How to Deploy a Laravel Project for Free: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hi there, Laravel enthusiasts! 🚀
If you’ve just finished building your Laravel project and are now wondering how to make it live for the world to see, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re launching your first app or experimenting with personal projects, this guide will walk you through deploying a Laravel project for free. Let’s make deployment a breeze, shall we?

Step 1: Choose a Free Hosting Platform

There are several platforms that allow you to host your Laravel application for free. Some of the most popular ones include:

• Heroku
• Render
• Free Tier on AWS or Google Cloud
• Vercel (for APIs or front-end apps)

Let’s focus on Heroku, a beginner-friendly and widely-used option.

Step 2: Prepare Your Laravel Project for Deployment

Before deployment, ensure your Laravel project is production-ready. Here’s how:

Update Your .env File

1. Set up the database credentials for the live environment.
2. Update the APP_ENV to production.

Optimize Your Application

Run the following artisan commands to optimize the performance of your app:

php artisan config:cache  
php artisan route:cache  
php artisan view:cache  

Check Dependencies

Ensure all required dependencies are installed and updated:

composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev  

Step 3: Deploy to Heroku

1. Install the Heroku CLI

Download and install the Heroku Command Line Interface from their official website.

2. Create a Git Repository

If your project isn’t already a Git repository, initialize it with:

git init  

3. Login to Heroku

Log in to your Heroku account using the CLI:

heroku login  

4. Create a Heroku App

Create a new application:

heroku create  

5. Add a Buildpack

Laravel requires a PHP buildpack. Set it with the following command:

heroku buildpacks:set heroku/php  

6. Push Your Code to Heroku

Deploy your code to Heroku with:

git add .  
git commit -m "Initial commit"  
git push heroku master  

Step 4: Set Up the Database

If your app uses a database, follow these steps:

1. Add a Free Database Add-On

Heroku offers a free Postgres database. Add it using this command:

heroku addons:create heroku-postgresql:hobby-dev  

2. Migrate Your Database

Run your Laravel migrations on the live database:

heroku run php artisan migrate  

Step 5: Test Your Application

Once deployed, test your application’s live URL to ensure everything works as expected. Debug any errors that might pop up by checking the logs:

heroku logs --tail  

Additional Tips for Successful Deployment

• Secure Your App: Use SSL to ensure your app is secure. Heroku provides free SSL certificates.
• Monitor Resources: Free hosting platforms often come with limited resources, so monitor your app’s performance regularly.
• Backups: Always keep a backup of your database and code.

Deploying a Laravel project for free is absolutely achievable with platforms like Heroku. By following the steps outlined here, you’ll have your app live in no time! If you’re looking for more tips, tools, and guides on Laravel, check out Code Hunger’s resources to streamline your development journey.

Now, it’s your turn—get your project live and share your success story! 😊