How to Deploy Laravel Using Docker: Step-by-Step Guide

To deploy Laravel using Docker, create a Dockerfile to define the PHP environment and a docker-compose.yml to manage services like PHP, MySQL, and Nginx. Build and run containers with docker-compose up -d to serve your Laravel app in isolated, reproducible environments.

Syntax

The deployment setup typically involves two main files:

• Dockerfile: Defines the PHP environment, installs dependencies, and sets up the Laravel app.
• docker-compose.yml: Defines services like PHP, database, and web server, and how they connect.

Commands used:

• docker build: Builds the Docker image from the Dockerfile.
• docker-compose up -d: Starts containers in detached mode.

Dockerfile

FROM php:8.2-fpm

# Install system dependencies
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    libpng-dev \
    libonig-dev \
    libxml2-dev \
    zip \
    unzip \
    git \
    curl

# Install PHP extensions
RUN docker-php-ext-install pdo_mysql mbstring exif pcntl bcmath gd

# Install Composer
COPY --from=composer:latest /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /var/www/html

# Copy existing application directory contents
COPY . /var/www/html

# Install Laravel dependencies
RUN composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

# Set permissions
RUN chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/storage /var/www/html/bootstrap/cache

EXPOSE 9000
CMD ["php-fpm"]

Example

This example shows a basic docker-compose.yml file to deploy Laravel with PHP-FPM, MySQL, and Nginx. It demonstrates how to link services and mount your app code.

yaml

version: '3.8'
services:
  app:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile
    image: laravel-app
    container_name: laravel-app
    restart: unless-stopped
    working_dir: /var/www/html
    volumes:
      - ./:/var/www/html
    networks:
      - laravel

  mysql:
    image: mysql:8.0
    container_name: laravel-mysql
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: rootpassword
      MYSQL_DATABASE: laravel
      MYSQL_USER: laraveluser
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: laravelpass
    volumes:
      - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql
    networks:
      - laravel

  nginx:
    image: nginx:latest
    container_name: laravel-nginx
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - ./:/var/www/html
      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
    depends_on:
      - app
    networks:
      - laravel

volumes:
  mysql-data:

networks:
  laravel:

Output

Containers laravel-app, laravel-mysql, and laravel-nginx start running; Laravel app is accessible at http://localhost:8080

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when deploying Laravel with Docker include:

• Not setting correct file permissions for storage and bootstrap/cache, causing runtime errors.
• Forgetting to link the database service or misconfiguring environment variables, leading to connection failures.
• Not exposing or mapping ports properly, so the app is unreachable from the host.
• Running composer install inside the container without caching dependencies, slowing builds.

Dockerfile

Wrong Dockerfile snippet:
RUN composer install

Right Dockerfile snippet:
RUN composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

Quick Reference

Tips for smooth Laravel Docker deployment:

• Use php:8.2-fpm as base image for PHP 8.2 support.
• Mount your app code as a volume for live development.
• Use docker-compose to manage multi-container apps easily.
• Configure Nginx with a proper server block to serve Laravel's public directory.
• Set environment variables in .env and pass them to containers securely.

Key Takeaways

Create a Dockerfile to define PHP and Laravel environment with necessary extensions.

Use docker-compose.yml to orchestrate PHP, MySQL, and Nginx services together.

Set correct permissions on Laravel storage and cache folders to avoid errors.

Map ports and volumes properly to access the app and enable live code updates.

Run composer install with optimization flags inside the Docker build for faster startup.