Laravel Docker Starter Kit

A beginner-friendly Docker setup for Laravel. Learn how to containerize your Laravel application with PHP, Nginx, MySQL, and Redis.

What is Docker?

Docker lets you package your application with all its dependencies into containers - lightweight, isolated environments that run the same way everywhere.

Why use Docker?

• No need to install PHP, MySQL, Nginx locally
• Same environment for all team members
• Easy to share and deploy
• Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux

What's Included

Service	Description	Port
PHP 8.4	Runs your Laravel code	9000
Nginx	Web server	8080
MySQL 8.0	Database	3306
Redis	Cache & Queues	6379

Prerequisites

1. Install Docker Desktop
2. Make sure Docker is running (whale icon in menu bar)

Quick Start

# Clone this repo
git clone https://github.com/zeyadrezk/laravel-docker-starter.git
cd laravel-docker-starter

# Copy environment file
cp .env.example .env

# Run setup (builds everything)
make setup

# Open in browser
open http://localhost:8080

Project Structure

├── Dockerfile              # PHP image configuration
├── docker-compose.yml      # Defines all services
├── .dockerignore           # Files excluded from build
├── .env.example            # Environment template
├── Makefile                # Shortcut commands
└── docker/
    └── nginx/
        └── nginx.conf      # Web server config

Understanding the Files

1. Dockerfile

Builds your PHP environment. Think of it as a recipe:

FROM php:8.4-fpm              # Start with PHP 8.4
RUN apt-get install ...        # Install system packages
RUN docker-php-ext-install ... # Install PHP extensions
COPY . .                       # Copy your code
CMD ["php-fpm"]                # Run PHP

2. docker-compose.yml

Defines how services work together:

services:
  app:      # PHP-FPM (your Laravel code)
  nginx:    # Web server (handles HTTP)
  mysql:    # Database
  redis:    # Cache

3. .env (Environment Variables)

Key settings for Docker:

DB_HOST=mysql      # Use service name, not localhost
REDIS_HOST=redis   # Use service name, not localhost

Why service names? Docker creates an internal network where containers find each other by name.

Commands Reference

Action	Make (Short)	Docker (Full)
First time setup	make setup	Build + install + migrate
Start containers	make up	docker-compose up -d
Stop containers	make down	docker-compose down
Rebuild containers	make build	docker-compose up -d --build
View logs	make logs	docker-compose logs -f
List containers	make ps	docker-compose ps
Enter PHP shell	make shell	docker-compose exec app bash
Enter MySQL shell	make mysql	docker-compose exec mysql mysql -u laravel -psecret laravel
Enter Redis CLI	make redis	docker-compose exec redis redis-cli
Run tests	make test	docker-compose exec app php artisan test
Fresh migrate	make fresh	docker-compose exec app php artisan migrate:fresh --seed
Clear cache	make clear	docker-compose exec app php artisan cache:clear

Artisan Commands

Action	Make (Short)	Docker (Full)
Run migrate	make artisan cmd="migrate"	docker-compose exec app php artisan migrate
Create model	make artisan cmd="make:model Post -mc"	docker-compose exec app php artisan make:model Post -mc
Create controller	make artisan cmd="make:controller UserController"	docker-compose exec app php artisan make:controller UserController
Run tinker	make artisan cmd="tinker"	docker-compose exec app php artisan tinker
Clear config	make artisan cmd="config:clear"	docker-compose exec app php artisan config:clear
Route list	make artisan cmd="route:list"	docker-compose exec app php artisan route:list

Composer Commands

Action	Make (Short)	Docker (Full)
Install packages	make install	docker-compose exec app composer install
Require package	make composer cmd="require laravel/sanctum"	docker-compose exec app composer require laravel/sanctum
Update packages	make composer cmd="update"	docker-compose exec app composer update
Dump autoload	make composer cmd="dump-autoload"	docker-compose exec app composer dump-autoload

Database Access

Via Terminal:

make mysql
# or
docker-compose exec mysql mysql -u laravel -psecret laravel

Via GUI (TablePlus, DBeaver, etc.):

Setting	Value
Host	127.0.0.1
Port	3306
User	laravel
Password	secret
Database	laravel

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution (Make)	Solution (Docker)
Container won't start	make down && make build	docker-compose down && docker-compose up -d --build
Permission errors	make shell then chmod -R 775 storage	docker-compose exec app chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache
Database connection refused	Wait 10s, then make artisan cmd="migrate"	docker-compose exec app php artisan migrate
Clear everything	make down then delete volumes	docker-compose down -v && docker-compose up -d --build

How It Works

Browser Request (localhost:8080)
        ↓
    [ Nginx ]  ←── Serves static files (CSS, JS, images)
        ↓
    [ PHP-FPM ]  ←── Runs Laravel code
        ↓
    [ MySQL ]  ←── Stores data
    [ Redis ]  ←── Caches data

1. Nginx receives HTTP requests on port 8080
2. Static files are served directly
3. PHP requests go to PHP-FPM on port 9000
4. Laravel connects to MySQL and Redis using service names

How Makefile Works

A Makefile is a simple way to create shortcuts for long commands.

Structure:

command-name:
	actual command to run

Example:

up:
	docker-compose up -d

down:
	docker-compose down

Usage:

make up    # runs: docker-compose up -d
make down  # runs: docker-compose down

With arguments:

artisan:
	docker-compose exec app php artisan $(cmd)

make artisan cmd="migrate"
# runs: docker-compose exec app php artisan migrate

View all commands:

make help

Learn More

• Docker Documentation
• Laravel Documentation
• Docker Compose Reference
• Makefile Tutorial

Author

Zeyad Rezk - GitHub

License

MIT License - feel free to use this for your projects!