Docker & Deployment Setup Report

Objective

The goal of this task is to set up a production-like environment using Docker containers and orchestration. The following steps have been taken:

1. Dockerizing the Laravel Application
2. Setting Up Environment Variables
3. Handling Local vs. Production Differences
4. Deploying to AWS

Each step is documented with corresponding screenshots and explanations.

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1. Dockerizing the Laravel Application

A Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml have been created to set up Laravel, MySQL, and Nginx. Below are the key steps:

• Created a Dockerfile to define the Laravel application container.
• Set up MySQL and Nginx in the docker-compose.yml file.
• Configured volumes to persist data.

Dockerfile

docker-compose.yml file

nginx_config file

supervisord_config file

docker build

Screenshot: Terminal output showing running containers after using docker-compose up -d.

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2. Setting Up Environment Variables

The .env file was configured to work seamlessly with Docker environment variables. The key updates include:

• Mapped .env variables to docker-compose.yml.
• Ensured database credentials are correctly loaded from the .env file.

Screenshot: Displaying .env file with database credentials.

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3. Handling Local vs. Production Differences

To handle different environments, separate Docker Compose files were created:

• docker-compose.dev.yml – used for local development with debugging enabled.
• docker-compose.prod.yml – optimized for production with security and performance improvements.

Screenshot: Terminal showing different Docker Compose files.

docker-compose.dev.yml file

docker-compose.prod.yml file

nginx_dev_config file

nginx_prod_config file

Launching a local development environment

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4. Deploying to AWS

The Laravel application was deployed to an AWS EC2 instance using Docker. The following steps were taken:

1. Copied the project to the server using scp.
2. Installed Docker and Docker Compose on the EC2 instance.
3. Ran docker-compose up -d to start the application.
4. Configured security groups to allow HTTP, HTTPS, and SSH access.
5. Fixed permission issues for Laravel storage and cache directories.

Screenshot: AWS EC2 instance with running containers.

Screenshot: Laravel application running on AWS.

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5. Admin Credentials for the Application on AWS Server

The application is deployed and accessible at:

URL:

http://13.51.156.86:8080/register

http://13.51.156.86:8080/memberships

Admin Login Credentials:

• Email (Username): [email protected]
• Password: password

These credentials can be used to log in as an administrator and manage the application.

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Conclusion

The Laravel application has been successfully containerized and deployed using Docker and AWS EC2. The environment is now more scalable and mirrors a production setup. Key takeaways from this process:

• Docker provides a consistent environment for development and production.
• Environment variables must be handled correctly to ensure portability.
• Separate configurations for development and production help streamline deployments.
• Deploying to AWS requires setting up security rules and managing permissions properly.

Further improvements can include using a CI/CD pipeline to automate deployments and adding monitoring tools for better observability.

Final Screenshot: Push to GitHub with commit message