sudo command not found when i ssh into the server

[Jimmy_Carter]

Hi,
I am trying to install composer on my server so that i can host my Laravel project onto it. I ssh into the server and after installation of composer when I run sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer I am getting a message in the terminal:

-bash: sudo: command not found


I need some help.

Thank you in advance

[Christian J]

The error "-bash: sudo: command not found" is likely due to:

• Missing sudo
• User not in the sudoers group

Steps to Fix:

1. Check if sudo is Installed

sudo --version

• If there is no output, it means sudo is not installed.
• If sudo is installed but still not found, it may not be in the system's PATH.

2. Switch to Root User (If Possible)


If you have root access, try switching to root and running the command without sudo:

su -

mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

Then exit root mode using:

exit

3. Install sudo (If Not Installed)

If sudo is missing, install it based on your Linux distribution:

For Debian/Ubuntu-based servers

su -c "apt update && apt install sudo -y"

Once installed, exit the root shell and retry the command.

4. Check Your User Privileges

If you still can’t use sudo, your user may not be in the sudoers group.

To add it:

Switch to root:

su -

Add your user to the sudo group (replace yourusername):


usermod -aG sudo yourusername

Apply changes:

su - yourusername

Now, try running sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer again.

5. If sudo is Completely Unavailable

If sudo is completely disabled, log in as root and directly move the file:

mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/composer

Then, verify Composer installation:

composer --version

Final Check


Once Composer is properly installed, navigate to your Laravel project directory and run:

composer install


This will install all Laravel dependencies.