Laravel is the most popular PHP framework and works excellently on shared hosting. In this guide, you will learn how to install, configure, and prepare Laravel for production on Theory7 hosting.

Requirements for Laravel

Before you begin, check if your hosting meets the requirements.

PHP Requirements

Laravel 11 requires:

  • PHP 8.2 or higher
  • BCMath PHP Extension
  • Ctype PHP Extension
  • Fileinfo PHP Extension
  • JSON PHP Extension
  • Mbstring PHP Extension
  • OpenSSL PHP Extension
  • PDO PHP Extension
  • Tokenizer PHP Extension
  • XML PHP Extension

At Theory7 hosting, all required extensions are available by default.

Other Requirements

  • SSH access (for Composer)
  • MySQL or MariaDB database
  • Sufficient disk space (at least 100MB)
  • Composer available via command line

Activating SSH Access

Installing Laravel requires SSH access.

Activating SSH in DirectAdmin

  1. Log in to DirectAdmin
  2. Go to Account Manager
  3. Click on SSH Keys
  4. Generate or upload your SSH key
  5. Activate SSH access

See also: Activate SSH Access

Connecting

ssh username@yourdomain.nl
# Or with port:
ssh -p 7777 username@server.theory7.net

Installing Laravel via Composer

Now you can install Laravel.

# Go to your domain folder
cd ~/domains/yourdomain.nl

Creating a Laravel Project

Install Laravel in a subdirectory:

# Create new Laravel project
composer create-project laravel/laravel project
# This creates a folder 'project' with Laravel

Or directly in the current folder:

# In empty folder
composer create-project laravel/laravel .

Verifying Installation

# Check Laravel version
cd project
php artisan --version
# Output: Laravel Framework 11.x.x

Configuring Document Root

Shared hosting requires special configuration for Laravel.

Laravel's public folder must be the document root:

# Remove or rename old public_html
cd ~/domains/yourdomain.nl
mv public_html public_html_backup
# Create symlink to Laravel public
ln -s project/public public_html

Alternative: .htaccess in Root

If symlinks do not work:

# In the root .htaccess
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ project/public/$1 [L]

Configuring Database

Laravel needs a database.

Creating Database in DirectAdmin

  1. Go to Account Manager and then MySQL Management
  2. Click on Create new Database
  3. Choose a name and password
  4. Note the details

Configuring .env File

Edit the .env file:

cd ~/domains/yourdomain.nl/project
nano .env

Adjust the database settings:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=your_database_name
DB_USERNAME=your_database_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password

Configuring Application

Set the basic configuration.

Generating App Key

php artisan key:generate

This generates a unique encryption key in .env.

Production Settings

Adjust .env for production:

APP_NAME="My Laravel App"
APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://yourdomain.nl
LOG_CHANNEL=daily
LOG_LEVEL=error

Cache Settings

Optimize for production:

CACHE_DRIVER=file
SESSION_DRIVER=file
QUEUE_CONNECTION=database

Configuring Storage

Laravel needs write access for storage.

php artisan storage:link

This creates a symlink from public/storage to storage/app/public.

Setting Permissions

# Ensure storage is writable
chmod -R 775 storage
chmod -R 775 bootstrap/cache

Running Migrations

Create the database tables:

# Run migrations
php artisan migrate
# With seeding (if available)
php artisan migrate --seed

Production Optimization

Optimize Laravel for speed.

Config Cache

php artisan config:cache

This caches all configuration in a single file.

Route Cache

php artisan route:cache

Significantly speeds up route resolution.

View Cache

php artisan view:cache

Pre-compiles all Blade templates.

Autoloader Optimization

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

Everything at Once

php artisan optimize

Setting Up Cronjob

Laravel's scheduler requires a cronjob:

  1. Go to DirectAdmin
  2. Go to Advanced Features and then Cron Jobs
  3. Add a cronjob:
    4. * * * * * cd ~/domains/yourdomain.nl/project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Common Issues

500 Error After Installation

  1. Check if .env exists
  2. Generate app key: `php artisan key:generate`
  3. Check storage permissions
# Remove old link
rm -f public/storage
# Create again
php artisan storage:link

Composer Memory Error

# Increase memory limit
php -d memory_limit=512M /usr/local/bin/composer install

Blank Page Without Error Message

  1. Temporarily enable debug: `APP_DEBUG=true`
  2. Check the error
  3. Disable debug again

Performing Updates

Keep Laravel up to date:

# Update dependencies
composer update
# Run new migrations
php artisan migrate
# Clear and rebuild cache
php artisan optimize:clear
php artisan optimize

Need Help?

We are here for you! Are you facing any issues or have questions? Our support team is happy to assist you personally. Send us a message via the ticket system - we usually respond within a few hours and are happy to help you out.