How to deploy a Laravel App on cPanel using git

• Prerequisites
• Step 1: Prepare Your Laravel Application
• Step 2: Create a Deployment Key in GitHub
• Step 3: Upload the SSH Key to cPanel
• Step 4: Clone Your Repository in cPanel
• Step 5: Configure the Public Folder
• Step 6: Set Up Environment and Permissions
• Step 7: Automate Deployment with Git Pull
• Conclusion

Deploying a Laravel application on cPanel using Git streamlines the process and makes updates more manageable. This tutorial will guide you through deploying a Laravel app on cPanel via Git, ensuring your app is ready for production.

¶Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• A cPanel hosting account
• A Laravel application hosted on GitHub
• Basic knowledge of using cPanel and command-line interface
• A database (MySQL) created in cPanel

¶Step 1: Prepare Your Laravel Application

Before deploying your Laravel app, ensure it's ready for production:

1. Set Environment Variables: Update your .env file with production database credentials and other environment-specific settings.

   APP_NAME=YourAppName
   APP_ENV=production
   APP_KEY=base64:your-app-key
   APP_DEBUG=false
   APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com
   
   DB_CONNECTION=mysql
   DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
   DB_PORT=3306
   DB_DATABASE=your_database_name
   DB_USERNAME=your_database_username
   DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password
   

2. Optimize Your Application: Run the following commands to optimize your Laravel application:

   php artisan config:cache
   php artisan route:cache
   php artisan view:cache
   

¶Step 2: Create a Deployment Key in GitHub

1. Generate an SSH Key: On your local machine, generate an SSH key pair if you don't already have one.

   ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"
   

   Follow the prompts to save the key pair in the default location (~/.ssh/id_rsa). This command generates a public and a private key.

2. Copy the Public Key: Copy the contents of your public key to your clipboard.

   cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
   

3. Add the SSH Key to GitHub:

   • Go to your GitHub repository.
   • Navigate to Settings > Deploy keys.
   • Click Add deploy key, give it a title, and paste your public key into the Key field.
   • Ensure you check Allow write access if you need to push to the repository from cPanel.
   • Click Add key.

¶Step 3: Upload the SSH Key to cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel: Access your cPanel dashboard using your hosting account credentials.

2. Access SSH Access: In the Security section, click on SSH Access.

3. Manage SSH Keys:

   • Click Manage SSH Keys.
   • Click Import Key.
   • Give the key a name (e.g., GitHubDeployKey).
   • Paste your private key (from ~/.ssh/id_rsa) into the Private Key field.
   • Click Import.

4. Authorize the SSH Key: After importing, make sure to Manage Authorization for the key and click Authorize.

¶Step 4: Clone Your Repository in cPanel

1. Open Terminal in cPanel: In the Advanced section, click on Terminal.

2. Navigate to Your Desired Directory: Navigate to the directory where you want to deploy your Laravel app. This is usually ~/ or a subdirectory within it.

   cd ~/your_directory
   

3. Clone Your Repository: Use Git to clone your repository.

   git clone [email protected]:your_username/your_repository.git
   

¶Step 5: Configure the Public Folder

1. Navigate to Your Laravel Directory: Go to the directory where you cloned your repository.

   cd your_repository
   

2. Create a Symlink for the public Folder:

   • Delete the existing public_html folder in cPanel.

     rm -rf ~/public_html
     

   • Create a symlink from your Laravel public folder to public_html.

     ln -s ~/your_directory/your_repository/public ~/public_html
     

¶Step 6: Set Up Environment and Permissions

1. Copy Environment File:

   cp .env.example .env
   

2. Set Application Key:

   php artisan key:generate
   

3. Install Dependencies: If not already installed, install Composer and run:

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

4. Set Permissions:

   chmod -R 775 storage
   chmod -R 775 bootstrap/cache
   

¶Step 7: Automate Deployment with Git Pull

1. Create a Deploy Script: Create a script to pull the latest changes and run necessary commands.

   nano deploy.sh
   

   Add the following content to deploy.sh:

   #!/bin/bash
   git pull origin main
   composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev
   php artisan migrate --force
   php artisan config:cache
   php artisan route:cache
   php artisan view:cache
   

   Save and exit the editor.

2. Make the Script Executable:

   chmod +x deploy.sh
   

3. Run the Deploy Script:

   ./deploy.sh
   

¶Conclusion

Deploying a Laravel application on cPanel using Git is a streamlined process that makes updates easier and more efficient. By following this tutorial, you've set up a robust deployment pipeline that leverages Git for version control and simplifies the deployment process.

For further reading, check out these resources:

• Laravel Deployment Documentation
• GitHub Deploy Keys
• cPanel SSH Access Documentation