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Laradock

A ready-made Docker setup for running PHP projects locally with many common services.

GitHub Download v20.4
Stars
12.7k
Forks
4.3k
Licence
MIT
Language
Dockerfile
Last update
6 days ago
Type
Dev tool

What it is

Laradock is a collection of Docker containers and configuration files that give you a complete local PHP development environment. You clone it into a PHP project, start it, and get a web server, PHP runtime, database, cache and other services without installing them on your own machine. It works with frameworks such as Laravel, Symfony, WordPress and Magento, as well as plain PHP.

  • Start a Laravel or WordPress project with Nginx, PHP-FPM and MySQL using ./laradock start
  • Run Artisan, Composer and Node inside the workspace container without installing them on the host
  • Switch PHP versions by setting PHP_VERSION in .env and rebuilding
  • Run Redis, Elasticsearch or Mailpit alongside your app for local testing

Great for

  • PHP developers who want a consistent local environment across Linux, macOS and Windows
  • Teams that want every developer running the same stack
  • Laravel, Symfony or WordPress developers who need Nginx, MySQL or Redis set up quickly
  • People who are comfortable with Docker and want pre-built service configurations

Not ideal for

  • Developers who are new to Docker and want a simple install with no container concepts, since the README assumes Docker knowledge
  • Projects that do not use PHP, because the setup is built around PHP environments
  • Users with very limited disk space or memory, since running many containers can be heavy (the README does not give resource figures)
Step-by-step guide: how to use LaradockInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

How to get it

  1. 1

    Clone and build from source

    You'll need: Docker with Compose v2.20+

    Clone Laradock inside your PHP project

    git clone https://github.com/Laradock/laradock.git

    Enter the laradock folder

    cd laradock

    Start your stack

    ./laradock start

    Enter the Laradock Workspace

    ./laradock workspace
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Clone Laradock inside your PHP project and enter the laradock folder
    • Run ./laradock start and answer the first-run wizard, or accept the defaults
    • Run ./laradock workspace to open a dev shell with php, composer, node and git
    • Open http://localhost in your browser
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use ./laradock setup to reopen the wizard and add services, change PHP version or add tools such as Xdebug
    • Start only the services a project needs with docker compose up, since services can be toggled on demand
    • Override any setting with a single line in .env
    • Use ./laradock logs -f nginx style commands, which pass through to docker compose
    • Review the docs at laradock.io for framework-specific guides such as Laravel on Docker

Downloads

Source code (.zip)master branch · straight from GitHubRelease v20.4Release notes and sourceOfficial website & docslaradock.io

Strengths

  • Covers many common PHP services with pre-configured containers
  • Works with many PHP frameworks and applications, not only Laravel
  • Configuration is plain files and .env overrides, so it can be edited

Trade-offs

  • Requires Docker and Compose v2.20+, and running many containers can use significant resources
  • The README is long and points to external documentation for much of the detail
  • Production deployment features are mentioned but the README gives only brief detail

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
laradock (this)12.7kDev toolintermediate6 days agoPHP developers who want a consistent local environment across Linux, macOS and Windows
colima31.5kDev toolbeginner23 days agoMac developers who want Docker containers without Docker Desktop
macos21.7kDev toolintermediate29 days agoDevelopers who need to test software on macOS from a Linux machine
windows54kDev toolintermediate29 days agoPeople who need a Windows environment on a Linux server or PC without installing Windows directly
dockge24.7kAppbeginner14 days agoPeople who run Docker Compose stacks on a home server or small Linux machine
docker-elk18.4kDev toolbeginner4 days agoDevelopers who want to try the Elastic stack on a single machine

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.