composer/doc/faqs/how-do-i-install-a-package-in-a-custom-directory.md

How do I install a package in a custom directory?

Composer can be configured to install packages to a folder other than the default vendor folder. A simple way is to use the composer/installers package and if you are using a framework, chances are a custom directory has been already configured for you.

If you are a package author and want your package installed to a custom directory, simply require composer/installers and set the appropriate type. This is common if your package is intended for a specific framework such as CakePHP, Drupal or WordPress. Here is an example composer.json file for a WordPress theme:

{
    "name": "you/themename",
    "type": "wordpress-theme",
    "require": {
        "composer/installers": "*"
    }
}

Now when your theme is installed with Composer it will be placed into wp-content/themes/themename/ folder. Check the current supported types for your package.

As a package consumer you can set or override the install path for each package with the installer-paths extra. A useful example would be for a Drupal multisite setup where the package should be installed into your sites subdirectory. Here we are overriding the install path for a module that uses composer/installers:

{
    "extra": {
        "installer-paths": {
            "sites/example.com/modules/{$name}": ["vendor/package"]
        }
    }
}

Now the package would be installed to your folder location, rather than the default composer/installers determined location.