The practical pattern is to put PHP in a custom Docker image and describe that image, a database, ports, health checks, mounts, and persistent storage in compose.yaml. For a small application, start with php:8.2-apache. If you need a separate web tier, use PHP-FPM behind Nginx or Apache on a private Compose network. The examples below give you development and production build targets, Composer and PHPUnit inside the container, live source editing, and a MariaDB service whose data survives container recreation.
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Understand what Dockerfile and Compose each do
A PHP development environment has two complementary definitions:
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- Dockerfile: builds the PHP runtime. It selects the PHP base image, installs extensions such as
pdo_mysql, adds Composer, copies application files, and defines development and production targets. - compose.yaml: runs the application as a set of services. It declares the PHP server, database, published ports, startup dependencies, bind mounts or watch rules, networks, and named volumes.
Compose reads the YAML model, creates the network and volumes, builds images when requested, and starts the services together. The application reaches the database by its Compose service name, not by localhost. Inside the PHP container, localhost means the PHP container itself; the database host in the examples is db.
Prerequisites and a useful project layout
Install Docker Desktop, or Docker Engine with the Compose plugin, and verify that both commands work:
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docker --version
docker compose versionCreate a project directory containing the files used by the build and runtime:
php-docker-app/
├── Dockerfile
├── compose.yaml
├── composer.json
├── composer.lock
├── hello.php
├── src/
└── tests/Commit composer.lock for an application. It makes the dependency set reproducible across developers and CI. A minimal composer.json for PHPUnit could be:
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"require": {},
"require-dev": {
"phpunit/phpunit": "^10.0"
}
}Use the PHP and database versions that your application supports. The examples use the documented php:8.2-apache route and a MariaDB 11 image tag as illustrative choices. Pin a specific image tag or digest for repeatable builds; a floating tag can point to a different image later.
Build a multi-stage PHP image
Multi-stage builds let development and production use the same base decisions without shipping development-only dependencies or settings in the production image. The following Dockerfile creates separate Composer stages, a common PHP/Apache base, and two final targets.
# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
FROM composer:lts AS composer-dev
WORKDIR /app
COPY composer.json composer.lock ./
RUN composer install
--prefer-dist
--no-interaction
--no-progress
FROM composer:lts AS composer-prod
WORKDIR /app
COPY composer.json composer.lock ./
RUN composer install
--prefer-dist
--no-interaction
--no-progress
--no-dev
--optimize-autoloader
FROM php:8.2-apache AS php-base
WORKDIR /var/www/html
# Make Composer available in the runtime container.
COPY --from=composer:lts /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer
# PDO is the database abstraction; pdo_mysql is the MySQL/MariaDB driver.
RUN docker-php-ext-install pdo pdo_mysql
&& a2enmod rewrite
COPY . .
FROM php-base AS development
COPY --from=composer-dev /app/vendor /var/www/html/vendor
COPY docker/php/php.ini-development /usr/local/etc/php/php.ini
FROM php-base AS production
COPY --from=composer-prod /app/vendor /var/www/html/vendor
COPY docker/php/php.ini-production /usr/local/etc/php/php.ini
# Keep Apache in the foreground so the container remains running.
CMD ["apache2-foreground"]Create the two PHP configuration files if you need custom settings. Development settings normally enable useful diagnostics, while production settings disable display of errors and use a suitable error log. Do not copy development credentials or verbose error output into a production image.
docker-php-ext-install compiles extensions included in the official PHP image. Add every extension your framework requires in the same layer, for example an additional extension for image processing, but check its system-library prerequisites before adding it. The example installs pdo and pdo_mysql because the database service is MySQL-compatible.
The image copies application files for an immutable build. During development, a bind mount will cover that directory with your working tree, so source edits appear without rebuilding. The production target keeps the files and optimized, non-development Composer dependencies inside the image.
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Define the PHP and database services in Compose
Create compose.yaml with a development build target, a published HTTP port, a MariaDB service, a health check, and a named data volume:
services:
server:
build:
context: .
target: development
ports:
- "9000:80"
volumes:
- .:/var/www/html
# Keep container-installed dependencies out of the host tree.
- /var/www/html/vendor
depends_on:
db:
condition: service_healthy
db:
image: mariadb:11
environment:
MARIADB_DATABASE: app
MARIADB_USER: app
MARIADB_PASSWORD: app_password
MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: root_password
volumes:
- db-data:/var/lib/mysql
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
interval: 5s
timeout: 5s
retries: 10
volumes:
db-data:Open http://localhost:9000/ after startup. The host’s port 9000 maps to Apache’s port 80 inside the server container; change the left-hand number if that port is already occupied.
The depends_on health condition prevents Compose from starting the application before the database reports that it can accept connections. It does not make your application retry forever. Your PHP code should still handle a transient connection failure during a database restart.
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Make application edits visible immediately
Bind mounts
The .:/var/www/html bind mount maps the project directory on your host to Apache’s document root. Saving hello.php on the host changes what Apache serves without rebuilding. The anonymous /var/www/html/vendor volume prevents the bind mount from hiding the dependencies installed into the image; run Composer in the container whenever dependencies change.
Bind mounts are convenient, but filesystem performance and UID/GID permissions differ between Linux, macOS, and Windows. They are a development technique, not a production image strategy. If a framework writes cache or log files, ensure the container user can write those directories, or configure the framework to use a dedicated writable path.
Compose Watch
Current Compose implementations can declare synchronization and rebuild behavior under develop.watch. Use it instead of a broad bind mount when you want explicit rules:
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services:
server:
build:
context: .
target: development
ports:
- "9000:80"
develop:
watch:
- action: sync
path: ./src
target: /var/www/html/src
- action: rebuild
path: ./composer.json
- action: rebuild
path: ./composer.lockStart watch mode with docker compose watch. The exact watch actions available depend on your installed Compose version. Keep the rules narrow: synchronize source files, and rebuild when the dependency manifest or Dockerfile changes. Do not enable both a broad bind mount and a watch rule for the same path unless you understand which mechanism owns that path.
Choose Apache or PHP-FPM with a separate web server
| Architecture | Use it when | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
php:*-apache |
You have a small application and want the shortest local setup. | Fewer services and less configuration, but PHP serving is coupled to Apache. |
| PHP-FPM plus Nginx or Apache | You want a separate web tier or a layout close to many production stacks. | More services, shared source/configuration, and proxy configuration. FPM must be reached through a private container network. |
With FPM, the PHP container does not serve HTTP directly. It listens for FastCGI requests from the web server. Do not publish the FPM port to the host; put both services on the internal Compose network and publish only the proxy’s HTTP port.
Minimal FPM service arrangement
services:
php:
build:
context: .
target: development-fpm
expose:
- "9000"
volumes:
- .:/var/www/html
nginx:
image: nginx:stable
ports:
- "9000:80"
volumes:
- .:/var/www/html:ro
- ./docker/nginx/default.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf:ro
depends_on:
- php
db:
image: mariadb:11
# environment, healthcheck, and db-data volume as in the Apache exampleA corresponding Nginx server block passes PHP scripts to the service name php:
server {
listen 80;
root /var/www/html;
index index.php index.html;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
}
location ~ .php$ {
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_pass php:9000;
}
}In an FPM Dockerfile, use a PHP-FPM base image and keep the same extension installation and Composer stages:
FROM php:8.2-fpm AS php-base
WORKDIR /var/www/html
RUN docker-php-ext-install pdo pdo_mysql
COPY . .The proxy and FPM containers must see the same application paths so the proxy can resolve the script filename that FPM executes. This is why FPM layouts commonly use a shared bind mount in development and a coordinated application image or shared artifact in production.
Keep MariaDB data across container recreation
The db-data named volume is mounted at MariaDB’s data directory. Removing and recreating the db container does not remove that volume, so tables remain available when you run Compose again. A volume is persistent storage managed by the container engine, not a backup: explicitly export or back up important data, and remove the volume only when you intend to erase it.
Use the service name and container credentials from PHP. A PDO connection might look like this:
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<?php
$dsn = 'mysql:host=db;dbname=app;charset=utf8mb4';
$pdo = new PDO($dsn, 'app', 'app_password', [
PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION,
]);Do not use localhost for this connection. Compose creates a network with internal DNS, so db resolves to the database container. If you rename the service, update the hostname accordingly.
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docker compose ps
docker compose logs db
docker volume lsInitialization variables such as MARIADB_DATABASE are applied when the data directory is first initialized. Changing them later does not recreate an existing database. Use SQL migrations or an administrative command for changes to an already-initialized volume.
Start, inspect, and stop the environment
- Build the selected target and start every service in the foreground:
docker compose up --build - Open
http://localhost:9000/hello.phpif your project contains the sample file, or visit the route provided by your framework. - In another terminal, list service state and published ports:
docker compose ps - Follow application output when debugging:
docker compose logs -f server - Open a shell in the running PHP container:
docker compose exec server bash - Stop containers while retaining the named database volume:
docker compose down
Use docker compose down -v only when you deliberately want to remove Compose-managed volumes, including db-data and the stored database contents.
Run Composer and PHPUnit inside the container
Running tools in the PHP image avoids differences between host PHP installations and the container runtime. With the Dockerfile above, Composer is available as composer and development dependencies are installed in the development target.
# Install or refresh dependencies using the container's PHP and Composer.
docker compose exec server composer install
# Add a package; commit the resulting composer.json and composer.lock.
docker compose exec server composer require vendor/package
# Run the test suite from the development container.
docker compose exec server ./vendor/bin/phpunitIf the service is not running, use a one-off container:
docker compose run --rm server composer install
docker compose run --rm server ./vendor/bin/phpunitThe official guide’s sample test output is one test and one assertion; that number describes the sample, not a guarantee for your project. Add a tests/ directory and a PHPUnit configuration suited to your framework. Keep test execution in the development or test target so production does not contain development-only packages.
When Composer reports that an extension is missing, add the required PHP extension to the Dockerfile and rebuild with docker compose up --build. Installing an extension only on the host cannot satisfy a dependency check performed inside the container.
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Separate development and production builds
Use the development target for bind mounts, diagnostics, PHPUnit, and packages under require-dev. Use the production target to install only runtime dependencies, optimize the Composer autoloader, and bake application code into the image. A production Compose file can select the target explicitly:
services:
server:
build:
context: .
target: production
ports:
- "8080:80"
restart: unless-stopped
# No host source bind mount in production.
db:
image: mariadb:11
# Supply production secrets through your deployment platform.
volumes:
- db-data:/var/lib/mysql
volumes:
db-data:Do not copy a development php.ini, test fixtures, local credentials, or host-generated files into a production image. Add a .dockerignore to keep unnecessary material out of the build context:
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.env
vendor
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.phpunit.result.cache
Dockerfile*
compose*.yamlAdjust the ignore list if a deployment process intentionally needs a Compose file or another artifact. Pin base-image tags or immutable digests when you need to reproduce the exact runtime later; document how and when those pins are updated.
Troubleshoot the common failures
The browser cannot connect
- Run
docker compose psand confirm thatserveris running and that host port 9000 is published. - Read
docker compose logs server. Apache may have failed to start because a configuration file or module is invalid. - If another process owns port 9000, change the host side of the mapping, for example
"9001:80", and open port 9001.
PHP files download instead of executing
Confirm that you built from the Apache image for the Apache setup, or that Nginx has a location ~ .php$ block with fastcgi_pass php:9000 for FPM. Static files being served successfully does not prove that FastCGI is configured.
The application cannot connect to MariaDB
- Use
dbas the hostname, notlocalhost. - Check
docker compose psfor the database health state and inspectdocker compose logs db. - Verify that the database name, user, and password in PHP match the Compose environment variables.
- Remember that first initialization can take longer than container creation; keep application connection retry logic.
Composer or PHPUnit is missing
Confirm that the service was built with target: development and that the image includes the Composer binary. Rebuild after changing the Dockerfile. If a bind mount hides the image’s vendor directory, use the anonymous vendor volume shown earlier or run docker compose exec server composer install.
Changes on the host are not visible
Check that the mount source is the directory containing the file you edited and that the target matches Apache’s document root. With Compose Watch, check that the watch rule’s path and target are correct and that you started docker compose watch, not only docker compose up.
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Database data appears to have vanished
Inspect docker volume ls and the project name used to start Compose. A different directory or project name can create a different volume. Avoid docker compose down -v unless deleting the data is intentional.
A repeatable daily workflow
- Change PHP extensions, Composer manifests, or the Dockerfile, then run
docker compose up --build. - Change PHP source and refresh the browser; the bind mount or watch rule supplies the edit to the running container.
- Change dependencies with Composer inside the container and commit both manifest files.
- Run PHPUnit with
docker compose exec server ./vendor/bin/phpunitbefore committing. - Use
docker compose logs -fanddocker compose psto diagnose startup or health issues. - Stop the stack with
docker compose downwhen finished; retain the named volume unless you are intentionally resetting the database.
This arrangement keeps the host focused on editing and Docker responsible for the PHP runtime, extensions, Composer, test tools, web server, and database. It also gives you a clear migration path: keep the simple Apache service for a small project, or split PHP-FPM and a proxy when your deployment architecture requires separate tiers.
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