Recommended Method for Installing, Updating, and Managing Contributed Module Libraries Using Composer

The best-recommended method for handling libraries required by the Contrib modules is through Composer. The Contrib  modules includes a composer.libraries.json file that lists all the required libraries. To install and manage these libraries, you will merge the Contrib composer.libraries.json with your site's composer.json file.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Install Composer Merge Plugin: To merge the composer.libraries.json file into your main composer.json, install the Composer Merge Plugin. From the project directory, open a terminal and run:

   composer require wikimedia/composer-merge-plugin

2. Modify composer.json: Edit the composer.json file of your Drupal website, and under the "extra": { section, add:

   "merge-plugin": { "include": [ "web/modules/contrib/*/composer.libraries.json" ] }

   Note: The web folder represents the directory where Drupal is installed (e.g., docroot).

   From now on, whenever the composer.json file is updated, it will also read the composer.libraries.json located at web/modules/contrib/*/ and update accordingly.