Add some configuration to composer.json

[benjifisher]

Fix the indentation on the sort-packages line. Set optimize-autoloader to true. Set preferred-install to "dist".

[benjifisher]

The config section of composer.json is often overlooked. I see you have already added "sort-packages": true, and I like that setting a lot. (When I get a +1 -1 because the item that used to be the last needs a comma at the end, it bugs me.)

I suggest adding

1. optimize-autoloader: true
2. preferred-install: "dist"

With (1), the autoloader is always optimized. In my experience, this does not add a noticeable amount of time on Drupal projects, although it does create a couple of large files. Setting the option avoids see-saw commits adding and removing the autoload files, as in the screenshot in Update Your Project.

With (2), you usually avoid downloading packages as repositories. I hate it when I accidentally add a git submodule to my repository.

[webflo]

Is preferred-install "dist" much faster than the default "auto"?

[fafnirical]

Regarding the optimize-autoloader setting, why would one be committing the autoload files? They're in the /vendor/ directory, which is ignored by git.

[benjifisher]

@webflo : I am not sure, since the composer docs are not explicit on what auto does. I have not tested, but I guess that it has the effect of running composer install with neither --prefer-source nor --prefer-dist. If I read those docs correctly, then this means downloading a git repo for anything other than a tagged release (or "stable version").

My concern is avoiding git repositories, not the speed of the download. I am not sure how git submodules work, so I try to avoid them when I can. If I download something as a git repo and then commit it, then (I think) by default it is added as a submodule.

This is related to the second question ...

@fafnirical, one strategy for deploying is to start with the source repo, then build (composer install and build front-end assets) and commit everything to a separate branch, then push that to the remote server. (See the screenshot I mentioned in the second comment.) I think that both Pantheon and Platform.sh (less sure) use this method, and maybe also Acquia (CD and "pipelines" ... I have not had a chance to look closely).

Also, if I am developing locally, I prefer to build (by default) closer to the production environment. The configuration in composer.json is not all about what gets committed!