PHP

A PHP app deploys from its repository with no Dockerfile. Nimbus Land recognises it from a root composer.json and serves it with Apache.

Quick start#

A stock laravel new project deploys as is. In the console, create an app from your repository with the deploy wizard. From the CLI, run this in the project directory:

nimbus deploy

Check these first:

• composer.json is at the root of the app (or choose the app directory; see repositories with several apps).
• Anything the app must keep is not in the app directory. Files written at run time are lost on the next release. See Where your app can write.
• Laravel: accept the suggested Postgres database and release command in the wizard. See Laravel.

Apache by default#

Unless you commit a Procfile, Nimbus Land serves the app with Apache and configures it to treat requests that reached the platform over HTTPS as HTTPS, so your app builds https:// URLs. A committed Procfile always wins, for example:

web: heroku-php-nginx -C nginx.conf public/

See what every app needs.

Laravel#

A stock laravel new project deploys as is:

• Document root. Apache serves public/ (Nimbus: no Procfile; serving public/ with Apache in the log). Nothing above it (.env, composer.json, routes/) is reachable.
• APP_KEY is generated on the first deploy when absent and stored on the app, so sessions and encrypted values survive redeploys. It is stored as a plain variable: mark it secret on the Resources tab once the first deploy succeeds. A key committed in .env doesn't count, because the platform's variable takes precedence.
• APP_URL is set to https://<app>.nimbusapps.ca (or your verified custom domain) when unset. When you add a custom domain on the Access tab, you can move APP_URL to it. See Custom domains.
• Environment. The wizard suggests APP_ENV=production, APP_DEBUG=false and LOG_CHANNEL=stderr. The last one sends Laravel's logs to the app's logs instead of a file inside the instance.
• Front-end assets. If package.json has a build script, the build installs Node dependencies with your lockfile's package manager (npm ci, yarn install or pnpm install), runs build with Node 22, and puts public/build/ in the image. Only build runs. Without a lockfile, one is generated for the build.
• Database. The wizard suggests Postgres, pre-checked, because a stock project keeps sessions, cache and queues in the database. Attaching it sets DB_URL, DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD and DB_SSLMODE, and the wizard adds DB_CONNECTION=pgsql.
• Migrations. The wizard suggests php artisan migrate --force as the release command (see release command). To run it once: nimbus run php artisan migrate --force, or Run a command on the Monitoring tab.
• Queue workers. In Background workers on the Resources tab, add Queue worker (php artisan queue:work) or Scheduler (php artisan schedule:work). See commands, workers and one-off runs.

Symfony#

Symfony apps are also served from public/, and need symfony/apache-pack for routes other than / to work under Apache.

Plain PHP#

For PHP without Laravel or Symfony, and no Procfile, Apache serves:

• the repository root, if it has an index.php or index.html;
• otherwise the one folder among public/, www/, web/, htdocs/ and public_html/ that has one, so nothing outside it is reachable;
• otherwise the root, with a build log warning. Serving the root exposes every file in the repository, so add a Procfile (web: heroku-php-apache2 site/).

Where your app can write#

The app directory (/workspace/src) and /tmp are writable, but each instance has its own copy, reset on every release and restart. Everything else is read-only, so writing to /var/www/uploads fails with Permission denied; build paths from __DIR__. Keep files that must last (uploads, a SQLite database) on a volume mounted outside the document root, such as /workspace/src/storage, or in object storage.

Troubleshooting#

For problems that aren't specific to PHP, such as an app that never answers, see Apps troubleshooting.

Page styles or scripts blocked#

The page loads over HTTPS but has no styles or JavaScript, the browser console reports Mixed Content, and the app's Overview shows Page loads styles or scripts over HTTP (see Page check).

Nimbus Land handles HTTPS at its edge and forwards requests to your app over HTTP with X-Forwarded-Proto: https. A framework that doesn't trust that header builds http:// URLs. Only Nimbus Land's edge can reach your app, so trusting every proxy is safe:

• PHP without a Procfile (Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, plain PHP): deploy again.
• Laravel with its own Procfile: Laravel 11 and later, $middleware->trustProxies(at: '*') in bootstrap/app.php; Laravel 10, protected $proxies = '*'; in app/Http/Middleware/TrustProxies.php.
• Symfony: framework.trusted_proxies: '127.0.0.1,REMOTE_ADDR' and trusted_headers: ['x-forwarded-for', 'x-forwarded-proto'].
• A hard-coded http:// URL (a CDN, a theme setting): change it to https://.

Then choose Check again on the Overview.

Permission denied writing a file#

The path is outside the app directory and /tmp. See Where your app can write.

Routes other than / return 404 (Symfony)#

Add symfony/apache-pack. See Symfony.

Database certificate errors#

Attaching Postgres sets DATABASE_CA_CERT. PHP's libpq connects in prefer mode by default, which works as is. To verify the certificate, write DATABASE_CA_CERT to a file at start-up and use sslmode=verify-full sslrootcert=<path>.