Can I run Laravel on shared hosting?

Can Laravel Run on Shared Hosting?

Yes, HostingDuty supports Laravel on shared hosting plans, but it requires manual configuration that differs from standard CMS deployments. Laravel is a PHP framework that expects a specific directory structure and server configuration, which shared hosting environments often restrict by default.

The Document Root Requirement

Laravel applications require the web server document root to point to the public directory, not the project root. On shared hosting, this is typically not the default setting. You must access your cPanel or hosting control panel and modify the document root setting to /home/username/public_html/public. Failure to do so will result in 404 errors or exposing sensitive configuration files like .env.

PHP Version and Extensions

Laravel 10 and 11 require PHP 8.1 or higher. Many shared hosting providers still default to PHP 7.4 or 8.0 for legacy compatibility. You must manually select the correct PHP version in your hosting dashboard. Additionally, Laravel requires specific extensions like mbstring, openssl, pdo, tokenizer, and xml. While most modern shared hosts include these, you must verify them in the PHP configuration section of your control panel.

Composer and Dependencies

Shared hosting environments typically disable shell access, which prevents you from running composer install directly on the server. You have two options:

1. Upload the vendor folder via FTP/SFTP after installing dependencies locally. 2. Use a Git repository and deploy via HostingDuty's deployment tools if available.

Uploading the vendor folder increases your upload size significantly and makes updates cumbersome. We recommend using a version control system and a CI/CD pipeline for better maintainability.

Environment Configuration

The .env file contains sensitive credentials like database passwords and API keys. On shared hosting, ensure file permissions are set correctly (644 for files, 755 for directories) to prevent unauthorized access. Never commit .env files to version control.

When to Upgrade

While possible, running Laravel on shared hosting introduces operational overhead. For production workloads, we recommend VPS or cloud hosting where you have full control over the environment. This allows you to use tools like Laravel Forge or Envoyer for streamlined deployments.

For more details on server setup, see our Laravel deployment guide and PHP configuration best practices. Learn about shared vs VPS hosting to make the right choice for your application.