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Run API Platform on Docker

What is API Platform?​

API Platform is a framework for building REST and GraphQL APIs, built on top of Symfony and Doctrine ORM. It is known for generating OpenAPI/Hydra documentation, filtering, pagination and validation straight from your entity classes, with minimal boilerplate. A real API Platform app needs a web server, a PHP runtime, and a database; Doctrine supports PostgreSQL (the framework's default), MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite and SQL Server.

Why run API Platform in Docker?​

Docker packages each of those pieces (a web server, PHP-FPM, PostgreSQL, ...) into isolated containers that run the same on every machine. Instead of installing PHP and PostgreSQL onto your laptop, where versions collide between projects and "works on my machine" starts, you run disposable containers that mirror production and vanish cleanly when you delete them. One project can run PHP 8.4 while another runs 8.2, on the same computer, with nothing installed globally.

The catch: wiring those containers together yourself (base images, PHP extensions, networking, permissions) is a week of fiddly Docker work. That is exactly what Laradock removes.

Why Laradock is the best fit for API Platform​

API Platform has its own official Docker distribution (Caddy-based, built on the Symfony Docker project) and a CLI installer, so, unlike most PHP projects, it does not strictly need Laradock. It is still the best fit, and here is why:

  • You are never locked into one ecosystem. Laradock is framework-agnostic. The day you add a Laravel service, a WordPress site, or a plain PHP script beside your API Platform backend, it runs in the same environment with the same commands. API Platform's own distribution cannot do that.
  • Far more flexibility. 100+ ready services and any PHP version from 5.6 to 8.5, versus the short curated list the official distribution gives you.
  • Nothing is hidden and you own everything. No generated files, no magic, no wrapper binary between you and Docker. Every Dockerfile and compose file is right there for you to read and edit.
  • Nothing new to learn. What you use is plain docker compose, knowledge that transfers straight to production and to every other project. Our CLI is an optional nicety, never a requirement.

For API Platform specifically, Laradock wires a production-style NGINX + PHP-FPM stack (or Caddy, also available as a service, if you want to mirror the official distribution exactly), PostgreSQL/MySQL, and a workspace container with Composer, git and, if you enable WORKSPACE_INSTALL_SYMFONY, the Symfony CLI.

Run API Platform on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

cd my-api-platform-app
git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git
cd laradock && cp .env.example .env

(No API Platform app yet? Clone Laradock first, then create one from the workspace container.)

2. Pick the services your app needs​

Most API Platform apps need a web server and a database. Start exactly those (the web server pulls in PHP-FPM automatically):

docker compose up -d nginx postgres workspace

Prefer MySQL instead of PostgreSQL? Swap the name: docker compose up -d nginx mysql workspace. Want Caddy instead of NGINX, to match API Platform's official distribution? docker compose up -d caddy postgres workspace. The full catalog is here.

Prefer to be asked? The optional CLI walks you through the choices: ./laradock setup, then ./laradock up. It prints every real command it runs.

3. Point API Platform at the containers​

In your app's .env, set DATABASE_URL to the service name as hostname:

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://default:secret@postgres:5432/default?serverVersion=16&charset=utf8"

The default database, user and password live in postgres/defaults.env; override any of them by adding the line to Laradock's .env (it always wins).

4. Install and run your app​

Enter the workspace container, where Composer, git and Symfony's console live:

docker compose exec workspace bash
composer create-project api-platform/api-platform .   # only if you have no API Platform files yet
bin/console doctrine:database:create
bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate

Then open http://localhost. That is a full API Platform app running on Docker.

Change the PHP version anytime​

This is where a native install hurts and Laradock shines. Set the version in Laradock's .env and rebuild:

PHP_VERSION=8.3
docker compose build php-fpm workspace

API Platform requires PHP 8.2 or newer, so pick a version at or above that; each project can pin its own, isolated, none of it installed on your machine.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Do I need to install PHP or Composer to run API Platform with Laradock?​

No. Everything lives inside the containers. Composer, git and (optionally) the Symfony CLI are all in the workspace container; you never install PHP on your host.

Which services should I start for a typical API Platform app?​

nginx postgres workspace covers most apps. Swap postgres for mysql if you prefer, and swap nginx for caddy if you want to match API Platform's official web server choice.

Can I run multiple API Platform apps on different PHP versions?​

Yes. Give each its own Laradock with a unique COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME and DATA_PATH_HOST, set a different PHP_VERSION in each, and they run independently on the same machine.

Does this work the same on macOS, Windows and Linux?​

Yes. Laradock runs anywhere Docker runs. On macOS/Windows, file-sync speed depends on Docker Desktop (VirtioFS helps a lot for vendor/-heavy apps); it is a Docker Desktop trait, not specific to Laradock.

Is this the same Docker setup I would use in production?​

The containers are production-style (real NGINX/Caddy + PHP-FPM), so it is far closer to production than the built-in Symfony server. See Prepare Laradock for Production for the hardening steps.

Comparing environments? See the full Laradock vs Others breakdown. Ready to start? Getting Started takes about five minutes.