Deploy Laravel 8 on cPanel with GitHub

Laravel is an open-source PHP framework built on the MVC pattern — designed to make web apps faster and easier to build. When it comes to deployment, shared cPanel hosting is the most affordable option for small-scale businesses and side projects. This guide walks you through deploying a production-ready Laravel 8 app on cPanel using GitHub for version control.

Prerequisites

PHP 7.3 or above
Composer installed locally
VS Code (or any code editor)
XAMPP for local development
GitHub account
cPanel hosting account

Phase 1

Creating & configuring the Laravel 8 application locally

Step 1 — Create a new Laravel project

Terminal

composer create-project laravel/laravel my-app

Your Laravel project is created. Now configure it for local development.

Step 2 — Configure the `.env` file

Open the .env file in your project root and fill in your database credentials, third-party API keys, and mail settings.

Run the following artisan commands to set up your local environment:

Artisan Commands

php artisan migrate
php artisan key:generate
php artisan storage:link

Step 3 — Test locally with `php artisan serve`

Terminal

php artisan serve

Open the URL shown in your terminal (usually http://127.0.0.1:8000) to verify the app is working.

Phase 1 complete — Laravel app running locally

Phase 2

Pushing the project to a GitHub repository

Step 1 — Create a public GitHub repository

Step 2 — Copy the clone URL and initialize Git locally

Navigate to your project root in the terminal and run:

Terminal — Git Init

git init
git remote add origin <YOUR_REPOSITORY_URL>
git status

Then commit and push your code:

Terminal — Push to GitHub

git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git push origin main

Phase 2 complete — code pushed to GitHub

Phase 3

Configuring the domain and deploying via cPanel

Where to buy cPanel hosting

Step 1 — Log in to cPanel

Step 2 — Create a domain or subdomain

Go to Domains → Subdomains (or Addon Domains) and fill in:

Subdomain name
Domain name
Subdomain root directory

Then click Create.

Verify the folder was created in File Manager.

Step 3 — Connect your GitHub repo via Git Version Control

In cPanel, find Git™ Version Control and click Create:

Paste your GitHub clone URL into the Clone URL field
Select the subdomain root directory as the repository path
Give the repository a name
Click Create

Verify your subdomain directory is now linked to the GitHub repo.

Step 4 — Clear the directory and pull from GitHub

Open the cPanel Terminal, navigate to the subdomain root, and clear it:

cPanel Terminal

cd ~/public_html/your-subdomain
rm -rf *

Go back to Git Version Control → Manage → Pull or Deploy, set your branch, and click Update from Remote.

Verify the repo files are now in the File Manager.

Step 5 — Set the document root to Laravel's `public/` directory

Recommended

Go to Domains, find your subdomain, click the path, and change the document root to your-subdomain/public. This is the secure approach — your application code stays outside the web root.

Not Recommended — .htaccess Redirect

Alternatively you can add a redirect in a root-level .htaccess file, but this exposes your application files to the web and creates security risks. Avoid unless your cPanel version doesn't support changing the document root.

Step 6 — Final configuration in cPanel Terminal

Navigate to the subdomain root and run:

cPanel Terminal — Final Setup

composer install --ignore-platform-reqs
php artisan key:generate
chmod -R 775 storage

Now open your domain or subdomain URL in a browser:

Deployment successful — your Laravel 8 app is live!

Quick Reference

Local Setup

composer create-project
php artisan migrate
php artisan key:generate
php artisan storage:link

GitHub Push

git init
git remote add origin <url>
git add . && git commit
git push origin main

cPanel Deploy

composer install --ignore-platform-reqs
php artisan key:generate
chmod -R 775 storage