How to Deploy a Laravel Project on Vercel: A Step-by-Step Guide

Deploying a Laravel project on Vercel might seem a bit tricky at first, especially if you’re new to both Laravel and deployment platforms. However, with the right steps, it can be a smooth process. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the simple steps to deploy your Laravel application on Vercel. By the end of this article, you’ll have a live project hosted and accessible to the world.

Why Choose Vercel for Deploying Laravel?

Vercel is a popular cloud platform that simplifies deployment and scaling. Known for its serverless functions and minimal configuration, Vercel makes it easy to deploy Laravel projects. It also integrates seamlessly with GitHub, which can speed up your development workflow. So, whether you’re working on a personal project or a production app, Vercel provides an efficient solution for deployment.

Prerequisites Before You Start

Before deploying your Laravel project on Vercel, make sure you have the following in place:

• A Laravel project that is already built and tested on your local machine.
• A Vercel account (sign up if you haven’t yet).
• GitHub or GitLab repository linked to your project (Vercel integrates with both).

Step-by-Step Guide to Deploy Laravel on Vercel

1. Prepare Your Laravel Project

First, ensure your Laravel application is ready for deployment. You can do this by:

• Running composer install to install all necessary PHP dependencies.
• Checking .env for production settings (make sure to have your database and API keys set up correctly).
• Set up the database connection. You’ll need to adjust the database settings to work with Vercel’s environment variables.

2. Set Up Your GitHub Repository

If your Laravel project isn’t already in a GitHub repository, you’ll need to push your project to GitHub. If it’s already there, skip this step.

• Create a new repository on GitHub (or GitLab).
• Push your local Laravel project to GitHub.

3. Link Your Repository to Vercel

Now that your project is hosted on GitHub, it’s time to link it to Vercel:

• Log in to your Vercel account.
• Click on “New Project” and choose “Import Git Repository.”
• Select your GitHub repository from the list.
• Vercel will automatically detect the settings for a PHP application and configure the deployment environment accordingly.

4. Set the Environment Variables

Vercel allows you to define environment variables directly through its dashboard. For Laravel, you’ll need to set the following environment variables:

• APP_KEY: Laravel’s encryption key (you can generate it with the command php artisan key:generate).
• DB_CONNECTION, DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD: These are your database connection details.

Go to your Vercel dashboard, select your project, and navigate to the Environment Variables section under Settings to add these variables.

5. Configure the vercel.json File

Although Vercel can automatically detect most configurations, you may need to create a vercel.json file in the root of your project to ensure proper deployment. This file will tell Vercel how to handle your project.

Here’s an example of a basic vercel.json file for a Laravel project:

{
  "builds": [
    {
      "src": "public/index.php",
      "use": "@vercel/php"
    }
  ],
  "routes": [
    {
      "src": "/(.*)",
      "dest": "/public/$1"
    }
  ]
}

This ensures Vercel uses the correct PHP runtime and routes requests to the public directory, where your index.php file resides.

6. Deploy the Application

With everything set up, you’re ready to deploy your Laravel project to Vercel. Click on the “Deploy” button in the Vercel dashboard, and your Laravel application will be live within minutes. Vercel handles the scaling automatically, so you don’t have to worry about server management.

7. Verify and Test the Deployment

Once your project is deployed, visit the URL provided by Vercel. Check if everything works as expected—such as the database connection, routes, and any external APIs you might be using.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes, you might face some issues while deploying a Laravel application. Here are some common ones:

• Environment Variables Not Set: Double-check that your .env file is correctly configured and that environment variables are set in the Vercel dashboard.
• Permissions Issues: Ensure that your application has the correct permissions to read/write files and access the database.
• Missing Dependencies: If Vercel gives an error related to missing PHP extensions, make sure the required extensions are included in the composer.json file.

Conclusion: Make Your Laravel Deployment Hassle-Free

Deploying your Laravel project on Vercel is relatively simple and doesn’t require extensive server management. Vercel provides an intuitive interface, fast deployments, and automatic scaling, making it an excellent choice for deploying Laravel applications.

If you’re looking for a Laravel development company to help with custom features or to handle the deployment process for you, CodeHunger is a great option. They specialize in creating high-quality Laravel applications and providing ongoing support for deployment on platforms like Vercel. Whether you’re just starting or need advanced solutions, CodeHunger can help you take your Laravel project to the next level.