# Best Way to Deploy a Laravel App to Production in 2026 > The best way to deploy Laravel without managing a VPS is Kuberns. Connect GitHub, add env vars and databases, then verify queues, storage, HTTPS, and logs. - **Author**: parth-kanpariya - **Published**: 2025-11-17 - **Modified**: 2026-10-10 - **Category**: Deployment Guides - **URL**: https://kuberns.com/blogs/deploy-laravel-app/ --- The simplest way to deploy a Laravel app without configuring a VPS is to connect its GitHub repository to Kuberns, review the detected PHP and Laravel settings, add the required environment variables and resources, deploy, and verify the running application. Kuberns is an **Agentic AI platform for deployment** that prepares the managed build and deployment workflow while keeping the detected configuration and runtime evidence available for review. A production Laravel release involves more than serving PHP. The application may depend on database migrations, queue workers, scheduled tasks, Redis, persistent uploads, frontend assets, mail credentials, and long-running processes that must be restarted when code changes. These requirements should be identified before the release rather than discovered after users reach the application. This guide explains what Laravel needs in production, how to deploy it through Kuberns, how to configure Laravel-specific services, and what to verify before considering the release complete. ### TL;DR - Commit the Laravel source, `composer.json`, `composer.lock`, and any required frontend lock file to GitHub. - Keep `.env`, application secrets, and the `vendor` directory outside the repository. - Connect the repository to Kuberns and review the configuration proposed by the temporary agent. - Add `APP_KEY`, production settings, database credentials, and any Redis, mail, or storage configuration. - Deploy, then verify migrations, queues, scheduled tasks, persistent storage, logs, HTTPS, and critical routes. ## What Does a Laravel App Need in Production? Laravel's official deployment guidance covers server requirements, optimization, health routing, debug settings, and reloading long-running services after a release. The exact requirements depend on the application, but a production review should include the following components. [Laravel deployment documentation](https://laravel.com/framework/docs/deployment) | Requirement | Why it matters | What to verify | | --- | --- | --- | | PHP runtime and extensions | Laravel and Composer require compatible versions and extensions | The deployed PHP version satisfies `composer.json` and all required extensions are present | | Locked dependencies | Repeatable builds depend on known package versions | `composer.lock` is committed and production dependencies install successfully | | Environment variables | Laravel uses environment-specific settings and secrets | `APP_ENV=production`, `APP_DEBUG=false`, `APP_KEY`, database values, mail and external-service credentials | | Database and migrations | Application data must persist across releases | Connection works and the migration plan has been reviewed | | Queue workers | Background jobs require long-running worker processes | Queue connection, command, restart behavior, failed jobs, and logs | | Scheduler | Scheduled commands need a recurring trigger | `php artisan schedule:run` executes at the intended interval | | Cache and optimization | Configuration, route, event, and view caching can improve production execution | Required optimization commands complete without stale development values | | Persistent storage | Local uploads must survive a rebuild or redeployment | Persistent volume or object-storage configuration is working | | HTTPS and domain | Public traffic must be encrypted and routed correctly | DNS, certificate, redirects, and canonical application URL | | Logs and health checks | A successful build does not prove the application is healthy | Runtime logs, critical routes, database access, workers, and external services | Long-running services such as queue workers, Laravel Reverb, and Octane need to load the new code after deployment. Treat that as part of release verification, not an optional maintenance task. ## Best Way to Deploy a Laravel App on Kuberns Kuberns can start from a GitHub repository or an available open-source template. For a custom Laravel application, the repository workflow gives the temporary agent enough context to propose the framework, root directory, dependency files, commands, ports, environment-variable names, and supporting resources. ![Kuberns Agentic AI platform for Laravel deployment](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/kuberns-home-page-new.png) ### Step 1: Prepare the repository Commit the application source, `composer.json`, `composer.lock`, migrations, configuration files, and the lock file required by the frontend build. Do not commit `.env`, production credentials, or `vendor`. Confirm that the production branch contains the exact code you intend to deploy. If the project is a monorepo, identify the Laravel root directory and any separately deployed frontend or worker services. ### Step 2: Connect GitHub Open the [Kuberns dashboard](https://dashboard.kuberns.com), authorize the Kuberns GitHub App, and select the repository, branch, region, and available project options. ![Connect a GitHub repository to Kuberns](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/kuberns-registration.png) The current onboarding process and repository-selection fields are documented in the [Kuberns getting-started guide](https://docs.kuberns.com/docs/getting-started). ### Step 3: Review the agent's proposed configuration Kuberns creates the initial project, service, and environment, then starts a temporary agent to analyze the source. Review the detected PHP and Laravel requirements, root directory, build command, process command, public entry point, environment-variable names, and supporting resources. The agent can propose deployment configuration, but application-specific behavior still requires developer judgment. Confirm how migrations, workers, the scheduler, uploads, frontend assets, and external services should operate before starting the release. ### Step 4: Add environment variables and resources Provide the values the application requires, which commonly include: - `APP_KEY`, `APP_ENV=production`, `APP_DEBUG=false`, and the production `APP_URL`; - database connection variables; - queue, session, and cache drivers; - Redis connection values when used; - mail provider and third-party API credentials; - filesystem or object-storage configuration. ![Add application environment variables in Kuberns](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/environment-variable-kuberns.png) Kuberns can manage PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, application servers, and background-worker resources depending on the workload. Review the [Kuberns platform overview](https://docs.kuberns.com/docs/overview) for the documented resource model. ### Step 5: Deploy and monitor the build Start the managed build and deployment workflow. Follow the build and service logs rather than treating a successful build badge as proof that Laravel is functioning correctly. ![Review the Kuberns deployment dashboard](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/deployed-dashboard.png) If dependency installation, asset compilation, cache generation, or application startup fails, use the logs to identify the failing command. Change the reviewed configuration or application code, then deploy the corrected revision. ### Step 6: Run approved release tasks Database migrations should be deliberate. Review the migration, back up important data, prefer backward-compatible schema changes, and run the approved production migration command at the correct point in the release. Do not assume every migration is safe merely because it was generated or detected automatically. Create the storage link when the application needs it, generate production caches only after environment values are correct, and ensure long-running processes load the new release. ### Step 7: Verify production Open the service environment and inspect build logs, runtime logs, resources, metrics, environment variables, domain status, and deployment activity. Test the homepage, authentication, database-backed routes, uploads, queued jobs, scheduled tasks, mail, and critical external integrations. The [Laravel deployment template](https://kuberns.com/services/laravel) provides a direct starting point for teams that want the Laravel-specific Kuberns workflow. ## How to Configure Laravel Services After Deployment ### Database and migrations Confirm the application can connect using production credentials before running migrations. Separate risky schema changes into safe release stages, retain a backup or recovery plan, and monitor errors after the migration completes. ### Queue workers and Redis Queue workers are long-running processes. Define the correct worker command and queue connection, provide database or Redis credentials, and confirm jobs are processed after every deployment. Check failed jobs and runtime logs instead of assuming worker health from the web service alone. ### Scheduler Laravel expects `php artisan schedule:run` to be invoked regularly. Confirm the platform's scheduled process uses the correct environment and that expected tasks actually run. A configured trigger is not enough if a command fails because of missing credentials or application errors. ### Persistent uploads Application containers and build output should not be treated as permanent file storage. Use an attached persistent volume or S3-compatible object storage for uploads that must survive rebuilds and new releases. ### Configuration and route caches Generate Laravel's production caches only after the correct environment values are present. If a release reads stale configuration, clear and rebuild the relevant cache before investigating the application logic. Teams using Git-based releases can also follow the broader guide to [automatic deployment from GitHub](https://kuberns.com/blogs/how-to-auto-deploy-your-apps-from-github-in-one-click/) for later branch updates. ## Laravel Post-Deployment Checklist - [ ] `APP_ENV` is set to production and `APP_DEBUG` is disabled. - [ ] The production domain uses HTTPS and redirects consistently. - [ ] Critical public, authenticated, and database-backed routes respond correctly. - [ ] Approved migrations completed successfully and the application reads the expected schema. - [ ] Queue jobs are processed and failed-job monitoring is available. - [ ] Scheduled commands run at the expected interval. - [ ] Uploaded files remain available after a rebuild or redeployment. - [ ] Mail, Redis, storage, payment, and other external services use production credentials. - [ ] Configuration, route, event, and view caches contain production values. - [ ] Long-running workers use the current release. - [ ] Build and runtime logs contain no repeated startup or application errors. - [ ] The team understands how to revert the application and recover data if verification fails. This checklist is more useful than a promise that deployment is complete after a build succeeds. A Laravel release is complete only when the web process and its supporting services work together in production. ## Why Use Kuberns Instead of Managing a Laravel VPS? A manual VPS deployment requires the team to assemble and maintain the PHP runtime, web server, process supervision, networking, certificates, deployment automation, logs, and monitoring. That level of control can be useful, but it also creates an operational surface that application developers must own. Kuberns reduces that setup by analyzing the repository, proposing deployment configuration, provisioning managed resources, and running the standard build and deployment workflow on AWS-backed infrastructure. The dashboard exposes configuration, environment variables, logs, resources, metrics, deployment activity, domains, usage, and service settings. The main advantage is not that developers can ignore Laravel production requirements. It is that they can review those requirements through one managed deployment workflow instead of assembling the underlying platform themselves. This is particularly useful for full-stack and complex backend projects with agentic AI for deployment. ## Conclusion A reliable Laravel deployment starts with a production-ready repository and ends with verification of the web application, database, migrations, workers, scheduler, storage, logs, and HTTPS. Kuberns simplifies the infrastructure and deployment workflow, while the development team retains ownership of application-specific release decisions. Connect the Laravel repository, review the configuration proposed by the temporary agent, add the required production variables and resources, deploy, and complete the post-deployment checklist before sending users to the application. [Deploy a Laravel application with Kuberns](https://dashboard.kuberns.com) Deploy a Laravel application with Kuberns ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do you deploy a Laravel app to production? Prepare the repository and production variables, connect it to a deployment platform, review the PHP and Laravel configuration, deploy, and verify the database, queues, scheduler, storage, logs, HTTPS, and application behavior. ### What does a Laravel application need in production? A production Laravel application needs a compatible PHP runtime, locked Composer dependencies, secure environment variables, a database, writable cache directories, HTTPS, logs, and a deliberate migration plan. Applications may also require queue workers, a scheduler, Redis, and persistent file storage. ### Can Laravel queue workers run on Kuberns? Kuberns can manage application servers and background workers. Confirm the queue connection and worker command, provide required database or Redis credentials, and verify that jobs are processed after deployment. ### How should Laravel migrations be handled during deployment? Review every production migration before running it. Back up important data, use backward-compatible changes where possible, run the approved migration command at the intended release stage, and monitor the result before shifting normal traffic. ### Does a Laravel deployment need persistent storage? Persistent storage is required when the application saves user uploads or generated files locally. Use an attached persistent volume or object storage so files survive rebuilds and redeployments. ### Can Laravel be deployed without managing a VPS? Yes. A managed platform such as Kuberns can prepare and run the build and deployment workflow without requiring the developer to configure a VPS, Nginx, PHP-FPM, certificates, and process supervision manually. --- - [More Deployment Guides articles](https://kuberns.com/blogs/category/deployment-guides/1/) - [All articles](https://kuberns.com/blogs/)