Configuring Laravel on Ubuntu for Smooth Deployment

Laravel, a popular PHP framework, can be deployed on various operating systems, including Ubuntu. However, setting it up correctly is crucial to avoid common issues like the 500 Internal Server Error. In this tutorial, we will cover the essential steps and configurations required to deploy Laravel smoothly on Ubuntu.

Step 1: Setting Up File Permissions

When deploying Laravel, it’s vital to ensure that the file permissions are set correctly. This can be achieved by running the following commands in the terminal:

sudo chmod -R 755 /path/to/laravel/project
chmod -R o+w /path/to/laravel/project/storage

The first command sets the permission to 755 for the entire project directory, while the second command allows Laravel to write files to the storage folder.

Step 2: Creating and Configuring the .env File

The .env file is a crucial configuration file in Laravel that stores environment-specific settings. To create a new .env file, navigate to the root of your Laravel project and run:

touch .env

Then, open the file and add the following line to set the APP_KEY:

APP_KEY=

To generate an app key, run the following command in the terminal:

php artisan key:generate

This will populate the APP_KEY value in your .env file.

Step 3: Clearing Cache and Config

After setting up the .env file, it’s a good practice to clear the cache and config to ensure that Laravel uses the new configuration:

php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear

This step helps prevent any issues caused by stale cache or config data.

Step 4: Verifying mod_rewrite Configuration

Laravel relies on mod_rewrite to handle URL routing. Ensure that mod_rewrite is enabled and configured correctly in your Apache configuration file (usually apache2.conf or .htaccess). A basic .htaccess configuration for Laravel looks like this:

+FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^ index.php [L]

Make sure to update the AllowOverride directive in your Apache configuration file to allow .htaccess files to override the main configuration.

Troubleshooting Tips

• If you encounter a 500 Internal Server Error, check the Laravel log files (usually stored in the storage/logs directory) for more information about the error.
• Ensure that all required PHP extensions are installed and enabled on your Ubuntu system.
• Verify that the APP_KEY value is correctly set in your .env file.

By following these steps and configurations, you should be able to deploy Laravel smoothly on Ubuntu and avoid common issues like the 500 Internal Server Error. Remember to always check the log files for any errors or warnings and adjust your configuration accordingly.