Level 12
Yes just have all the necessary tools locally installed and use composer or Laravel installer to start a project.
1 like
Apr 1, 2023
7
Level 1
using Laravel without Docker?
I'm trying to learn Laravel for use in building a personal website that includes display pages, a search feature, and a back-end MySQL database. I see that the tutorial for the current version of Laravel requires me to start by installing Docker.
I hate Docker. I have tried to use Docker multiple times and never once gotten it to work the way it's supposed to: an easy way to set up a simple and consistent dev environment. I'm not really interested in spending another twenty or thirty hours trying to figure out dozens of env settings in half a dozen different config files so that I can get several different containers to all talk to each other, then spend more hours trying to figure out whether the error I'm getting from my finished page is in my code, one of the libraries I'm using, Laravel, or Docker. I just want to be able to develop and test my pages on my home test server, then upload them to my site-host and be confident that they'll run there too -- like I could back when "web programming" meant HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, and MySQL, and absolutely nothing more.
Is there a way to learn and use Laravel without using Docker? Can I even trust Laravel to run without Docker?
Level 73
You don't have to use Docker, there are many options depending on your operating system.
For Mac I recommend using Valet.
For Linux I recommend setting up your own LEMP or LAMP stack.
For Windows, I suggest using Laragon, WAMP, XAMPP, or a VM running Linux.
2 likes
Level 75
@Tray2 Which linux distro would you put in a virtualbox WIndows 10, 16 GB ram.?
@jswoolf01 you can also setup php, mariadb or mysql and apache from their zip files, once you learn to do it, it's a 5 minute process. That's what I use. Also same for nginx on windows, I have just used the zip version.
However different for linux, more involved. I have used Xampp in the past. I have also setup all on linux, I suggest going through linux at least once to learn. First time is harder, Digital Ocean has some good tutorials. If linux I suggest nginx. But there are dozens of tutorials on setting up all of this.
Level 73
@jlrdw I'm a big fan of Ubuntu, either that or Debian. It doesn't really matter as long as you don't install X on them, and only run the server part.
Level 122
@jlrdw not a virtual box , use WSL
Level 1
You can use Laravel sail and to install it on windows WSL you can follow this tutorial to learn how run Laravel project using Sail. and in case you want to run multiple Laravel projects at the same time, you can also read this tutorial. If you are using Linux you can read the docker installation documentation and then read the windows tutorials because after installing the WSL it will be identical.
Level 2
So if I have a separate computer running XAMPP on my local network, I can just use that as my server without worrying about Docker?
That makes me feel a whole lot better. Thanks, all!
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