Laravel Deployment Script for ISPConfig Managed VPS

Deploying a Laravel project to a live server often requires a series of repetitive steps to ensure the project works as expected. This script simplifies the deployment process and can either serve as a complete solution for most Laravel projects or act as a foundation for customization based on a project's specific needs.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following:

1. You have already set up the user and domain for your project using the ISPConfig web panel.
2. [OPTIONAL] You have cloned your Laravel project into the appropriate web folder.

Installation Steps

1. Navigate to Your Project Folder

First, go to your project's web folder:

cd /var/www/yourdomain.com

Verify the user and group assigned by ISPConfig by running:

ls -l

For example, if the output shows the user as web55 and the group as client45, note these values for later steps.

2. Enable npm Commands

To execute npm commands, you need to create an .npm folder inside the user’s web folder. Since the web folder is protected by default, temporarily unprotect it, create the .npm folder, and then protect it again:

chattr -i /var/www/clients/client45/web55/
mkdir /var/www/clients/client45/web55/.npm
sudo chown -R web55:client45 "/var/www/clients/client45/web55/.npm"
chattr +i /var/www/clients/client45/web55/

3. Download the Deployment Script

Navigate to the private folder within your user's directory and download the deployment script:

cd /var/www/clients/client45/web55/private
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/YiannisBourkelis/laravel-deploy-ispconfig/refs/heads/main/deploy.sh

4. Edit the Script

Open the deploy.sh script with your favorite text editor:

vim deploy.sh

Modify the variables at the beginning of the script to match your project’s configuration:

APP_DIR="/var/www/your-domain.com/web/your-laravel-project-folder"
BRANCH="main"
PHP_VERSION="8.3"
USER="web55"
GITHUB_USERNAME="YourUserName"
GITHUB_TOKEN="github_pat_your_github_token"
REPO_OWNER="YourUserName"
REPO_NAME="your-laravel-repo-name"

Generating a GitHub Fine-Grained Token:

When creating a fine-grained personal access token for the project, ensure it has only the minimum required permissions:

• Content: Read-only
• Metadata: Read-only

This minimizes security risks by granting the token only the access it needs to deploy your project.

5. Set Execute Permissions

Grant execute permissions to the script:

chmod +x deploy.sh

6. Deploy Your Project

Run the script to deploy your project:

./deploy.sh

If the web directory is empty, the script will:

1. Clone your project repository.
2. Initialize the project with an .env file.

At this point, you will be prompted to provide the contents of the .env file. Copy and paste your .env settings into the terminal, then press Enter followed by Ctrl+D (or Command+D on Mac) to save it.

A typical production .env file usually begins with:

APP_NAME=your-app-name
APP_ENV=production
APP_KEY=
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_TIMEZONE=UTC
APP_URL=https://your-app-url.com 

Note: Leave the APP_KEY value empty so the script can generate the application key automatically.

Watch as your Laravel project is deployed to your server seamlessly!

You can use this script in the future whenever you need to deploy updates to your project. Simply run ./deploy.sh again, and it will handle the deployment process for you.

7. [OPTIONAL] Set Correct File Permissions

If the project was already cloned inside the web directory, ensure that all files are owned by the correct user and group. You can do this by running:

sudo chown -R web55:client45 "/var/www/clients/client45/web55/web"

This step ensures that your project has the proper permissions for smooth operation.

Disclaimer

This script is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement. Use it at your own risk. The author is not responsible for any damage, data loss, or other issues caused by the use or misuse of this script. Always test it in a safe environment before deploying to a live server.