---
title: "Prerequisites to start with TYPO3"
manual: "Getting Started"
version: "13.4"
permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3start:prerequisites@13.4"
source: "Prerequisites/Index.rst"
modified: "2026-09-15T08:44:38+00:00"
---

# Prerequisites to start with TYPO3

Before you start working on this tutorial, you should have DDEV installed on
your computer.

This TYPO3 tutorial assumes that the reader has some basic knowledge in the following areas:

-   [HTML, CSS and JavaScript](https://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp)
-   [Basic Command Line Interface (CLI) Commands](https://www.w3schools.com/whatis/whatis_cli.asp)

## Composer cheat sheet

Composer is a powerful tool for managing dependencies in PHP projects, including
TYPO3. Here you will find an overview of the four most important commands with a
simple explanation of what they do.

### composer require

```bash
composer require vendor/extension-name
```

It installs a new package (e.g. a TYPO3 extension) and automatically adds it to your **composer.json**.
Composer determines the appropriate version based on your current configuration.
All required dependencies for the package are also installed.

### composer remove

```bash
composer remove vendor/extension-name
```

Uninstalls an existing package from your project.
Removes the entry from **composer.json** and deletes related files from the
**vendor** folder.
Removes unused dependencies that were only required for the removed package.

### composer install

```bash
composer install
```

It installs exactly the versions specified in the **composer.lock** file.

### composer update

```bash
composer update
```

It updates all installed packages to their latest version, as allowed by the version constraints in **composer.json**.
The **composer.lock** file, which records the exact package versions, is updated.
Downloads the updated packages to the **vendor** folder.