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creativeleaf
Updated on February 9, 2026

How to Deploy a Laravel Project on BigCloudy Shared Hosting ?

Introduction

Deploying a Laravel application on BigCloudy.com, may seem tricky at first, especially without SSH access. Most shared hosting environments disable SSH for security reasons, meaning commands like php artisan serve won’t be available.

But don’t worry, this guide will walk you step-by-step through uploading and configuring your Laravel project on BigCloudy’s shared hosting platform. We offers SSH access with Laravel hosting.

Installation Process

Before deploying your Laravel project to BigCloudy shared hosting, make sure your application is properly installed and ready on your local machine. This avoids common runtime errors after upload.

Step 1: Install and Prepare Laravel Locally

1) System Requirements

Ensure your local system meets Laravel’s requirements:

  • PHP 8.0 or higher

  • Composer installed

  • MySQL or MariaDB

  • Required PHP extensions:

    • OpenSSL

    • PDO

    • Mbstring

    • Tokenizer

    • XML

    • Ctype

    • JSON

2) Create or Install a Laravel Project

If you are creating a new project:

				
					composer create-project laravel/laravel my-project


If you already have a Laravel project:

				
					composer install


This will generate the vendor directory and install all dependencies.

3) Configure the Environment File (.env)

i) Duplicate the .env.example file and rename it to .env

ii) Open .env and update:

  • APP_NAME

  • APP_URL

  • Database credentials (local for now)

Example:

				
					APP_NAME=LaravelApp
APP_ENV=local
APP_KEY=
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost


4) Generate Application Key

Run the following command:

				
					php artisan key:generate


This step is mandatory. Laravel will not run without a valid APP_KEY.


5) Run Migrations (Optional)

If your project uses migrations:

				
					php artisan migrate


You may also seed the database if required:

				
					php artisan db:seed


6) Test the Application Locally

Run:

				
					php artisan serve


Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000 and confirm:

  • No errors are displayed
  • Routes work correctly
  • Database connection is successful


Once everything works locally, your Laravel project is ready for deployment on BigCloudy

Step 2: Remove /public from the URL:

Since you can’t use Laravel’s built-in development server (php artisan serve) on shared hosting, you’ll need to remove /public from the URL so that your app loads directly via your domain.

Here’s how to do it:

1) Navigate to your Laravel project’s /public folder.

2) Cut the index.php and .htaccess files.

3) Paste them into the project root (where folders like /app, /config, and /vendor are located).

4) Open the index.php file and update the following lines:

				
					// Replace line 24:

require __DIR__ . ‘/vendor/autoload.php’;

 // Replace line 38:

$app = require_once __DIR__ . ‘/bootstrap/app.php’;


5) That’s it! This change allows Laravel to run directly from the root directory.


Step 2: Export Your Local Database:

1) Open your database via phpMyAdmin or another MySQL tool.

2) Select your Laravel project’s database.

3) Use the Export option to download a .sql file of your database.

4) Save it locally for the next step.


Step 3: Prepare Your Laravel Files:

Before uploading:

1) Select all project files and folders.

2) Exclude directories like .git, node_modules, and vendor (you can install vendor later with Composer if you get SSH access).

3) Compress everything into a .zip file.


Step 4: Create a New Database in cPanel:

1) Log in to your BigCloudy cPanel.

2) Go to MySQL Databases.

3) Create a new database and assign a user with full privileges.

4) Go to phpMyAdmin, select the newly created database, click Import, and upload the .sql file you exported earlier.


Step 5: Upload and Extract the Project Files:

1)  In cPanel, navigate to the public_html directory.

2) Upload the .zip file of your Laravel project.

3) Extract it inside public_html.

4) Ensure all files (including index.php, /app, /routes, etc.) are directly inside public_html, not in a subfolder.

Step 6: Configure Database Settings:

Open config/database.php and update the MySQL connection details using the credentials from cPanel. Here’s what to look for:

				
					‘mysql’ => [

‘driver’ => ‘mysql’,

‘url’ => ”,

‘host’ => ‘127.0.0.1’,

‘port’ => ‘3306’,

‘database’ => ‘mydatabase’,

‘username’ => ‘mydbusername’,

‘password’ => ‘here_password’,

‘unix_socket’ => ”,

‘charset’ => ‘utf8mb4’,

‘collation’ => ‘utf8mb4_unicode_ci’,

‘prefix’ => ”,

‘prefix_indexes’ => true,

‘strict’ => true,

‘engine’ => null,

‘options’ => extension_loaded(‘pdo_mysql’) ? array_filter([

PDO::MYSQL_ATTR_SSL_CA => env(‘MYSQL_ATTR_SSL_CA’),

]) : [],],


Step7: Secure Your Laravel Application:

To improve security, protect your sensitive files, and disable directory browsing.

Add the following lines to your .htaccess file in

				
					#disable directory browsing
Options -Indexes

#PROTECT ENV FILE
<Files .env>
order allow,deny
Deny from all
</Files>

#PROTECT ENV FILE
<Files .htaccess>
order allow,deny
Deny from all
</Files>

Done! Your Laravel App is Now Live on BigCloudy

You should now be able to access your Laravel application directly by visiting your domain name. Everything from routing to database connections should work seamlessly, without needing command-line access.

Conclusion

Deploying a Laravel application on BigCloudy is straightforward when the correct steps are followed, even in environments without default SSH access. By preparing your project locally, configuring the public directory properly, setting up the database, and securing sensitive files, you can run your Laravel application smoothly on shared hosting.

For developers who prefer command-line control, BigCloudy also provides SSH access with Laravel hosting plans, allowing you to run Composer, Artisan commands, and advanced optimizations with ease. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Laravel developer, BigCloudy offers the flexibility and support needed to deploy your project confidently.

Need Help?

If you require assistance at any point while using this guide, our Support Team is here to help:

FAQ

Can I deploy a Laravel project on BigCloudy shared hosting without SSH access?

Yes. This guide is specifically designed for shared hosting environments where SSH access is not available. By adjusting the public directory setup and configuring files manually, Laravel can run smoothly without using commands like php artisan serve.

Do I need to upload the vendor folder?

If you do not have SSH access, you must upload the vendor folder generated locally using composer install.
If your BigCloudy hosting plan includes SSH access, you can skip uploading vendor and instead run composer install directly on the server.

Where should the Laravel files be placed in BigCloudy hosting?

All Laravel files and folders (app, bootstrap, config, routes, vendor, etc.) should be placed directly inside public_html, not inside a subfolder, unless you are configuring a custom document root.

Is it safe to expose Laravel files in public_html?

Yes, as long as you:

  • Protect sensitive files like .env

  • Disable directory listing

  • Use proper .htaccess rules
    The security steps provided in this guide help prevent unauthorized access.

What should I do if I get a “500 Internal Server Error”?

Common causes include:

  • Missing or incorrect .htaccess

  • Incorrect PHP version

  • Wrong file permissions

  • Invalid database credentials
    Check your error logs in cPanel and reverify configuration files.

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