Deploy a Website to cPanel Shared Hosting

#webdev #php #cpanel

Even if you're using another framework or shared hosting provider, the process will be quite similar.

Steps

1. Export your local database (via phpMyAdmin or mysqldump)

2. Create two ZIP archives:

laravel.zip → all project files except the public folder
public.zip → contents of the public folder only

3. Create Database on cPanel

Login to cPanel → Manage My Databases
Create a new database, user, and assign user privileges

4. Import Database

Open phpMyAdmin in cPanel
Select the created database
Import the exported SQL file

5. Set PHP Version

In cPanel, open Select PHP Version
Choose PHP 8.2 (or required version)

6. Upload Files

Open File Manager in cPanel
Upload and extract:
- public.zip → into /public_html/
- laravel.zip → outside /public_html/ (e.g., /home/username/laravel/)

7. Configure index.php

Update paths in /public_html/index.php:

require __DIR__ . '/../laravel/vendor/autoload.php';
require_once __DIR__ . '/../laravel/bootstrap/app.php';

8. Configure .env

Edit .env in the Laravel folder:

APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=your_cpanel_db_name
DB_USERNAME=your_cpanel_db_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_cpanel_db_password

9. Handle Storage

Without SSH, create a manual storage link by copying /laravel/storage/app/public → /public_html/storage, or run php artisan storage:link locally before zipping.

Alternatively, create symlink.php at public_html:

<?php
$target = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']."/../laravel/storage";
$link = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']."/storage";
if(symlink($target, $link)){
    echo "OK.";
} else {
    echo "Failed.";
}
?>

FAQ

Do I need to re-upload everything after changes?
Not always. You can upload only modified files, but many devs re-upload the whole project to avoid missing updates.

Other ways to upload besides cPanel File Manager?