How to upload laravel project on subdomain?
Stefan Bogdanescu
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
# How to Upload Your Laravel Project on a Subdomain: Troubleshooting Deployment Issues
Deploying a dynamic application like a Laravel project onto a subdomain requires more than just copying files; it involves understanding how web servers, routing, and framework structure interact. Many developers run into the exact issue you described—uploading files that show up but don't execute the application correctly.
As a senior developer, I can tell you that this problem is almost always rooted in misconfiguration of the web server's document root or incorrect handling of Laravel's routing mechanism. Let's dive deep into why this happens and how to fix it properly.
## Understanding the Problem: Files vs. Application Logic
When you upload a standard static website, the server serves the HTML files directly. However, a Laravel application is not just a collection of HTML files; it’s a framework that relies on a specific entry point (`public/index.php`) to handle all incoming requests and route them through its internal system.
The reason you see raw files instead of your working application is likely because the web server (like Apache or Nginx) is configured to look at the directory you uploaded (e.g., `/public_html/registration`) as the root, but it doesn't know how to process the framework’s request handling logic correctly. It sees static files and serves them, rather than passing control to the Laravel bootstrap process.
## The Correct Deployment Strategy for Laravel
To successfully host a Laravel application on a subdomain, you must treat the deployment as a full application setup, not just a file copy. This requires specific steps depending on your hosting environment (shared hosting, VPS, or dedicated server).
### Step 1: Ensure Proper Directory Structure
Ensure that the files you upload are exactly what the web server expects. For Laravel, the public-facing directory must be the `public` folder, which contains all the assets and the crucial `index.php` file that bootstraps the application.
**Correct Structure Example:**
```
/your_subdomain_root/
├── public/ <-- This is the web server's document root
│ ├── index.php <-- The Laravel entry point
│ └── assets/
├── .env (Configuration files - usually kept outside the web root for security)
└── vendor/
```
### Step 2: Web Server Configuration (The Crucial Step)
This is where most errors occur. You need to configure your web server to point its root document to the `public` directory of your Laravel installation.
**For Apache (.htaccess or Virtual Host):**
You must ensure your Virtual Host configuration maps the subdomain directly to the `/public` folder:
```apache
ServerName subdomain.yourdomain.com
DocumentRoot /path/to/your/laravel/public # Point DocumentRoot to the 'public' folder
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log
```
**For Nginx:**
The configuration must similarly point the `root` directive to the `public` directory:
```nginx
server {
listen 80;
server_name subdomain.yourdomain.com;
root /path/to/your/laravel/public; # Point root to the 'public' folder
index index.php index.html;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
}
location ~ \.php$ {
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.x-fpm.sock; # Adjust socket path as needed
fastcgi_index index.php;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
}
}
```
## Best Practices for Laravel Deployment
When deploying any framework, especially one as robust as Laravel, always follow the official deployment guidelines. Frameworks like Laravel emphasize using tools like Composer for dependency management and ensuring your environment variables (`.env` file) are correctly set up for the production environment. This ensures that when the server executes `index.php`, it loads all necessary dependencies without errors. For more advanced insights into framework architecture, always refer to resources like those found at [https://laravelcompany.com](https://laravelcompany.com).
## Conclusion
The issue of seeing files instead of an application is a classic symptom of a mismatch between the file system structure and the web server configuration. To successfully host a Laravel project on a subdomain, focus less on simply copying folders and more on correctly configuring your web