Forge and Vapor deployment in Laravel - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Forge and Vapor deployment

Start: Prepare Laravel app

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Choose deployment method

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Forge Deployment

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Provision Server

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Deploy Code

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Run Migrations

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App Live on Server

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Monitor & Maintain

This flow shows the steps from preparing a Laravel app to deploying it either on a Forge-managed server or on AWS using Vapor, ending with monitoring.

Execution Sample

Laravel

forge deploy --server=123
vapor deploy production

Commands to deploy a Laravel app using Forge and Vapor respectively.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Tool/Command	Result	Next Step
1	Prepare Laravel app code	N/A	App ready for deployment	Choose deployment method
2	Select deployment method	User choice	Forge or Vapor selected	Provision server or configure AWS
3	Provision server (Forge)	Forge UI/API	Server ready with PHP, DB	Deploy code to server
4	Configure AWS (Vapor)	Vapor CLI & AWS Console	AWS environment ready	Deploy serverless app
5	Deploy code (Forge)	forge deploy --server=123	Code pushed to server	Run migrations
6	Deploy serverless app (Vapor)	vapor deploy production	App deployed on AWS Lambda	Run migrations
7	Run migrations	php artisan migrate	Database updated	App live
8	App live	N/A	App accessible to users	Monitor & maintain
9	Monitor & maintain	Forge/Vapor dashboards	App health monitored	Repeat deploys as needed
10	Exit	N/A	Deployment cycle complete	End

💡 Deployment cycle ends after app is live and monitored

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 3	After Step 5	After Step 7	Final
Server Status	Not provisioned	Provisioned	Code deployed	Migrations run	Live and monitored
AWS Environment	Not configured	Configured	App deployed	Migrations run	Live and monitored
App Code	Prepared	Prepared	Deployed	Deployed	Running live

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do we need to run migrations after deploying code?

Running migrations updates the database structure to match the app code, as shown in step 7 of the execution_table.

What is the difference between provisioning a server in Forge and configuring AWS in Vapor?

Provisioning in Forge sets up a traditional server with PHP and database, while Vapor configures a serverless AWS environment, as seen in steps 3 and 4.

Can we deploy the app without choosing a deployment method?

No, choosing Forge or Vapor determines the deployment process, as shown in step 2 where the flow splits.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what happens at step 5?

A Code is deployed to the Forge server

B AWS environment is configured

C Migrations are run

D App is live and monitored

💡 Hint

Check the 'Action' and 'Result' columns for step 5 in the execution_table

At which step does the app become accessible to users?

A Step 7

B Step 8

C Step 3

D Step 10

💡 Hint

Look for 'App live' in the 'Action' column in the execution_table

If we skip provisioning the server in Forge, what will happen?

A Migrations will run successfully

B App will be live immediately

C Code deployment will fail

D AWS environment will be used instead

💡 Hint

Refer to step 3 and 5 in the execution_table to see the dependency

Concept Snapshot

Forge and Vapor deployment:
- Prepare Laravel app
- Choose Forge (server) or Vapor (serverless AWS)
- Provision server or configure AWS
- Deploy code or serverless app
- Run migrations to update DB
- App goes live and monitored
- Repeat deploys as needed

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how to deploy a Laravel app using Forge or Vapor. First, you prepare your app code. Then you choose your deployment method: Forge for traditional servers or Vapor for serverless AWS. Forge requires provisioning a server with PHP and database, while Vapor configures AWS Lambda and related services. Next, you deploy your code using forge deploy or vapor deploy commands. After deployment, you run database migrations to update the schema. Once migrations complete, the app becomes live and accessible to users. Finally, you monitor the app health using Forge or Vapor dashboards and repeat deployments as needed. This step-by-step flow helps beginners understand the deployment lifecycle clearly.