How to Run Laravel Locally: Complete Setup Guide with FlyEnv

Setting up a Laravel development environment used to mean wrestling with PHP versions, configuring Nginx rewrite rules, and battling permission issues. With FlyEnv, you can go from zero to a running Laravel application in under 5 minutes—no terminal wizardry required.

This guide covers both quick project creation and manual setup for existing projects.

Quick Start: Create Laravel Project in FlyEnv

Method 1: One-Click Laravel Installation (Recommended)

FlyEnv can create a fresh Laravel project with all dependencies installed automatically.

Step 1: Create New Project

Open FlyEnv → Host module
Click "New Project" button

Step 2: Configure Project

Choose your settings:

Project Path: Where to save the project
PHP Version: Select 8.1, 8.2, or 8.3 (Laravel 10+ requires PHP 8.1+)
Laravel Version: Latest (11.x) or LTS (10.x)

Click OK and FlyEnv will:

Install Laravel via Composer
Configure the project structure
Set up the database connection
Prepare the site configuration

Step 3: Project Created

Once complete, you'll see the project in your selected folder.

Click "Create Host" to automatically configure the site, or proceed to manual site setup below.

Method 2: Existing Laravel Project

Already have a Laravel project? Skip to the Create Site section.

Create Site

Whether you created a project through FlyEnv or cloned from Git, you need to configure a site to serve it.

Step 1: Add Site in FlyEnv

Open Host module
Click "Add" button (or "Create Host" from the project creation step)

Step 2: Configure Site Settings

Critical for Laravel: Set the root directory to the public folder, not the project root.

Field	Value	Example
Host Name	Your local domain	`laravel.test`
Root Path	Path to `public` folder	`/Users/you/projects/example-app/public`
PHP Version	Match project requirements	8.2, 8.3
Port	HTTP port	80

Why public folder? Laravel's front controller (index.php) lives in public/. Pointing to the project root would expose sensitive files like .env.

Step 3: Configure URL Rewrite

Laravel requires URL rewriting to route all requests through index.php.

Nginx

Select "Laravel" from the Nginx URL Rewrite dropdown:

This automatically adds the correct configuration:

nginx

location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php$is_args$query_string;
}

What this does:

Tries to serve files/directories if they exist
Otherwise routes to index.php with query parameters preserved
Essential for Laravel's routing to work

Apache

Apache uses .htaccess files. When creating a project through FlyEnv, this file is auto-generated. For manual setup, create public/.htaccess:

apache

<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 Folder...
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (.+)/$
    RewriteRule ^ %1 [L,R=301]

    # Send Requests To Front Controller...
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
    RewriteRule ^ index.php [L]
</IfModule>

Caddy

Caddy requires no additional configuration—Laravel works out of the box with Caddy's default settings.

Step 4: Configure Database (Optional)

If your Laravel app uses a database:

Start MySQL or PostgreSQL in FlyEnv
Create a database via the Database management interface
Update .env file:

env

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=your_database_name
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=root

Run migrations:

bash

php artisan migrate

Launch Your Laravel Application

Start Required Services

Start these modules in FlyEnv:

✅ PHP (matching your project's version)
✅ Nginx or Apache or Caddy
✅ MySQL/PostgreSQL (if using database)

Access Your Site

Click the site link in the Host panel:

You should see the Laravel welcome page:

Laravel is running! 🎉

Debugging and Logs

View Application Logs

Laravel logs are in storage/logs/laravel.log:

bash

tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log

View Web Server Logs

FlyEnv provides easy access to server logs:

Select your site in Host module
Click Logs tab

View access logs and error logs in real-time:

Common issues to check:

500 errors → Check Laravel logs
404 errors → Verify URL rewrite is configured
Permission denied → Check storage/ and bootstrap/cache/ permissions

Common Laravel Issues and Fixes

"The stream or file could not be opened" Error

Cause: Permission issues with storage/ folder

Fix:

bash

chmod -R 775 storage
chmod -R 775 bootstrap/cache

On Windows, ensure your user has write permissions to these folders.

"No application encryption key has been specified"

Fix:

bash

php artisan key:generate

Database connection refused

Checklist:

[ ] MySQL/PostgreSQL service running in FlyEnv
[ ] Database exists
[ ] Credentials match .env file
[ ] Using 127.0.0.1 not localhost (avoids socket issues)

CSS/JS not loading (404 on assets)

Cause: Not running npm run dev or npm run build

Fix:

bash

npm install
npm run dev

Or for production build:

bash

npm run build

"Vite manifest not found"

Fix: Run npm run build to generate the manifest file.

Advanced Configuration

Multiple PHP Versions

Testing Laravel upgrades? FlyEnv lets you switch PHP versions instantly:

Install multiple PHP versions (8.1, 8.2, 8.3)
Edit site settings
Change PHP version dropdown
Restart services

SSL/HTTPS for Local Development

Enable SSL in site settings:

Edit site → Enable "Use SSL"
Select "Auto SSL"
Access via https://laravel.test

Essential for testing:

Service Workers
Secure cookies
Payment integrations
PWA features

Queue Workers

For Laravel Queue functionality:

bash

php artisan queue:work

Or use Supervisor (available in FlyEnv) to keep workers running.

Scheduler (Cron)

Add to system cron (every minute):

bash

* * * * * cd /path/to/project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Or use FlyEnv's built-in scheduler feature.

Production Deployment Checklist

When moving from local FlyEnv to production:

[ ] Update .env: APP_ENV=production, APP_DEBUG=false
[ ] Set strong APP_KEY (already set if you ran key:generate)
[ ] Configure production database credentials
[ ] Set up queue workers (Supervisor)
[ ] Configure scheduler (cron)
[ ] Run composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev
[ ] Run php artisan config:cache
[ ] Run php artisan route:cache
[ ] Run php artisan view:cache
[ ] Set proper file permissions
[ ] Configure SSL certificates

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Which PHP version should I use for Laravel?

A: Laravel 11.x requires PHP 8.2+. Laravel 10.x works with PHP 8.1+. Use the latest stable PHP version your Laravel version supports.

Q: Can I use Laravel Sail with FlyEnv?

A: Yes, but it's redundant. FlyEnv provides everything Sail does (PHP, MySQL, Redis) without Docker overhead. You can run vendor/bin/sail commands if needed, but native FlyEnv setup is recommended.

Q: How do I switch from XAMPP/Laragon to FlyEnv?

Export your XAMPP database
Stop XAMPP services
Install project in FlyEnv following this guide
Import database via FlyEnv's database management
Update .env with new database credentials

Q: Why choose public as root directory?

A: Security. Only files in public/ should be web-accessible. The project root contains sensitive files like .env with database passwords.

Q: Can I run multiple Laravel projects simultaneously?

A: Yes. Create separate sites with different domains (e.g., project1.test, project2.test) and different ports if needed.

Q: Does FlyEnv support Laravel Horizon?

A: Yes. Horizon requires Redis—start the Redis module in FlyEnv, then run php artisan horizon.

Q: How do I debug slow queries?

A: Enable query logging in Laravel or use the debug bar. FlyEnv's MySQL slow query log is also available in the Database module.

Q: Can I use PostgreSQL instead of MySQL?

A: Absolutely. FlyEnv supports both. Just change DB_CONNECTION=pgsql in .env and configure PostgreSQL settings.

Q: What's the difference between php artisan serve and FlyEnv?

A: php artisan serve uses PHP's built-in server—slow, single-threaded, and not suitable for development with queues or real-time features. FlyEnv provides a production-like Nginx/Apache setup.

Next Steps

Now that Laravel is running:

Project-Level Version Isolation — Manage multiple Laravel versions
PHP Debugging with Xdebug — Step-through debugging
Local Email Testing — Test emails without sending
Deploy with Cloudflare Tunnel — Share progress with clients

Happy coding with Laravel and FlyEnv!

How to Run Laravel Locally: Complete Setup Guide with FlyEnv ​

Quick Start: Create Laravel Project in FlyEnv ​

Method 1: One-Click Laravel Installation (Recommended) ​

Step 1: Create New Project ​

Step 2: Configure Project ​

Step 3: Project Created ​

Method 2: Existing Laravel Project ​

Create Site ​

Step 1: Add Site in FlyEnv ​

Step 2: Configure Site Settings ​

Step 3: Configure URL Rewrite ​

Nginx ​

Apache ​

Caddy ​

Step 4: Configure Database (Optional) ​

Launch Your Laravel Application ​

Start Required Services ​

Access Your Site ​

Debugging and Logs ​

View Application Logs ​

View Web Server Logs ​

Common Laravel Issues and Fixes ​

"The stream or file could not be opened" Error ​

"No application encryption key has been specified" ​

Database connection refused ​

CSS/JS not loading (404 on assets) ​

"Vite manifest not found" ​

Advanced Configuration ​

Multiple PHP Versions ​

SSL/HTTPS for Local Development ​

Queue Workers ​

Scheduler (Cron) ​

Production Deployment Checklist ​

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ​

Next Steps ​

How to Run Laravel Locally: Complete Setup Guide with FlyEnv

Quick Start: Create Laravel Project in FlyEnv

Method 1: One-Click Laravel Installation (Recommended)

Step 1: Create New Project

Step 2: Configure Project

Step 3: Project Created

Method 2: Existing Laravel Project

Create Site

Step 1: Add Site in FlyEnv

Step 2: Configure Site Settings

Step 3: Configure URL Rewrite

Nginx

Apache

Caddy

Step 4: Configure Database (Optional)

Launch Your Laravel Application

Start Required Services

Access Your Site

Debugging and Logs

View Application Logs

View Web Server Logs

Common Laravel Issues and Fixes

"The stream or file could not be opened" Error

"No application encryption key has been specified"

Database connection refused

CSS/JS not loading (404 on assets)

"Vite manifest not found"

Advanced Configuration

Multiple PHP Versions

SSL/HTTPS for Local Development

Queue Workers

Scheduler (Cron)

Production Deployment Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Next Steps