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Run Flight on Docker

What is Flight?​

Flight is an extensible micro-framework for PHP: a small, fast core for routing, request/response handling and simple middleware, without the weight of a full-stack framework. It has no built-in ORM; database access is typically wired manually through PDO (Flight ships a PdoWrapper helper for this) against MySQL, PostgreSQL, or even SQLite for lightweight setups. A real Flight app needs a web server, PHP, and whichever database you connect to.

Why run Flight in Docker?​

Docker packages each of those pieces (NGINX, PHP-FPM, MySQL, ...) into isolated containers that run the same on every machine. Instead of installing PHP and a database 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 a small legacy Flight script runs 7.4, 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 Flight​

Unlike Laravel, Flight has no official Docker tool or first-party runtime of its own, so a ready-made, no-lock-in environment matters even more. Here is why Laradock is the best fit:

  • You are never locked into one ecosystem. Laradock is framework-agnostic. Run a Flight app today, add a Laravel service, a WordPress site, or another plain PHP script beside it tomorrow, all in the same environment with the same commands.
  • Far more flexibility. 100+ ready services and any PHP version from 5.6 to 8.5, so a tiny Flight API and a much bigger app each get exactly the runtime they need.
  • 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. Our CLI is an optional nicety, never a requirement.

Concretely, for Flight it gives you a production-style NGINX + PHP-FPM stack, MySQL/PostgreSQL/SQLite already wired, and a workspace container with Composer and git installed.

Run Flight on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

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

(No Flight app yet? Clone Laradock first, then create one from the workspace container in the next steps.)

2. Pick the services your app needs​

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

docker compose up -d nginx mysql workspace

Building something small enough for SQLite instead? Skip the database container entirely; SQLite is already available in the workspace container. 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 Flight at the containers​

Flight has no fixed config file convention; the official skeleton keeps connection settings in app/config/config.php and registers a PdoWrapper from it. Point it at the service name as hostname:

return [
    'db.host'     => 'mysql',
    'db.name'     => 'default',
    'db.user'     => 'default',
    'db.password' => 'secret',
];

The default database, user and password live in mysql/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 and git live:

docker compose exec workspace bash
composer create-project flightphp/skeleton .   # only if you have no Flight files yet

Then open http://localhost. That is a full Flight 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=8.2
docker compose build php-fpm workspace

Flight requires PHP 7.4 or newer, so a small legacy script and a brand-new API each run on the version they need, isolated, none of it installed on your machine.

Frequently Asked Questions​

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

No. Everything lives inside the containers. Composer and git are in the workspace container; you never install PHP on your host.

Which services should I start for a typical Flight app?​

nginx mysql workspace covers most apps. If you are using SQLite instead, you can skip the database container entirely.

Can I run multiple Flight 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); 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 + PHP-FPM), so it is far closer to production than PHP's built-in 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.