Technology

Laravel hosting and deployment without the server chores

Laravel gives you almost everything except the server. Database, migrations, queue workers, scheduled jobs and .env handling stay your job. The platform sets that up when the project is created.

Production-ready Laravel template with repository and project structure
Database, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups configured automatically
Docker-based deployment to your own server or a managed one

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Domain and SSL are part of the setup, not an afterthought.

In short

Running Laravel yourself mostly means maintaining a server environment. The platform takes that part over while leaving the access with you.

The template produces a repository, a project structure and a pipeline covering test through release.
The server side arrives with Docker, MySQL, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups included.

Setting up Laravel yourself versus running it on the platform

A look at the work a hand-built Laravel environment involves and how much of it the platform absorbs.

Task	With the Application Platform	Set up yourself
Project structure and repository	Fully covered: Generated from a production-ready Laravel template with settled conventions	Not offered: Create the repository, define the structure, agree conventions in the team
PHP runtime and dependencies	Fully covered: Run inside a container, identical in CI and on the server	Not offered: Keep PHP version, extensions and Composer aligned on every machine
Database	Fully covered: MySQL is provisioned as part of the server setup, backups included	Not offered: Install and harden the database, create users, plan the backups
Migrations on release	Fully covered: Run as a pipeline step configured in the repository	Partly covered: Run by hand or through home-grown deployment scripts
Queue workers and scheduled jobs	Fully covered: Run as container services on the prepared server next to the web process	Partly covered: Look after process supervision, restarts and crontab entries yourself
Configuration and secrets	Fully covered: Environment variables and credentials centrally in the project, separated per environment	Not offered: .env files on servers, usually without history or backup
Publishing Composer packages	Fully covered: Your own Composer packages are built in CI and published within the project	Partly covered: Run a package repository yourself or fall back to public registries
Inspecting the database	Fully covered: phpMyAdmin is available in the remote workspace	Partly covered: Install an extra tool and secure access to it
Errors in production	Fully covered: Sentry is fully configured, errors arrive with stack trace, release and context	Partly covered: Search through log files or integrate error tracking yourself
Traceability of environments	Fully covered: Environments and deployments live as configuration in the Git history	Not offered: Server state grows over years and is rarely documented

Green means fully covered, amber partly, grey still on you. Building it yourself is entirely possible, it just keeps asking for attention.

As of 10 August 2026. This comparison describes typical workflows and can differ from project to project.

What you get for Laravel specifically

The parts a PHP backend needs once it leaves your laptop.

Production-ready template

The Laravel template brings structure, conventions and a working setup. A whitelabel variant exists for products shipping under several brands.

Database and backups

MySQL, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups are configured during server setup, on your own machines as well as managed ones.

Pipeline with migrations

Test, build, publish and release run through GitLab CI, and migrations are a regular pipeline step rather than a manual chore.

Configuration in one place

Your own Composer packages get built and published by the pipeline, as do Docker images and packages from other ecosystems.

Docker
Databases
Reverse proxy
SSL
Backups
Firewall
Coming soon Kubernetes
Coming soon Monitoring

Database, reverse proxy and backups are configured along with the server.

Getting your Laravel project live

Four steps from creating the project to your first release.

Connect a server

Attach your own machine over SSH or use a managed server. Docker, database, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups get configured.
Create the project from the template

Pick Laravel in the wizard. Repository, project structure and CI/CD pipeline are created alongside the project.
Bring over code and configuration

Move your existing application in and store the values from your .env as environment variables in the project.
Deploy and run migrations

A push starts the pipeline. Build, release and migrations run in the same order for this and every later deployment.

Frequently asked questions

Which database is used?

The templates work with MySQL, provisioned as part of the server setup. Credentials live centrally in the project and are handed to the application. Backups belong to the baseline, and phpMyAdmin is available in the remote workspace.

How do migrations run during a deployment?

Migrations are a step in the pipeline, so every release runs them the same way. Because the configuration is readable in the repository, you can reorder it, for instance for a maintenance window. Logging in over SSH afterwards is no longer needed.

What about queues and scheduled tasks?

Yes. You attach it over SSH and the platform configures Docker, database, reverse proxy, SSL, firewall and backups. Access stays with you. A managed server also takes maintenance off your hands. Kubernetes and monitoring aren't available yet.

Create a Laravel project and deploy it