Complete Guide 101 : Deploying Laravel + React Applications on AWS Lightsail

Introduction

Deploying full-stack applications can be complex, but AWS Lightsail offers a simplified cloud hosting solution that’s perfect for Laravel applications with React frontends. This comprehensive guide will walk you through setting up a production-ready environment, from server configuration to application deployment.

What you’ll learn:

• How to configure a LEMP stack (Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP) on AWS Lightsail
• Step-by-step Laravel application deployment process
• React frontend build and integration
• Essential security and performance configurations

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

Required Access & Accounts:

• AWS account with Lightsail access
• Domain name (optional but recommended)
• SSH client installed locally

Technical Requirements:

• Basic command-line knowledge
• Understanding of Laravel project structure
• Git repository containing your Laravel + React application

Project Specifications:

• PHP 8.2 compatible Laravel application
• React frontend integrated with Laravel Mix/Vite
• MySQL database requirements

Step 1: Setting Up AWS Lightsail Instance

Create Your Lightsail Instance

1. Navigate to the AWS Lightsail Console
2. Click “Create instance”
3. Choose your preferred AWS region (select the one closest to your users)
4. Select “Linux/Unix” platform
5. Choose “Ubuntu 22.04 LTS” as your blueprint
6. Select an appropriate instance plan (minimum: $10/month for small applications)

Initial Server Access

Once your instance is running:

# Connect via Lightsail browser terminal or SSH
# Note your instance's public IP address for later use

Step 2: Server Environment Setup

Update System Packages

# Update package lists and upgrade system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install PHP 8.2 with Required Extensions

# Add PHP repository for latest versions
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php -y
sudo apt update

# Install PHP 8.2 and essential extensions
sudo apt install -y php8.2 php8.2-fpm php8.2-mysql php8.2-bcmath \
    php8.2-zip php8.2-gd php8.2-curl php8.2-intl php8.2-mbstring \
    php8.2-xml php8.2-cli

# Verify PHP installation
php -v

Expected output:

You should see PHP 8.2.x version information.

Install and Configure Nginx

# Install Nginx web server
sudo apt install nginx -y

# Verify installation
nginx -v

# Start and enable Nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Verification:

Visit your Lightsail instance’s public IP in a browser. You should see the default Nginx welcome page.

Test PHP-Nginx Integration

# Remove default index and create PHP test file
sudo rm /var/www/html/index.nginx-debian.html
echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" | sudo tee /var/www/html/index.php

Configure Nginx for PHP Processing:

# Edit the default Nginx configuration
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Replace the contents with this optimized configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;  # Replace with your domain or use _ for IP access
    root /var/www/html;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    # Laravel-specific URL rewriting
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    # PHP processing
    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }

    # Security: Block access to sensitive files
    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
    
    location ~ /\.env {
        deny all;
    }
}

# Test configuration and restart Nginx
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Verification:

Refresh your browser – you should now see PHP configuration information.

Step 3: Database Setup

Install MySQL Server

# Install MySQL and PHP MySQL extension
sudo apt install mysql-server -y

# Start and enable MySQL
sudo systemctl start mysql
sudo systemctl enable mysql

Secure MySQL Installation

# Access MySQL as root (initially no password)
sudo mysql -u root -p

In the MySQL prompt, secure your installation:

-- Set root password (replace with a strong password)
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'your_secure_password_here';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

-- Create application database
CREATE DATABASE your_app_database;

-- Optional: Create dedicated application user
CREATE USER 'app_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'another_secure_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON your_app_database.* TO 'app_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

-- Exit MySQL
EXIT;

Step 4: Development Tools Installation

Install Composer (PHP Dependency Manager)

# Install Composer globally
sudo apt install composer -y

# Verify installation
composer --version

Install Node.js and npm (For React Building)

# Install Node.js and npm
sudo apt install nodejs npm -y

# Verify installations
node --version
npm --version

Step 5: Application Deployment

Clone Your Project

# Navigate to temporary directory
cd /tmp

# Clone your repository (replace with your actual repository URL)
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-laravel-react-app.git
cd your-laravel-react-app

Configure Environment

# Copy and configure environment file
cp .env.example .env
nano .env

Update your .env file with the following essential configurations:

APP_NAME="Your Application Name"
APP_ENV=production
APP_KEY=  # Will be generated in next step
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=http://your-domain.com

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=your_app_database
DB_USERNAME=app_user  # or root
DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password

# Add other necessary configurations...

Install Dependencies and Build Assets

# Install PHP dependencies
composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

# Install Node.js dependencies
npm install

# Build production assets
npm run build

# If you encounter memory issues during build:
NODE_OPTIONS=--max_old_space_size=4096 npm run build

Deploying Laravel

# Generate application encryption key
php artisan key:generate

# Install Laravel Reverb (if using real-time features)
php artisan reverb:install

# Run database migrations and seeders
php artisan migrate --force
php artisan db:seed --force

# If using Laravel modules:
php artisan module:migrate --all
php artisan module:seed --all

# Create symbolic link for file storage
php artisan storage:link

# Clear and cache configurations for production
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache

Step 6: Production Deployment

Move Application to Web Directory

# Move application to web root
sudo cp -r /tmp/your-laravel-react-app /var/www/
sudo mv /var/www/your-laravel-react-app /var/www/your-app

# Set proper ownership and permissions
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/your-app
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/your-app
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/your-app/storage /var/www/your-app/bootstrap/cache

Update Nginx Configuration

# Edit Nginx configuration for your application
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Update the root directory in your Nginx configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;
    root /var/www/your-app/public;  # Point to Laravel's public directory
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    # ... rest of configuration remains the same
}

Final Server Configuration

# Test Nginx configuration
sudo nginx -t

# Restart services
sudo systemctl restart nginx
sudo systemctl restart php8.2-fpm

# Enable services to start on boot
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl enable php8.2-fpm
sudo systemctl enable mysql

Step 7: Verification and Testing

Basic Functionality Tests

1. Web Access Test:
   • Visit your Lightsail instance’s public IP or domain
   • Verify your Laravel application loads correctly
   • Check that React components render properly
2. Database Connectivity:

   # Test database connection
   cd /var/www/your-app
   php artisan tinker
   # In tinker: DB::connection()->getPdo();

3. File Permissions Test:
   • Test file upload functionality (if applicable)
   • Verify log files are writable in storage/logs/

Performance and Security Checks

# Check running services
sudo systemctl status nginx
sudo systemctl status php8.2-fpm
sudo systemctl status mysql

# Monitor server resources
htop  # Install with: sudo apt install htop

# Check error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log
sudo tail -f /var/www/your-app/storage/logs/laravel.log

Summary and Next Steps

Congratulations! You’ve successfully deployed your Laravel + React application on AWS Lightsail. Your setup includes:

• ✅ Optimized LEMP Stack: PHP 8.2, Nginx, MySQL
• ✅ Production-Ready Configuration: Cached configs, proper permissions, security settings
• ✅ Full Application Deployment: Backend APIs and frontend assets

Recommended Next Steps

Essential Security Enhancements:

• Set up SSL certificates using Let’s Encrypt
• Configure firewall rules in Lightsail console
• Implement automated backups for your database
• Set up monitoring and logging

Performance Optimizations:

• Configure Redis for session and cache storage
• Set up CDN for static assets
• Implement database query optimization
• Configure opcache for PHP

Maintenance Automation:

• Set up automated deployments using Git hooks
• Configure log rotation
• Schedule regular security updates

Troubleshooting Common Issues while deploying laravel

Memory Issues During Build:

# Increase swap space temporarily
sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile

Permission Errors:

# Reset Laravel permissions
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/your-app
sudo find /var/www/your-app -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
sudo find /var/www/your-app -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/your-app/storage /var/www/your-app/bootstrap/cache

Additional Resources

Official Documentation:

• AWS Lightsail Documentation
• Laravel Deployment Guide
• Nginx Configuration Reference

Advanced Topics:

• Laravel Forge – For automated deployment management
• Laravel Envoyer – Zero-downtime deployment service
• AWS Load Balancer Integration

Community Support:

• Laravel Community Forums
• AWS Lightsail Community