How to host Laravel on Linode VM Instance - ServerAvatar

Laravel is a popular open-source PHP framework designed to enhance the development process by providing a robust set of tools and features. It simplifies building applications with its syntax and modular structure. Laravel offers comprehensive solutions for routing, authentication, and data management, allowing developers to create customized applications efficiently. When selecting a hosting solution for Laravel, Linode stands out as a reliable option with scalable infrastructure and simple deployment solutions. ServerAvatar makes the deployment of Laravel on the Linode platform straightforward through a simplified process.

Create a server in Linode

First of all, Let's create a VM instance in Linode. It provides a lot of different types of VM instances. You can create shared VM instances, Dedicated Instances, Memory-optimized instances, and GPU instances. To host a simple website, You will need a shared VM instance.

If you think your application uses high CPU or RAM, You can go for a Dedicated CPU VM or Memory Optimised VM respectively. Let's get started with the process.

Step 1: Go to Linode VM Instance Creation Form

When you log in to your Linode account, You will see the Create Linode button on the top-right corner of the page. Click on it to go to the Linode creation form.

Step 2: Select the Distribution

ServerAvatar supports Ubuntu 20.04 LTS x64 and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS x64. So, it is recommended to select any one of the supported OS.

Step 3: Select the Region

Linode has multiple data centers located in different regions worldwide. It is recommended to choose the region that is closest to your major traffic source to reduce latency and improve the performance of your applications.

Step 4: Select Linode Plan

Linode offers various plans with different configurations of CPU, RAM, and storage. Choose a plan that fits your budget and meets your application's needs. The minimum requirement is 1GB or more of RAM for a simple application and a minimum of 1GB to 5GB of disk storage covers the Laravel application itself, basic logs, and minimal database usage.

With ServerAvatar, You can also host multiple applications on a single Linode VM Instance.

Step 5: Set Label and Select Tags

The label is a human-readable name that you can use to identify your instance. Tags are keywords that you can use to categorize and search for your instances. You can also group Linodes by Tags on the dashboard.

Step 6: Set Strong Root Password and Select SSH Key

The root password is the administrator password that you will use to access and manage your VM instance. Make sure to use a strong password that is hard to guess and includes a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Next, select an SSH key if you want to authenticate with SSH keys. SSH keys are a more secure way to log in to your VM instance than using passwords. If you have an SSH key, you can upload it to your Linode account and use it to log in to your VM instance.

Step 7: Select VLAN (If Required)

A VLAN is a logical network that separates traffic from different virtual machines or physical servers. It can be used to isolate network traffic and improve security.

Step 8: Select Add-ons - Backups and Private IP

Linode provides an easy way to create and store backups for your VM instances. Backups are highly recommended as they can help you with disaster recovery quickly. In the last step, You can enable the Private IP address for your VM instance if required.

Step 9: Click on "Create Linode"

Finally, Click on the Create Linode button at the end of the form to create a Linode VM instance. It usually takes around 2 minutes to create a new Linode instance. Once done, You can connect it with ServerAvatar for ease of site and server configuration management.

Initial Server Configuration

The Initial server configuration includes the installation and configuration of various packages required to host your website. Usually, You have to write commands and modify configuration files. Luckily, With ServerAvatar, Your full server configuration and optimization can be automated.

Here are the three ways to automatically configure your server with ServerAvatar.

wget https://srvr.so/install
chmod +x install
./install

Install and Setup Laravel on Cloud using ServerAvatar

Getting Started With Laravel:

Laravel is a PHP-based Framework that helps you build your application with elegant syntax and provides a variety of features. Laravel provides an amazing developer experience. There are lots of features and tools that are given by Laravel’s environment so that developers can use them to create something new. Laravel is based on MVC (Model, View, Controller) architecture. Laravel is the best choice for small or large projects and full-stack web applications.

Key Features:

• Open Source: Laravel is open-source, so you have the flexibility to build applications according to your needs.
• Extensible: Laravel offers the capability to enhance your web application through a wide range of features and tools.
• Developer-Friendly: Laravel provides an expressive framework with elegant syntax and a scalable environment, and it speeds up your development while maintaining ease of use.
• Secure: Laravel provides various Authentication processes and middleware to enhance the security of your web application.

Let's begin by creating the application.

Step 1: Create a GitHub application

Start by creating a GitHub Application using ServerAvatar. Go to the Applications tab on the server panel and click on the Create button as shown in the image below.

On the following screen, fill in the Application details, including:

• Application Name: enter your Application Name.
• Select Domain: Select between a Test Domain or a Primary Domain as per your requirements.
• Enter Domain: Enter your Application Domain.
• Method: Select Git as your application method.
• Service Provider: Select GitHub as service provider for cloning the repository.
• Repository Type: Public
• Clone HTTPS URL: https://github.com/laravel/laravel.git
• Branch: master
• Deployment Script: composer update (to update the composer after cloning)

Now, your Application is ready. You can see your Application in the Dashboard.

Step 2: Create a Database

To create a Database that stores your confidential data, Go to the Dashboard and click on the Databases option. Enter Your Database name and just hit on the “Create a Database” button as shown in the image below.

After successfully creating a Database, you can see your Database in the Databases Dashboard.

Step 3: SSH Setup and env Configuration

• First, go to the Application Dashboard and enable SFTP/SSH Credentials as shown in the below image.

• After, enabling SFTP/SSH, you can log in to your server. Open a terminal and use the following command: sudo ssh {username}@{ip}
• Replace {username} with your actual Username and {ip} with your server's IP address. You will be prompted to enter your password. After successful authentication, you will have remote access to your server.
• Navigate to your Application Path by running the following command: cd LaravelApplication/public_html/

• Next, you need to copy the .env.example file to the .env file.
• Command for Copy: cp .env.example .env

Step 4: Generate App Key

• Next, you need to generate an APP_KEY in your .env file. To generate the key, execute the following command.
• Command: php artisan key:generate

Step 5: Configure .env file

• Navigate to the Application Panel access the FIle Manager option and open the public_html folder. Then, click on the Show Hidden Files option.

• Open the .env file by clicking on it.

• As shown in the image below, change the APP_URL from http://localhost to your-application-domain in the .env file.
• Edit and update your application's database details.

• To find your database credentials, navigate to the Databases section in the server panel and click on the manage users icon next to the database you have set up for your application.

• You can see your Database credentials as shown in the image below.

Step 6: Migrate Database Tables

• Now, you have to migrate your Database tables. Execute the following command.
• Command: php artisan migrate

Step 7: Update Custom Webroot

• To run your application on a server, you must set your Custom Webroot to public. To update this setting, navigate to the Settings option in the sidebar of your application.
• Add public in the Custom Webroot Section and click on Update Custom Webroot as shown in the below image.

Step 8: Access Laravel

• Now, to access Laravel, open your web browser and enter your site's domain.
  • Example: http://lara.satesting1.click
  • For instance: http://your-application-domain

Conclusion :

• Deploying your PHP Laravel application with ServerAvatar simplifies the entire process, ensuring a smooth and efficient setup. Each step is straightforward and well-guided, from creating the application and database to configuring server settings and migrating database tables.
• Laravel's robust features, combined with ServerAvatar’s user-friendly interface, make it an excellent choice for developers looking to deploy applications quickly and securely.
• Following the detailed steps outlined in this guide, you can confidently launch your Laravel application and take advantage of the powerful tools and environment both Laravel and ServerAvatar provide.