How to Deploy a Laravel Project on DigitalOcean – Step-by-Step Guide

So, you’ve built an amazing Laravel project, and now it’s time to deploy it online? DigitalOcean is a fantastic choice for hosting, offering flexibility, speed, and affordability. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, this guide will walk you through deploying your Laravel application on DigitalOcean in a simple and efficient way.

Let’s get started! 🚀

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Step 1: Set Up a DigitalOcean Droplet

A Droplet in DigitalOcean is a virtual private server (VPS) where your Laravel project will run.

1.1 Create a DigitalOcean Account

• Go to DigitalOcean and sign up.
• Verify your email and set up your payment details.

1.2 Create a New Droplet

• Click on “Create” → “Droplets.”
• Choose Ubuntu (latest version) as your operating system.
• Select a plan (Basic $5/month is enough for small projects).
• Add your SSH key (recommended) or use a password for authentication.
• Click “Create Droplet.”
• Once created, note down the IP address of your server.

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Step 2: Connect to Your Droplet

2.1 Using SSH to Access the Server

If you’re on Windows, use PuTTY or Git Bash. On macOS/Linux, use the terminal. Run:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Replace your_server_ip with the actual Droplet IP. Enter your password (if not using an SSH key).

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Step 3: Install Required Packages

Before deploying Laravel, install the necessary software.

apt update && apt upgrade -y
apt install nginx mysql-server php-cli php-mbstring php-xml php-bcmath php-curl unzip git -y

3.1 Install Composer

Laravel requires Composer to manage dependencies.

curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

Step 4: Set Up MySQL Database

Login to MySQL:

mysql -u root -p

Create a new database and user:

CREATE DATABASE laravel_db;
CREATE USER 'laravel_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON laravel_db.* TO 'laravel_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 5: Upload Laravel Project to the Server

There are two ways to upload your Laravel project:

5.1 Using Git (Recommended)

If your project is in a Git repository:

cd /var/www
git clone https://github.com/your-repo.git laravel_project

5.2 Using SFTP

If you prefer manual upload, use an FTP client like FileZilla to transfer files.

Step 6: Configure Laravel

6.1 Set Permissions

Navigate to your Laravel directory:

cd /var/www/laravel_project
chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache
chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache

6.2 Set Up Environment Variables

Rename the .env.example file:

cp .env.example .env

Edit database details in .env:

DB_DATABASE=laravel_db
DB_USERNAME=laravel_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

Run migrations:

php artisan migrate

Generate application key:

php artisan key:generate

Step 7: Configure Nginx for Laravel

Create a new Nginx configuration file:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/laravel

Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your_domain_or_IP;
    root /var/www/laravel_project/public;
    
    index index.php index.html;
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }
    
    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Save and exit (CTRL+X, then Y, then Enter).

Enable the configuration:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/laravel /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
nginx -t
systemctl restart nginx

Step 8: Set Up Supervisor for Queue Workers (Optional)

If your Laravel project uses queues, install Supervisor:

apt install supervisor -y

Create a new Supervisor configuration:

nano /etc/supervisor/conf.d/laravel-worker.conf

Add:

[program:laravel-worker]
process_name=%(program_name)s_%(process_num)02d
command=php /var/www/laravel_project/artisan queue:work
autostart=true
autorestart=true
numprocs=1
redirect_stderr=true
stdout_logfile=/var/log/laravel-worker.log

Save, then restart Supervisor:

supervisorctl reread
supervisorctl update
supervisorctl start laravel-worker:*

Step 9: Set Up SSL with Let’s Encrypt (Recommended for HTTPS)

Install Certbot:

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Generate and install an SSL certificate:

certbot --nginx -d your_domain

Renew SSL automatically:

certbot renew --dry-run

Step 10: Testing and Finalizing Deployment

Restart services:

systemctl restart nginx
systemctl restart php-fpm

Visit your server IP or domain in a browser, and your Laravel project should be live! 🎉

Deploying a Laravel project on DigitalOcean might seem complex at first, but by following these steps, you’ll have your application running smoothly in no time. Whether you’re hosting a personal project or a business application, DigitalOcean provides a scalable and cost-effective solution.

If you need professional help with website development or deployment, CodeHunger is a great choice. Their expert team can assist in launching high-performance websites tailored to your needs.

Happy coding! 🚀