The Composer installer script was not successful [exit code 1] for Laravel 5.5 project. What could be the possible causes and solutions?

Updated: Mar 04, 2025

The Composer installer script was not successful [exit code 1] for Laravel 5.5 project. What could be the possible causes and solutions?

When encountering an issue with the Composer installer script not being successful for a Laravel 5.5 project, there are several potential causes and corresponding solutions. Here are some common reasons and their respective remedies:

  1. Incorrect Composer installation: Make sure Composer is installed correctly on your system. You can check this by running the command composer --version in your terminal or command prompt. If Composer is not installed, follow the instructions on the official Composer website to install it.

  2. Corrupted Composer installation: If Composer is already installed, try reinstalling it to ensure a clean installation. Run the following commands in your terminal or command prompt:

    sudo rm -rf ~/.composer
    sudo mkdir ~/.composer
    composer self-update
    
  3. Incorrect project permissions: Ensure that the Laravel project directory has the correct permissions. Run the following commands in your terminal or command prompt:

    chmod -R 755 path/to/your/laravel/project
    

    Replace path/to/your/laravel/project with the actual path to your Laravel project directory.

  4. Dependencies not found: Check if all the required dependencies are listed in the composer.json file. You can run the command composer install to install all the dependencies listed in the composer.json file. If some dependencies are missing, add them to the file and run composer install again.

  5. Conflicting dependencies: If there are conflicting dependencies, try resolving them by updating the composer.json file manually. You can check for conflicts by running the command composer why-not <package-name>. Replace <package-name> with the name of the conflicting package. Once you have identified the conflicting dependencies, update the composer.json file accordingly and run composer install.

  6. Corrupted composer.lock file: If the composer.lock file is corrupted, try deleting it and running composer install again to generate a new one.

  7. PHP version compatibility issues: Ensure that your PHP version is compatible with Laravel 5.5. You can check the official Laravel documentation for the minimum and recommended PHP versions for Laravel 5.5. If your PHP version is not compatible, consider upgrading or downgrading it.

  8. Firewall or antivirus software interference: If your firewall or antivirus software is blocking Composer, try adding an exception for Composer in your firewall or antivirus software settings.

  9. Network connectivity issues: If you are experiencing network connectivity issues, try running composer install with a proxy or VPN if necessary. You can add the proxy or VPN settings to the composer.json file or pass them as command-line arguments when running composer install.

  10. Other issues: If none of the above solutions work, try the following:

    • Check the Laravel documentation and forums for any known issues related to your specific problem.
    • Try creating a new Laravel project and moving your code into the new project to see if the issue persists.
    • If you are using a custom package or extension, try disabling it to see if it is causing the issue.
    • If none of the above solutions work, consider reaching out to the Laravel community for further assistance.