{"id":426,"date":"2025-08-27T21:20:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T21:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1v0.net\/blog\/?p=426"},"modified":"2025-08-27T21:20:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T21:20:45","slug":"how-to-deploy-a-laravel-12-app-on-digitalocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1v0.net\/blog\/how-to-deploy-a-laravel-12-app-on-digitalocean\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Deploy a Laravel 12 App on DigitalOcean"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How to Deploy a Laravel 12 App on DigitalOcean<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

DigitalOcean makes it fast to get a production-ready Laravel app online using Droplets (VMs), Managed Databases, and Spaces (S3-compatible storage). In this step-by-step guide, you\u2019ll provision a Droplet, install Nginx + PHP-FPM, configure env and services, secure the server with UFW + Let\u2019s Encrypt, wire Redis queues with Horizon, add a health check endpoint for your monitors, and ship with a zero-downtime deployment script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1 – Create Your Droplet & Prerequisites<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the DigitalOcean dashboard, create an Ubuntu LTS Droplet (2 vCPU \/ 4GB RAM is a comfortable baseline), add your SSH key, and attach a floating IP if you want stable addressing. Optionally create a Managed MySQL\/PostgreSQL database and a Managed Redis (or run Redis locally to start). Point your domain\u2019s A record at the Droplet IP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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2 – Install Nginx, PHP-FPM, and Extensions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SSH into the Droplet and install the web stack. We\u2019ll use PHP 8.3 for best performance and features.<\/p>\n\n\n

# on Ubuntu<\/span>\nsudo apt update\nsudo apt install -y nginx software-properties-common\nsudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej\/php -y\nsudo apt update\nsudo apt install -y php8.3-fpm php8.3-cli php8.3-mysql php8.3-xml php8.3-mbstring php8.3-curl php8.3-zip php8.3-bcmath unzip git\nsudo systemctl enable<\/span> --now nginx php8.3-fpm<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Bash<\/span> (<\/span>bash<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
This installs Nginx and PHP-FPM with common Laravel extensions and enables both services on boot so a restart won\u2019t bring the app down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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3 – Create the Nginx Server Block<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Point Nginx to Laravel\u2019s public<\/code> folder and pass PHP requests to PHP-FPM\u2019s Unix socket.<\/p>\n\n\n
# \/etc\/nginx\/sites-available\/laravel.conf<\/span>\nserver<\/span> {\n    listen<\/span> 80<\/span>;\n    server_name<\/span> your-domain.com www.your-domain.com;\n    root<\/span> \/var\/www\/current\/public;\n\n    index<\/span> index.php index.html;\n\n    location<\/span> \/ {\n        try_files<\/span> $uri<\/span> $uri<\/span>\/ \/index.php?$query_string<\/span>;\n    }\n\n    location<\/span> ~ \\.php$<\/span> {\n        include<\/span> snippets\/fastcgi-php.conf;\n        fastcgi_pass<\/span> unix:\/run\/php\/php8.3-fpm.sock;\n        fastcgi_read_timeout<\/span> 60s<\/span>;\n    }\n\n    location<\/span> ~* \\.(?:css|js|jpg|jpeg|png|gif|webp|ico|woff2?)$<\/span> {\n        expires<\/span> 7d<\/span>;\n        access_log<\/span> off<\/span>;\n    }\n}<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Nginx<\/span> (<\/span>nginx<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The root<\/code> uses a current<\/em> symlink, which we\u2019ll switch atomically during deploys. Static assets get 7-day caching; PHP routes go to index.php<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n
sudo ln -s \/etc\/nginx\/sites-available\/laravel.conf \/etc\/nginx\/sites-enabled\/\nsudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Bash<\/span> (<\/span>bash<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
This enables the site, lints the config, and reloads Nginx without downtime. For deeper tuning and hardening, see Laravel & Nginx: Best Practices for Production<\/a> (Article #56).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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4 – Clone App & Prepare Directory Layout<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ll use a releases pattern under \/var\/www<\/code> for zero-downtime.<\/p>\n\n\n
sudo mkdir -p \/var\/www\/releases \/var\/www\/shared\nsudo chown -R $USER<\/span>:www-data \/var\/www\ncd<\/span> \/var\/www\/releases\n# first release<\/span>\ngit clone<\/span> https:\/\/github.com\/you\/your-laravel-app.git 20250828-000001\ncd<\/span> 20250828-000001\ncomposer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader\ncp .env.example \/var\/www\/shared\/.env\nphp artisan key:generate --force --env=production --no-interaction<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Bash<\/span> (<\/span>bash<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The shared<\/code> directory holds persistent files like .env<\/code>, storage, etc. Each release gets its own folder; a current<\/code> symlink will point to the active one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
# link shared storage into the release<\/span>\nrm -rf storage\nln -s \/var\/www\/shared\/storage storage\n# make current point to the release<\/span>\nln -sfn \/var\/www\/releases\/20250828-000001 \/var\/www\/current\nsudo chown -R www-data:www-data \/var\/www\/shared \/var\/www\/current\/storage\nphp artisan storage:link\nphp artisan config:cache && php artisan route:cache && php artisan view:cache<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Bash<\/span> (<\/span>bash<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
We symlink storage<\/code> so logs\/uploads persist across deploys. Caching config\/routes\/views speeds up boot (see Article #41: 10 Proven Ways to Optimize Laravel for High Traffic<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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5 – Configure .env (Managed DB, Redis, Mail)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you created a Managed DB\/Redis in DigitalOcean, paste the connection strings into \/var\/www\/shared\/.env<\/code>. Otherwise, point to your Droplet\u2019s local services.<\/p>\n\n\n# \/var\/www\/shared\/.env (example)\nAPP_ENV=production\nAPP_DEBUG=false\nAPP_URL=https:\/\/your-domain.com\n\nDB_CONNECTION=mysql\nDB_HOST=your-managed-mysql-do-user-1234.c.db.ondigitalocean.com\nDB_PORT=25060\nDB_DATABASE=app\nDB_USERNAME=doadmin\nDB_PASSWORD=super-secret\nMYSQL_ATTR_SSL_CA=\/etc\/ssl\/certs\/ca-certificates.crt\n\nCACHE_DRIVER=redis\nSESSION_DRIVER=redis\nREDIS_HOST=your-redis-do-1234.db.ondigitalocean.com\nREDIS_PASSWORD=redis-secret\nREDIS_PORT=25061\n\nQUEUE_CONNECTION=redis\nMAIL_MAILER=log\n\n\n
Managed DB\/Redis often require SSL and nonstandard ports. Keep APP_DEBUG=false<\/code> to avoid exposing stack traces in production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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6 – Optional: Store Files on DigitalOcean Spaces<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Spaces is S3-compatible, so the standard S3 driver works. Great for offloading user uploads and serving via CDN.<\/p>\n\n\n
\/\/ config\/filesystems.php (snippet)<\/span>\n'disks'<\/span> => [\n  'spaces'<\/span> => [\n    'driver'<\/span> => 's3'<\/span>,\n    'key'<\/span>    => env('SPACES_KEY'<\/span>),\n    'secret'<\/span> => env('SPACES_SECRET'<\/span>),\n    'endpoint'<\/span> => env('SPACES_ENDPOINT'<\/span>, 'https:\/\/nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com'<\/span>),\n    'region'<\/span> => env('SPACES_REGION'<\/span>, 'nyc3'<\/span>),\n    'bucket'<\/span> => env('SPACES_BUCKET'<\/span>),\n    'url'<\/span>    => env('SPACES_CDN_URL'<\/span>), \/\/ e.g., CDN endpoint<\/span>\n    'visibility'<\/span> => 'public'<\/span>,\n  ],\n]<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Set FILESYSTEM_DISK=spaces<\/code> and configure SPACES_* <\/code> vars. The optional SPACES_CDN_URL<\/code> makes Storage::url()<\/code> return CDN-hosted URLs automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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7 – Queues with Horizon (Redis)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Use Horizon for live metrics, auto-balancing, and easier on-call. See Article #45 for the full dashboard walkthrough.<\/p>\n\n\n
composer require laravel\/horizon\nphp artisan horizon:install\nphp artisan migrate<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Bash<\/span> (<\/span>bash<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
This adds Horizon\u2019s config and tables. Horizon exposes a dashboard at \/horizon<\/code> for job throughput, failures, and retries.<\/p>\n\n\n
# \/etc\/systemd\/system\/horizon.service<\/span>\n[Unit]<\/span>\nDescription<\/span>=Laravel Horizon\nAfter<\/span>=network.target\n[Service]<\/span>\nUser<\/span>=www-data\nWorkingDirectory<\/span>=\/var\/www\/current\nExecStart<\/span>=\/usr\/bin\/php artisan horizon\nRestart<\/span>=always\nRestartSec<\/span>=3<\/span>\n[Install]<\/span>\nWantedBy<\/span>=multi-user.target<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> TOML, also INI<\/span> (<\/span>ini<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Running Horizon under systemd keeps it alive across crashes and deploys. For queue fundamentals, check Article #42: How to Use Laravel Queues for Faster Performance<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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8 – Free SSL with Let\u2019s Encrypt<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Use Certbot\u2019s Nginx plugin to get and auto-renew TLS certificates.<\/p>\n\n\n
sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx\nsudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com -d www.your-domain.com\n# renewals are installed to crontab\/systemd timers automatically<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Bash<\/span> (<\/span>bash<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Certbot edits your Nginx config to redirect HTTP\u2192HTTPS and configures auto-renewal, keeping your TLS valid without manual steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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9 – Basic Firewall (UFW)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lock down the Droplet so only SSH and web ports are exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH\nsudo ufw allow \"Nginx Full\"<\/span>\nsudo ufw --force enable<\/span>\nsudo ufw status<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Bash<\/span> (<\/span>bash<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
This opens ports 22, 80, and 443 while blocking everything else by default. Pair with SSH keys (no password auth) for secure access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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10 – Health Check Endpoint (UI)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Add a lightweight endpoint for monitors (or a load balancer later) to validate DB\/Redis connectivity quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n
\/\/ routes\/web.php<\/span>\nRoute::get('\/health'<\/span>, function<\/span> ()<\/span> <\/span>{\n    try<\/span> {\n        DB::connection()->getPdo();\n        Cache::put('healthcheck'<\/span>, now(), 5<\/span>);\n        return<\/span> response()->json(['status'<\/span> => 'ok'<\/span>, 'time'<\/span> => now()], 200<\/span>);\n    } catch<\/span> (\\Throwable $e) {\n        return<\/span> response()->json(['status'<\/span> => 'fail'<\/span>], 500<\/span>);\n    }\n});<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The route touches both DB and cache. If either fails, your monitoring will catch it. Keep the logic minimal so checks are fast and reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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11 – Zero-Downtime Deployment Script<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Use an atomic symlink swap after warming the release (composer\/artisan\/migrations). This pattern keeps users online during updates.<\/p>\n\n\n
# \/usr\/local\/bin\/deploy.sh<\/span>\nset<\/span> -euo pipefail\nAPP=\/var\/www\nREL=$APP<\/span>\/releases\nNEW=$REL<\/span>\/$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)\n\nmkdir -p \"$NEW<\/span>\"<\/span>\n# Upload or fetch the build (choose one)<\/span>\n# rsync -az --delete .\/build\/ \"$NEW\/\"<\/span>\ngit clone<\/span> --depth=1 https:\/\/github.com\/you\/your-laravel-app.git \"$NEW<\/span>\"<\/span>\n\ncd<\/span> \"$NEW<\/span>\"<\/span>\nln -sfn \/var\/www\/shared\/.env .env\nrm -rf storage && ln -s \/var\/www\/shared\/storage storage\n\ncomposer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader\nphp artisan config:cache\nphp artisan route:cache\nphp artisan view:cache\nphp artisan migrate --force\n\nln -sfn \"$NEW<\/span>\"<\/span> \"$APP<\/span>\/current\"<\/span>\nsudo systemctl reload php8.3-fpm\nsudo systemctl reload nginx\nsudo systemctl restart horizon || true<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Bash<\/span> (<\/span>bash<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The script clones or syncs your build into a timestamped folder, warms caches, applies migrations, then flips current<\/code>. Finally it reloads PHP-FPM\/Nginx and restarts Horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Automate this from GitHub Actions for push-button deploys\u2014see CI\/CD for Laravel Projects with GitHub Actions<\/a> (Article #54).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Wrapping Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You now have a secure, optimized Laravel deployment on DigitalOcean: Nginx + PHP-FPM on a Droplet, Managed DB\/Redis, Spaces for files, HTTPS via Let\u2019s Encrypt, UFW firewall, Horizon for queues, a health endpoint, and zero-downtime releases. As traffic grows, you can scale vertically (bigger Droplet) or horizontally (multiple Droplets behind a load balancer), and complement with the performance strategies from Article #41.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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What\u2019s Next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n