Running Nginx Virtual Host for Laravel Sites Using Docker

As a developer, you often need to build and manage your own hosting environments. Running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker provides an excellent solution for creating isolated and consistent web application setups. Once Docker is installed, you're ready to set up your local file structure and configurations to build a robust local development environment.

File Structure

Here's the essential file structure you'll need for running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker:

• virtual-host/app/php/www/... laravel 5.4 files
• public/...
• index.php
• ...
• docker-composer.yml
• etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
• nginx.conf
• php.ini

Docker Container Setup

To begin running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker, pull the necessary Docker images for Nginx and PHP:

$ docker pull nginx:latest
$ docker pull webdevops/php-apache-dev:centos-7-php7

Laravel Project Initialization

Navigate to your project directory and create a new Laravel project, which will be the foundation for running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker:

$ cd virtual-host/app/php
$ composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel www "5.4"

Configuration Setup

docker-compose.yml

This `docker-compose.yml` file orchestrates your Nginx and PHP services, essential for running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker:

version: '2'
services:
    nginx:
        image: nginx:latest
        ports:
            - "80:80"
        volumes:
            - "./app:/var/www/html"
            - "./etc/nginx/nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf"
            - "./etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf"
        links:
            - php
    php:
        image: webdevops/php-apache-dev:centos-7-php7
        volumes:
            - "./app:/var/www/html"
            - "./etc/php.ini:/usr/local/etc/php/php.ini"

nginx.conf

This Nginx configuration (`nginx.conf`) defines global settings for your web server, facilitating running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker:

user  nginx;
worker_processes  1;

error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log warn;
pid /var/run/nginx.pid;

events { worker_connections  1024; }

http {
    include /etc/nginx/mime.types;
    default_type application/octet-stream;

    log_format main '$remote_addr - $remote_user [$time_local] "$request" '
                    '$status $body_bytes_sent "$http_referer" '
                    '"$http_user_agent" "$http_x_forwarded_for"';

    access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log  main;

    sendfile on;
    
    keepalive_timeout  65;

    gzip  on;
    gzip_disable "MSIE [1-6].(?!.*SV1)";

    include /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf;
}

default.conf

This is your Nginx virtual host configuration (`default.conf`), specifically tailored for running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker. It directs traffic to your Laravel application's public directory and handles PHP processing:

server {
	listen 80;
	server_name teguh.arief.com;
	root /var/www/html/php/www/public;
    index index.html index.htm index.php;

    try_files $uri $uri/ @rewrite;
    location @rewrite {
            rewrite ^/(.*)$ /index.php?_url=/$1;
    }
	
    location ~ .php$ {
            root /var/www/html/php/www/public;
		fastcgi_pass php:9000;
            fastcgi_index index.php;
		fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME /var/www/html/php/www/public/$fastcgi_script_name;
		include fastcgi_params;
	}
}

php.ini

For proper PHP execution when running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker, download the default PHP 7.0 `php.ini` file and place it in the specified location within your Docker volume setup:

Download php.ini 7.0 default

Building and Running Docker Images

With all configurations in place, build and run your Docker containers to begin running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker:

$ docker-compose up -d

Composer Installation

Once your containers are up, install your Laravel project dependencies:

$ composer install

Editing Hosts File on a PC

Finally, to access your Laravel site by its custom domain, add an entry to your PC's hosts file. Replace `SERVER_IP_ADDRESS` with the IP address of your Docker host:

SERVER_IP_ADDRESS teguh.arief.com

Conclusion

You're all set! Now you can access your Laravel site by navigating to `http://teguh.arief.com` in your browser. This completes the process of running Nginx virtual host for Laravel sites using Docker successfully.