Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-04

How to Fix: Composer Update failed -- out of memory

Learn how to fix: Composer Update failed -- out of memory.

Quick Answer: Try checking your system settings or restarting.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛑 Root Causes of the Error
  2. 🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps
  3. 💡 Conclusion

Composer update failed with an 'out of memory' error when running `composer.phar update` on your VM. This issue affects users who are trying to update their Composer dependencies.

This frustrating error is caused by a PHP Fatal Error due to excessive memory allocation, which can be resolved by optimizing the system's memory usage.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that the allowed memory size of PHP has been exceeded. This happens when Composer tries to update dependencies and encounters an enormous amount of data that exceeds the allocated memory.
  • Another possible cause could be a misconfigured system or a bug in Composer that leads to excessive memory usage.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Optimizing System Memory

  1. Step 1: Check if there are any unnecessary processes running in the background and terminate them. This can help free up some of the allocated memory.
  2. Step 2: Increase the PHP memory limit by editing the `php.ini` file or using the command line interface with the `-memory_limit` flag. For example, you can use the following command: `php -d memory_limit=128M composer.phar update`.
  3. Step 3: Consider upgrading your server's RAM to improve overall system performance and reduce the likelihood of running out of memory.

Alternative Fix Method

  1. Step 1: Check if there are any dependencies that can be removed or updated without using Composer. This may involve manually updating the codebase or removing unused packages.
  2. Step 2: Consider using a caching layer, such as Redis or Memcached, to store frequently accessed data and reduce the load on the system.

💡 Conclusion

To resolve the 'out of memory' error when running `composer.phar update`, try optimizing your system's memory usage by increasing the PHP memory limit, terminating unnecessary processes, or upgrading your server's RAM. If these methods don't work, consider using alternative fix methods such as removing unused dependencies or implementing a caching layer.

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