite (orange: #fdba74) - npm run dev - Asset bundler with hot reload
Uses npx concurrently to run all processes simultaneously. Process timeouts are disabled for long-running development sessions.
All processes will be terminated together when you stop the script (Ctrl+C).
This is the recommended way to start your development environment as it provides everything you need in a single command.

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test

Runs the application’s test suite with a clean configuration. 
composer run test
  1. php artisan config:clear --ansi - Clears the configuration cache
  2. php artisan test - Runs all tests using PHPUnit/Pest
Clearing the config cache ensures tests run with fresh configuration values.

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Composer Hook Scripts

These scripts are automatically executed by Composer during specific lifecycle events. You typically don’t need to run these manually.

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post-autoload-dump

Executed automatically after Composer regenerates the autoload files. 
# Runs automatically, but can be triggered manually:
composer dump-autoload
  1. Illuminate\Foundation\ComposerScripts::postAutoloadDump - Framework bootstrap
  2. php artisan package:discover --ansi - Discovers package service providers
This ensures Laravel packages are automatically registered when you install or update dependencies.

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post-update-cmd

Executed automatically after composer update completes. 
# Runs automatically after:
composer update
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=laravel-assets --ansi --forcePublishes Laravel framework assets to your application, ensuring you have the latest versions after updates.

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post-root-package-install

Executed automatically when you first install the application using composer create-project. 
# Runs automatically during:
composer create-project laravel/laravel my-app
Creates a .env file from .env.example if one doesn’t exist.
This ensures your application has an environment configuration file immediately after installation.

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post-create-project-cmd

Executed automatically after creating a new project with composer create-project. 
# Runs automatically during:
composer create-project laravel/laravel my-app
  1. php artisan key:generate --ansi - Generates a unique application key
  2. Creates database/database.sqlite if it doesn’t exist
  3. php artisan migrate --graceful --ansi - Runs initial database migrations
The --graceful flag allows migrations to fail silently, which is useful when SQLite database doesn’t exist.

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pre-package-uninstall

Executed automatically before a package is uninstalled. 
# Runs automatically before:
composer remove some-package
Illuminate\Foundation\ComposerScripts::prePackageUninstallPerforms cleanup tasks before removing a package, ensuring proper deregistration of package service providers.

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Quick Reference

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Manual Scripts

ScriptCommandPurpose
setupcomposer run setupComplete application setup
devcomposer run devStart development environment
testcomposer run testRun test suite

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Automatic Hook Scripts

HookTriggered ByPurpose
post-autoload-dumpcomposer dump-autoloadRegister packages
post-update-cmdcomposer updatePublish framework assets
post-root-package-installcomposer create-projectCreate .env file
post-create-project-cmdcomposer create-projectInitialize new project
pre-package-uninstallcomposer removeClean up before uninstall

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Examples

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Setting up a new development environment

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-org/your-app.git
cd your-app

# Run the setup script
composer run setup

# Start development
composer run dev

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Running tests before deployment

# Run tests
composer run test

# If tests pass, deploy
git push production main

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Manual package discovery

# After manually editing composer.json
composer dump-autoload
# This automatically runs post-autoload-dump
All scripts respect Composer’s process timeout settings. The dev script explicitly disables timeouts for long-running processes.
The scripts reference several configuration files:
  • composer.json - Script definitions
  • .env - Environment configuration
  • package.json - NPM scripts and dependencies
  • phpunit.xml - Test configuration
  • vite.config.js - Asset bundler configuration
You can add your own custom scripts to composer.json under the scripts section. Follow the same pattern as the existing scripts.

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