How to Install Laravel on Ubuntu Server

Installing Laravel on Ubuntu is a straightforward process that requires setting up a proper web server environment. This comprehensive guide will walk you through installing Laravel on a fresh Ubuntu server with all the necessary components including PHP, Nginx, MySQL, and SSL.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

A fresh Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 server installation

Step 1: Update Your System

First, update your system packages to ensure you have the latest security patches and software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

**Screenshot description**: Terminal showing package update progress with green checkmarks indicating successful updates.

Step 2: Install PHP and Required Extensions

Laravel requires PHP 8.0 or higher. Install PHP and the necessary extensions:

sudo apt install php8.1 php8.1-fpm php8.1-mysql php8.1-xml php8.1-curl php8.1-gd php8.1-mbstring php8.1-xmlrpc php8.1-soap php8.1-intl php8.1-zip php8.1-bcmath php8.1-json php8.1-cli -y

**Screenshot description**: Terminal showing PHP installation process with package names being downloaded and configured.

Step 3: Install MySQL Database

Install MySQL for your Laravel application:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y

Secure your MySQL installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

During the setup, recommend these settings:

Set up Validate Password Component: Yes

**Screenshot description**: MySQL security configuration interface showing interactive prompts and options.

Step 4: Create Laravel Database and User

Log into MySQL and create a database and user for Laravel:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Enter your MySQL root password, then run:

CREATE DATABASE laravel_app;
CREATE USER 'laravel_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourStrongPassword123!';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON laravel_app.* TO 'laravel_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

**Screenshot description**: MySQL command line interface showing database and user creation commands.

Step 5: Install Nginx

Install Nginx web server:

sudo apt install nginx -y

**Screenshot description**: Nginx installation progress showing download and configuration process.

Step 6: Install Composer

Composer is PHP's dependency manager. Install it globally:

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

Step 7: Install Laravel

Create a directory for your Laravel application:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/laravel-app
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/laravel-app

Navigate to the directory and install Laravel using Composer:

cd /var/www/laravel-app
composer create-project laravel/laravel . --prefer-dist

**Screenshot description**: Composer installation process showing package downloads and dependency resolution.

Step 8: Configure Laravel Environment

Copy the environment file and configure it:

cp .env.example .env

Generate the application key:

php artisan key:generate

Edit the .env file with your database credentials:

APP_NAME=MyLaravelApp
APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=laravel_app
DB_USERNAME=laravel_user
DB_PASSWORD=YourStrongPassword123!

**Screenshot description**: .env file content showing database configuration and application settings.

Step 9: Set File Permissions

Laravel needs proper file permissions to work correctly:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/laravel-app
sudo find /var/www/laravel-app -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
sudo find /var/www/laravel-app -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
sudo chmod -R 777 /var/www/laravel-app/storage
sudo chmod -R 777 /var/www/laravel-app/bootstrap/cache

Step 10: Configure PHP-FPM

Edit the PHP-FPM configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.1/fpm/php.ini

Update these settings for better performance:

memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_vars = 3000
max_input_time = 300

Restart PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl restart php8.1-fpm

**Screenshot description**: PHP configuration file with Laravel-recommended settings highlighted.

Step 11: Configure Nginx for Laravel

Create a new Nginx configuration file for your Laravel site:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/laravel-app

Add this configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
    root /var/www/laravel-app/public;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }

    location = /favicon.ico { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
    location = /robots.txt { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
}

Enable the site and restart Nginx:

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

**Screenshot description**: Nginx configuration file with Laravel-specific rules and syntax highlighting.

Step 12: Install SSL Certificate with Let's Encrypt

Install Certbot for SSL certificates:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Obtain and install SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

When prompted, choose option 2 to redirect HTTP to HTTPS.

**Screenshot description**: Certbot interactive interface showing SSL certificate configuration options.

Step 13: Configure Firewall

Open necessary ports and enable UFW:

sudo ufw allow 'OpenSSH'
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw enable

Step 14: Run Database Migrations

Now that everything is configured, run the Laravel migrations:

cd /var/www/laravel-app
php artisan migrate --force

Step 15: Set Up Cron Job

Laravel requires a cron job for task scheduling. Open crontab:

crontab -e

Add this line to the file:

* * * * * cd /var/www/laravel-app && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Step 16: Test Your Installation

Open your browser and navigate to your domain. You should see the Laravel welcome page. Test that everything is working:

https://yourdomain.com

https://yourdomain.com/storage

https://yourdomain.com/env

Troubleshooting Common Issues

502 Bad Gateway Error

If you get a 502 error, check PHP-FPM status:

sudo systemctl status php8.1-fpm

Permission Issues

If you get permission errors, ensure proper ownership:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/laravel-app

SSL Issues

If SSL isn't working, check certificate status:

sudo certbot certificates

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Laravel on Ubuntu server with a production-ready setup including Nginx, PHP-FPM, MySQL, and SSL. Your Laravel application is now live and ready for development.

From here, you can:

Deploy your Laravel applications

Your Laravel server is now ready to handle production traffic!

Happy coding! 🚀

How to Install Laravel on Ubuntu Server