How to Install and Deploy Laravel on Ubuntu with Apache (2025 Guide)

Want to run your Laravel website on Ubuntu? This guide will walk you through every step of installing Laravel on Ubuntu with Apache. Perfect for beginners – no advanced Linux knowledge needed!

What You’ll Learn

• How to prepare your Ubuntu server
• Installing PHP and Apache
• Setting up Laravel
• Configuring your website
• Testing everything works

What You Need Before Starting

Step 1: Getting Your Computer Ready

First, let’s make sure your Ubuntu computer has all the latest updates. Think of this like getting fresh ingredients before cooking!

Open Terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard. Then copy and paste these commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

When it asks for your password, type it in. Don’t worry if you don’t see any stars or dots – that’s normal!

Step 2: Installing PHP and Friends

Laravel needs PHP to work. Let’s install PHP and some helpful tools it needs:

sudo apt install php8.2 php8.2-common php8.2-mysql php8.2-xml php8.2-xmlrpc php8.2-curl php8.2-gd php8.2-imagick php8.2-cli php8.2-dev php8.2-imap php8.2-mbstring php8.2-opcache php8.2-soap php8.2-zip php8.2-intl -y

Step 3: Installing Apache

Apache is like a waiter for your website – it serves your pages to visitors. Let’s install it:

sudo apt install apache2

After installing, let’s make sure Apache is running:

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

Step 4: Installing Composer

Composer helps Laravel install its parts. Think of it like a helper who gets all your books from the library:

curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/composer

Step 5: Creating Your Laravel Website

Now for the fun part – let’s create your Laravel website! First, go to Apache’s web folder:

cd /var/www/html

Then tell Composer to create a new Laravel project. Replace “my-website” with whatever name you want:

sudo composer create-project laravel/laravel my-website

Step 6: Setting Permissions

We need to give Apache permission to use your Laravel files:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/my-website
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/html/my-website/storage

Step 7: Setting Up Apache for Your Website

Now we’ll tell Apache how to show your website. Create a new configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/my-website.conf

Copy and paste this into the file (press Ctrl + Shift + V to paste):

<VirtualHost *:80>
 ServerName my-website.local
 DocumentRoot /var/www/html/my-website/public
 <Directory /var/www/html/my-website>
 AllowOverride All
 </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Save the file by pressing: Ctrl + X, then Y, then Enter

Step 8: Activating Your Website

Let’s turn on your new website configuration:

sudo a2ensite my-website
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Testing Your Website

Open your web browser and type:

http://localhost

You should see the Laravel welcome page!

Also Read: How to Install Docker on Ubuntu 22.04

Common Problems and Solutions