Overview

To remove a package from Laravel using PHP Composer, follow these steps:

1. Uninstall the Package Using Composer

Run the following command in your terminal:

composer remove vendor/package-name

Note: Replace vendor/package-name with the name of the package you want to remove. For example, to remove a package called spatie/laravel-permission, use:

composer remove spatie/laravel-permission

This will:

  • Remove the package from the composer.json file.
  • Update the composer.lock file.
  • Uninstall the package files from the vendor directory.

2. Remove Service Providers or Aliases

If the package added a service provider or alias to your Laravel app, open the config/app.php file and remove the corresponding entries. For example:

'providers' => [     
    // Remove the package service provider if it exists     
    Spatie\Permission\PermissionServiceProvider::class, 
],

Also, check for any custom configuration files or bindings the package might have introduced.

3. Clear Cached Configuration

Clear any cached configuration to ensure Laravel doesn’t try to load the removed package:

php artisan config:clear 
php artisan cache:clear

4. Remove Any Published Files

If the package published files (e.g., configuration, migrations, assets), delete them manually. For instance:

  • Configuration files are usually located in the config directory.
  • Published migrations are in the database/migrations directory.

5. Check Your Code for References

Review your codebase to ensure there are no remaining references to the package. This includes:

  • Helper methods.
  • Facades.
  • Classes provided by the package.

6. Test Your Application

Run your application to confirm that everything works as expected after the package removal. You can also run tests to ensure no functionality has been broken.

That’s it! The package should now be completely removed from your Laravel project.

In addition to the steps I mentioned earlier, there are a few additional things you might need to consider depending on the package you are removing:

7. Remove Environment Variables

If the package required environment variables (e.g., in the .env file), remove them to clean up unused configuration values. For example:

PACKAGE_API_KEY=your-api-key 
PACKAGE_SECRET=your-secret

8. Delete Package-Specific Files

Some packages may generate specific files or used storage in your project. Check your directories for files such as:

  • resources/views/vendor/package-name
  • public/vendor/package-name
  • storage/app/package-name

Remove these if they are no longer needed.

9. Remove Package-Specific Database Changes

If the package included database migrations or created custom tables, review your database schema. You may need to:

  • Drop custom tables.
  • Remove or rollback migrations

Ensure you understand the impact before performing any database modifications.

10. Update Dependencies and Autoload Files

Run the following commands to update and clean up your project’s dependencies:

composer install 
composer dump-autoload

This will regenerate the autoload files and ensure no references to the removed package remain.

11. Check for Unused Configurations

Inspect your configuration files (config/) for any leftover references to the package, and remove them if necessary.

12. Verify Build Processes

If your project uses build tools like Webpack, Vite, or Laravel Mix, check your JavaScript (webpack.mix.js, vite.config.js) or CSS files for references to the package. For example, if the package added frontend assets, remove any references like:

mix.js('resources/js/package.js', 'public/js');

13. Run Tests Again

If your project includes automated tests, re-run the test suite to confirm that everything works as expected after the package removal. Fix any failing tests caused by the absence of the package.

By thoroughly reviewing these steps, you can ensure the package is completely removed and your Laravel project remains clean and functional.