How to host Laravel on SSD Nodes Server - 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. SSD Nodes is a dependable hosting option for Laravel, providing scalable infrastructure and simple deployment solutions. ServerAvatar makes it easy and user-friendly to deploy Laravel on the SSD Nodes platform.

Create a Server in SSD Nodes

Getting started with SSD Nodes:

Discover how to create an account and set up a cloud VPS on SSDNodes, a top hosting provider. Follow our simple, step-by-step guide to get your account up and running quickly and easily, so you can start managing your hosting services today.

SSDNodes offers dependable and scalable hosting solutions to individuals and corporations because of its speed and affordability. They provide an infrastructure to host webpages, software, and other internet services effectively.

Step 1: Setup Cloud VPS with SSD Nodes

• First, log in to your SSD Nodes account and navigate to the Servers option. Next, click on Purchase a New Server from the dropdown menu.

Step 2: Select the plan

• SSD Nodes Offer two Different VPS plans:
  1. Standard VPS
  2. Performance VPS
• You have to select a Plan according to your needs. The minimum requirement is 1GB or more of RAM for better performance and disk space based on the size of your application and its data.
• After selecting your plan just click on Get Started.

Step 3: Finalizing Your VPS Selection

• In the following step, You will see the summary of your selected VPS Plan. Click Proceed to Checkout if you are satisfied with the plan you have chosen, or select Customize Your Own Server to modify your VPS server according to your requirements.

Step 4: Customizing the VPS Configuration

• You can see your selected plan as shown in the below image.

• You can select the billing cycle based on your requirements.

• You have the option to select a server location that is more convenient for you. It is recommended to select the location that is closest to your audience. It means that for the majority of your audience, Your sites will load faster due to lower latency.

• Now, you have to select your preferred operating system; we recommend selecting Ubuntu 20.04 64-bit or Ubuntu 22.04 64-bit. If you are using ServerAvatar to manage your servers, these operating systems are required.

• Now, there is an Advance Options section where you can configure settings according to your requirements, Additionally, you can add a Public SSH Key and specify the Server's Name and Description. Once you've set up your Advanced Options, proceed to the payment checkout.

• Review and confirm all the choices you've made for your VPS and Click on the Proceed to Checkout option.

Step 5: Finalizing Your Order and VPS Deployment

• Now, you need to confirm and complete the payment, also you can review the Order Summary on the same page as shown in the image below. After you've completed the payment process, your VPS will be set up quickly and will be ready for use in a minimum amount of time.

• Congratulations! You have successfully created your SSD Nodes VPS, which is now ready to connect with ServerAvatar.

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.