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Run FuelPHP on Docker

What is FuelPHP?​

FuelPHP is a community-driven, full-stack PHP framework built around an HMVC (Hierarchical Model-View-Controller) architecture, along with routing, an ORM, a CLI (Oil), and a modular package system. A FuelPHP app needs a web server, a PHP runtime, and a database; it ships drivers for MySQL, MySQLi and PDO out of the box.

Why run FuelPHP 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 MySQL 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. FuelPHP is an older framework still running in production on plenty of teams; a container can pin it to the exact PHP version it was built against while a newer project on the same machine runs PHP 8.4.

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 FuelPHP​

FuelPHP has no official Docker image or first-party local-dev tool 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 FuelPHP today, add a Laravel API or a 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 an older FuelPHP 1.x codebase and a newer one 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 FuelPHP it gives you a production-style NGINX + PHP-FPM stack, MySQL already wired, a workspace container with Composer and git installed, and any PHP version behind a single line of config.

Run FuelPHP on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

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

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

2. Pick the services your app needs​

FuelPHP needs a web server and a database. The web server pulls in PHP-FPM automatically:

docker compose up -d nginx mysql workspace

The full catalog of services 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 FuelPHP at the containers​

FuelPHP's database settings live in fuel/app/config/development/db.php (copy it from the bundled db.sample.php if it does not exist yet). Set the hostname to the service name:

'connection' => array(
    'hostname'   => 'mysql',
    'database'   => 'default',
    'username'   => 'default',
    '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). FuelPHP's migration tool creates tables, not the database itself, so create the database first.

4. Install and run your app​

Enter the workspace container, where Composer and git live:

docker compose exec workspace bash
composer create-project fuel/fuel . --prefer-dist   # only if you have no FuelPHP files yet
php oil refine migrate

Then open http://localhost. That is a full FuelPHP 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=8.1
docker compose build php-fpm workspace

FuelPHP's actively maintained 1.9 branch runs cleanly up to PHP 8.1; older FuelPHP 1.x code written against PHP 5.4-5.6 can keep running on its original version in its own Laradock, isolated on the same machine, none of it installed on your host.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Do I need to install PHP, Composer or MySQL to run FuelPHP with Laradock?​

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

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

nginx mysql workspace covers most apps: web server, database, and a shell. Add extras like redis if your app uses caching.

Can I run multiple FuelPHP 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 a native install. 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.