Installing PHP, Composer, and Node.js with Homebrew (macOS)

A step-by-step guide to setting up a Laravel development environment on macOS by installing PHP, Composer, and Node.js via Homebrew.

Introduction

The Laravel team provides Herd and php.new for beginners, but senior engineers tend to prefer managing each tool individually via a package manager. You can control versions yourself and easily switch between different PHP versions across projects.

This guide walks through installing PHP, Composer, and Node.js (via nvm) with Homebrew, getting you to a state where laravel new works.

Target environment: macOS 13 Ventura or later. Works on both Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) and Intel.

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Installing Homebrew

Homebrew is a package manager for macOS. If you haven’t installed it, run the following in your terminal.

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

After installation, on Apple Silicon the following line is automatically added to a shell profile such as ~/.zprofile. If you added it manually, reload the settings.

eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Verify the installation.

brew --version

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Installing PHP

1. Install the latest PHP

   Homebrew’s php formula always points at the latest stable version. Laravel 13 requires PHP 8.3 or later.

   brew install php
   
2. Check the version

   php --version
   

   Success looks like PHP 8.3.x or later.

3. (Optional) Use a specific version

   To manage multiple PHP versions, install a versioned formula.

   brew install php@8.3
   

   Switch versions with brew link.

   brew unlink php
   brew link php@8.3 --force --overwrite
   

   Check the currently linked version.

   php --version
   

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Installing Composer

1. Install Composer

   Install directly with Homebrew.

   brew install composer
   
2. Check the version

   composer --version
   
3. Configure the path for global installs

   So that packages installed with composer global require (like the Laravel installer) are usable, add ~/.composer/vendor/bin to your PATH.

   Append this to ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc):

   export PATH="$HOME/.composer/vendor/bin:$PATH"
   

   Apply the changes.

   source ~/.zshrc
   

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Installing nvm

Install Node.js on a per-user basis using nvm (Node Version Manager). Because it doesn’t require root, it plays nicely with AI tools and CLIs that use global npm packages.

1. Install nvm

   The latest install script is available on nvm’s GitHub repository.

   curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh | bash
   
2. Add to your shell config

   The install script automatically appends the following to ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc). Add it manually if it isn’t already there.

   export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
   [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
   [ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"
   

   Reload the settings.

   source ~/.zshrc
   
3. Verify the installation

   nvm --version
   

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Installing Node.js

1. Install the LTS version

   nvm install --lts
   
2. Set as default

   Set the default version so it’s used automatically in new terminal sessions.

   nvm alias default node
   
3. Check the versions

   node --version
   npm --version
   

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Verifying the Laravel installation

1. Install the Laravel installer

   composer global require laravel/installer
   
2. Create a new project

   laravel new my-app
   

   An interactive setup begins. You can choose a starter kit and whether to include authentication.

3. Start the dev server

   cd my-app
   php artisan serve
   

   Open http://localhost:8000 in a browser; if the Laravel welcome page appears, you’re done.

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When to use Herd

	Manual Homebrew setup	Herd
Target audience	Developers who want fine control over versions and configuration	Beginners and indie developers who want to start quickly
Switching PHP versions	Manually with brew link	Easy switching via GUI
Local domains	Manually edit /etc/hosts	.test domains configured automatically
Service management	brew services	Start and stop from the GUI
Customization	High	Limited

Manual setup with Homebrew is a good fit if you want to match settings with team members and CI environments, or if you frequently switch between multiple PHP versions.