Docker Laravel Setup

This guide will help you set up a Laravel project in a local environment using Docker. It includes steps for both new and existing projects.

Check the PROD_README.md guide for production deployment.

Prerequisites

• Windows Users: Install WSL2 and Docker Desktop.
  • Install WSL2: Run the following command in your command prompt:

    wsl --install

  • Install Docker Desktop: Download Docker Desktop and follow the installation instructions.

Setting Up a New Laravel Project

To set up a new Laravel project, follow these steps:

1. Open your Linux terminal (e.g., Ubuntu via WSL if you are using Windows).
2. Navigate to your working directory:

   cd /var/www

3. Install Laravel using the Composer Docker image:

   docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/app -w /app composer composer create-project laravel/laravel docker-demo

   Note: Replace docker-demo with your desired project name.

Explanation of the Docker Run Command

• --rm: Removes the container after the command is executed to prevent cache from being generated.
• composer: The composer Docker image.
• -v $(pwd):/app: Mounts the current directory to /app in the Docker container.
• -w /app: Sets the working directory inside the container to /app.

Docker Compose Setup

1. Create a docker-compose.yml file in the root folder of your Laravel project.
2. Identify the services needed for your Laravel project. Typically, you will use services such as PHP, MySQL, Nginx (for the web server), Redis (for caching), and Node.js.

Here's a sample docker-compose.yml configuration to set up Laravel with Docker:

version: '3'

services:
  php:
    image: php
    environment:
      APP_DEBUG: "true"
      APP_KEY: "base64:7m52bDzgCHH+WZ/djiXfX0tfw7Lq4SkO46TuJJUW68I=" # replace your APP_KEY
    build: 
      context: .
    volumes:
      - ./:/var/www/html
    networks:
          - laravel_network

  web:
    image: nginx:1.27
    working_dir: /var/www/html
    volumes:
      - ./:/var/www/html
      - .docker/nginx/nginx_template_local.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    networks:
          - laravel_network

  db:
    image: mysql
    environment:
      MYSQL_ALLOW_EMPTY_PASSWORD: "yes"
      MYSQL_ROOT_HOST: "%"
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: "${DB_PASSWORD}"
      MYSQL_DATABASE: "${DB_DATABASE}"
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: "${DB_PASSWORD}"
    volumes:
      - mysqldata:/var/lib/mysql
    networks:
          - laravel_network

  node:
    image: node
    user: node
    working_dir: /assets
    volumes:
      - ./:/assets
    command: npm run dev
    networks:
      - laravel_network

  redis:
    image: redis
    volumes:
      - redisdata:/data
    networks:
          - laravel_network

volumes:
  mysqldata:
  redisdata:

networks:
  laravel_network:

Dockerfile for PHP Service

Create a Dockerfile in the project root folder. You can also mention additional dependencies such as PHP extensions.

FROM php:8.2-fpm

# Install dependencies
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    libfreetype6-dev \
    libjpeg62-turbo-dev \
    libpng-dev \
    libzip-dev \
    zip \
    unzip \
    git \
    && docker-php-ext-configure gd --with-freetype --with-jpeg \
    && docker-php-ext-install gd \
    && docker-php-ext-install pdo pdo_mysql zip exif pcntl \
    && docker-php-source delete \
    && pecl install -o -f redis \
    && docker-php-ext-enable redis
    
# Install Composer
COPY --from=composer:latest /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer

WORKDIR /var/www/html

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

# Install dependencies
RUN composer install

# Copy existing application directory permissions
COPY --chown=www-data:www-data . /var/www/html

EXPOSE 9000
CMD ["php-fpm"]

Nginx Configuration

Create an Nginx configuration file (nginx_template_local.conf) inside the .docker/nginx folder (create the folder if it does not exist):

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name _;
    root /var/www/html/public;
 
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";
 
    index index.php;
 
    charset utf-8;
 
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }
 
    error_log  /var/log/nginx/error.log;
    access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log;

    location = /favicon.ico { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
    location = /robots.txt  { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
 
    error_page 404 /index.php;
 
    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass php:9000;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_hide_header X-Powered-By;
    }

    location ~ /\.(?!well-known).* {
        deny all;
    }
}

Running Docker Containers

1. Build and Run Containers:

   docker-compose up -d --build

2. Generate Laravel Application Key:

   docker exec -it <php_container_name> bash
   php artisan key:generate

3. Install Node Dependencies:

   docker-compose run --rm node npm install

Access Your Application

Open your web browser and go to http://localhost. Your Laravel application should now be running.

Tips

• Check the status of services: Use the docker-compose ps command.
• If you change any configuration inside the Dockerfile or .conf file, you need to rebuild the Docker image by running:

  docker-compose up -d --build

Notes

• Existing Projects: If you are setting up an existing project, clone your repository into the working directory and skip the composer create-project command.
• Environment Variables: Make sure to set your .env file with the correct database and other environment settings.

Contributing

Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests for improvements. Happy coding!