How to Publish Magento 2 Extension to GitHub and Install via Composer (Packagist Guide)

This guide explains how to publish a Magento 2 extension to GitHub using the web interface and then distribute it via Composer through Packagist.

1. Prepare composer.json for Magento 2 Extension

In the root directory of your Magento 2 extension, you must include a composer.json file so Composer can recognize the package.

{
  "name": "yourname/module-example",
  "description": "Magento 2 custom extension",
  "type": "magento2-module",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "license": "MIT",
  "require": {
    "php": ">=7.4"
  },
  "autoload": {
    "files": [
      "registration.php"
    ],
    "psr-4": {
      "YourName\\ModuleExample\\": ""
    }
  }
}

Key Fields Explanation

• name: Package name used in Composer (e.g. yourname/module-example)
• type: Must be magento2-module
• version: Extension version (can also be managed via Git tags)
• autoload: Defines how Magento loads the module

2. Upload Extension to GitHub Using Web Interface

Step 1: Create a Repository

Go to GitHub and create a new repository.

• Repository name: magento2-module-example
• Description: Magento 2 custom extension
• Visibility: Public or Private
• Do not initialize with README if you already have code

Step 2: Upload Source Code

After creating the repository, click Add file → Upload files. Then drag and drop your entire Magento module into the browser.

Make sure you keep the correct module structure:

• registration.php
• composer.json
• etc/module.xml
• All other module files

Step 3: Commit Changes

• Commit message: Initial release
• Select: Commit directly to main branch
• Click Commit changes

3. Create a Version Tag

Composer uses Git tags to determine version releases. You can create tags in GitHub under the Releases or Tags section.

Example versions:

• 1.0.0
• 1.0.1
• 1.1.0

4. Publish to Packagist

Packagist is the official Composer package repository.

Go to https://packagist.org/ and submit your GitHub repository.

Example repository URL:

https://github.com/yourname/magento2-module-example

Packagist will automatically read composer.json and Git tags to generate package versions.

5. Install Extension via Composer

Once published, install the module using Composer:

composer require yourname/module-example

Or install a specific version:

composer require yourname/module-example:^1.0

6. Enable Module in Magento

bin/magento module:enable YourName_ModuleExample
bin/magento setup:upgrade
bin/magento cache:flush