Lesson 22: Deployment

Deploying a PHP application involves moving it from your local development environment to a live server so users can access it. This lesson covers deploying PHP applications to a live server and using Composer for dependency management.

 

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Lesson Outline

1. Preparing for Deployment
2. Deploying PHP Applications to a Live Server
3. Using Composer for Dependency Management
4. Best Practices for Deployment

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22.1 Preparing for Deployment

Checklist for Deployment

1. Update Configuration:
   • Ensure the .env file contains live database and environment settings.
   • Example:
     env

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     APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=your_live_db_host
DB_DATABASE=your_live_db_name
DB_USERNAME=your_live_db_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_live_db_password

2. Optimize Code:
   • Remove debug tools, test data, and unnecessary files.
   • Minify assets (CSS, JavaScript).
3. Backup Data:
   • Backup your database and application files before deployment.
4. Check PHP Version:
   • Ensure the live server has the required PHP version and extensions.
5. Use Version Control:
   • Store your project in a version control system like Git for easier deployment and rollback.

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22.2 Deploying PHP Applications to a Live Server

1. Deploying to a Shared Hosting Server

Step 1: Upload Files

1. Use an FTP client like FileZilla to upload your files to the server.
2. Place your files in the public_html directory (or equivalent).

Step 2: Configure the Environment

1. Upload the .env file with the live environment variables.
2. Ensure the public directory is set as the document root in the hosting control panel.

Step 3: Configure File Permissions

1. Ensure the following directories are writable:
   • storage
   • bootstrap/cache

Step 4: Set Up the Database

1. Import your local database to the live database using tools like phpMyAdmin.
2. Update the .env file with the live database credentials.

Step 5: Test the Application

1. Open your website in a browser to verify functionality.
2. Check logs for errors in the storage/logs directory.

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2. Deploying to a Virtual Private Server (VPS)

Step 1: Set Up the Server

1. Install required software:
   • Apache or Nginx:
     bash

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     sudo apt install apache2
sudo apt install nginx

   • PHP and Extensions:
     bash

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     sudo apt install php php-mysql php-cli php-mbstring php-xml php-curl

   • MySQL:
     bash

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     sudo apt install mysql-server

2. Secure the server:
   • Set up a firewall:
     bash

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     sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'
sudo ufw enable


Step 2: Upload Files

1. Use SCP or rsync to transfer files from your local machine:
   bash

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   scp -r /path/to/project user@your-server:/var/www/html

2. Set file permissions:
   bash

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   sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html


Step 3: Configure Virtual Hosts

1. Create a virtual host file for Apache:
   bash

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   sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/yourdomain.conf


   Add the following configuration:

   apache

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   <VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName yourdomain.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/public<Directory /var/www/html/public>
   AllowOverride All
   </Directory>

   ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
   CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
   </VirtualHost>

2. Enable the site and restart Apache:
   bash

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   sudo a2ensite yourdomain.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2


Step 4: Set Up SSL

1. Install Certbot for free SSL certificates:
   bash

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   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

2. Run Certbot to configure SSL:
   bash

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   sudo certbot --apache


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22.3 Using Composer for Dependency Management

What is Composer?

Composer is a dependency manager for PHP that simplifies the management of libraries and packages.

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1. Installing Composer

Linux/Mac

1. Run the following commands:
   bash

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   php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');"
php composer-setup.php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

2. Verify installation:
   bash

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   composer --version


Windows

1. Download the installer from getcomposer.org.
2. Follow the installation wizard.

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2. Using Composer in Your Project

Install Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory:

This installs all the dependencies listed in composer.json.

Update Dependencies

Autoload Classes

Use Composer’s autoloader for your classes:

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3. Deploying with Composer

1. Install Dependencies on the Live Server

1. SSH into the server and navigate to your project directory.
2. Run:
   bash

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

   • --no-dev: Excludes development dependencies.
   • --optimize-autoloader: Optimizes class autoloading.

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22.4 Best Practices for Deployment

1. Use a Version Control System

• Use Git to track changes and deploy code to your live server.
• Example deployment using Git:
  bash

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  git pull origin main


2. Automate Deployments

• Use CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or GitLab CI/CD to automate testing and deployment.

3. Monitor the Application

• Set up monitoring tools like New Relic or LogRocket to track performance and errors.

4. Use Environment Variables

• Store sensitive data like API keys in environment variables instead of hardcoding them.

5. Backup Regularly

• Schedule regular backups of your database and files using tools like cron.

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Activities and Exercises

1. Deploy a Laravel application to a shared hosting server.
2. Set up a VPS with Apache or Nginx and deploy a PHP application.
3. Use Composer to add and manage a library (e.g., PHPMailer).

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Assignment

1. Create a PHP project that uses Composer to manage dependencies (e.g., Guzzle for HTTP requests).
2. Deploy the project to a live server and secure it with HTTPS.

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Summary

In this lesson, you learned:

1. How to deploy PHP applications to shared hosting and VPS.
2. How to use Composer for dependency management.
3. Best practices for secure and efficient deployments.

Deploying applications is a critical skill for launching web projects. Let me know if you need help with specific deployment scenarios!