How to Deploy Laravel to Shared Hosting: Step-by-Step Guide

To deploy Laravel on shared hosting, upload your project files excluding node_modules and vendor folders, then run composer install via SSH or locally and upload the vendor folder. Set the public folder as the web root and configure your .env file with database and app settings.

Syntax

Deploying Laravel to shared hosting involves these main steps:

• Upload files: Transfer your Laravel project files except vendor and node_modules.
• Install dependencies: Run composer install to get PHP packages.
• Set public folder: Point your hosting's web root to Laravel's public directory.
• Configure environment: Update .env with your hosting database and app settings.
• Set permissions: Make storage and bootstrap/cache writable.

bash

composer install

# Upload all files except vendor and node_modules
# Set web root to /public
# Update .env with DB credentials
# Set permissions:
chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache

Example

This example shows how to prepare and upload your Laravel app to shared hosting using FTP and SSH:

bash

# 1. On your local machine, open terminal in your Laravel project folder
composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

# 2. Zip your project excluding node_modules and vendor (if you want to upload vendor separately)
zip -r laravel.zip . -x "node_modules/*" "vendor/*"

# 3. Upload laravel.zip to your hosting via FTP

# 4. Extract laravel.zip on hosting (via control panel or SSH)

# 5. If no SSH access, upload vendor folder from local after running composer install

# 6. Set permissions on storage and bootstrap/cache
chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache

# 7. Edit .env file on hosting with your database and app URL

# 8. Set document root to /public folder in hosting control panel

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when deploying Laravel to shared hosting include:

• Not setting the web root to the public folder, causing 404 errors.
• Forgetting to upload the vendor folder or run composer install, leading to missing dependencies.
• Incorrect file permissions on storage and bootstrap/cache, causing write errors.
• Leaving the default .env file without updating database credentials and app URL.
• Uploading node_modules unnecessarily, which wastes space and time.

bash

# Wrong: Uploading all files including node_modules and not setting public as root
# Right: Exclude node_modules, set public folder as root

# Wrong permissions example
chmod -R 644 storage bootstrap/cache

# Right permissions example
chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache

Quick Reference

Summary tips for deploying Laravel to shared hosting:

• Always set your hosting document root to the public folder.
• Run composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader before uploading or via SSH.
• Update your .env file with correct database and app URL.
• Set write permissions on storage and bootstrap/cache folders.
• Use FTP or hosting control panel file manager to upload files.

Key Takeaways

Set your hosting web root to Laravel's public folder to serve the app correctly.

Run composer install to get all PHP dependencies before or after uploading.

Update the .env file with your hosting database and app settings.

Set proper write permissions on storage and bootstrap/cache folders.

Avoid uploading unnecessary folders like node_modules to save space.