When deploying Laravel applications to shared hosting, you need to pay attention to the following key steps: 1. Confirm that the host supports Laravel basic requirements, such as PHP ≥ 8.0, necessary functions and database support; 2. Upload project files to the host root directory and set the entry directory to a public folder; 3. Configure the .env file and generate the application key; 4. Set storage and bootstrap/cache directory permissions and clear the cache; 5. Ensure that the .htaccess file takes effect to handle URL rewrites. If you encounter permissions or function restrictions, you can contact customer service to solve the problem.

It is actually not difficult to deploy Laravel applications to shared hosting, but some details need to be paid attention to. Because the permissions and configuration of shared hosts are usually limited and cannot operate freely like VPS, some adaptation is required. Below are some practical steps and suggestions to help you successfully launch the Laravel project.

1. Basic requirements for ensuring that the host supports Laravel

Before you begin, confirm whether your shared hosting meets Laravel's running conditions:

• PHP version ≥ 8.0 (recommended by Laravel 9)
• Supports functions such as file_put_contents , proc_open (some hosts are disabled by default)
• MySQL or MariaDB database
• Support .htaccess or can set custom portal directories (public)

Some host control panels (such as cPanel) can view PHP version and enable extensions. If certain modules (such as exif , fileinfo , opcache ) are not supported, you may need to contact customer service to enable them.

2. Upload Laravel project files

Shared hosts generally upload files through FTP or cPanel file manager. The recommended approach is:

• Run composer install --optimize-autoloader locally to generate files required for the formal environment
• Upload the entire Laravel project to the root directory of the host (for example, create a folder under /public_html , such as laravel_app )
• But note: Only the content in the public folder should be publicly available

Therefore, you need to point the host's website entry directory to the public folder of Laravel. In cPanel, you can set the document root directory of "main domain" or "subdomain" to /public_html/laravel_app/public .

3. Configure .env and database connections

After uploading the file, you need to set up the .env file:

• Copy .env.example as .env
• Modify database connection information, such as:

 DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=your_database_name
DB_USERNAME=your_db_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

Then run php artisan key:generate to generate the application key. If you cannot run the Artisan command on the server (some shared hosts have CLI disabled), you can also generate the key locally and then manually fill in .env .

4. Set permissions and caches

The directories that require write permissions in Laravel include:

• storage/
• bootstrap/cache/

On shared hosting, the default permissions are usually OK, but sometimes these directories need to be manually set to writable (755 or 775).

In addition, it is recommended to clear the cache after uploading the project:

 php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan route:clear
php artisan view:clear

If you cannot run Artisan, you can clear the cache locally before uploading, or manually delete bootstrap/cache/*.php file.

5. Handle pseudo-static rules (.htaccess)

Laravel's public folder already has a .htaccess file for URL rewriting. If you find a 404 view on the access page, it may be because .htaccess is not effective.

Confirm the following points:

• Whether the host allows .htaccess (some hosts are disabled by default)
• Is AllowOverride set to All (you may need to contact customer service for this)
• Whether the .htaccess file is uploaded correctly has not been ignored by the FTP software

The standard .htaccess content is as follows:

 <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    <IfModule mod_negotiation.c>
        Options -MultiViews -Indexes
    </IfModule>

    RewriteEngine On

    # Handle Authorization Header
    RewriteCond %{HTTP:Authorization}.
    RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]

    # Redirect Trailing Slashes If Not A File
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php?/$1 [L]
</IfModule>

Basically that's it

The key to deploying Laravel to a shared hosting are entry directory settings, permission controls, and pseudo-static rules. Although there are more restrictions, as long as you pay attention to these points, most problems can be solved. If you encounter permission denied or the function is disabled during the process, remember to contact the host customer service to see if the corresponding function can be enabled.

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