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Run Joomla on Docker

What is Joomla?​

Joomla is one of the most widely used open source CMSs, known for multilingual support built into core and for powering everything from community portals to corporate sites and online stores. It is a PHP application backed by a database, typically MySQL or MariaDB (PostgreSQL is also supported), served through a web server. To boot and run, Joomla needs only PHP, a web server, and a database. Everything else (Redis caching, an SMTP mail catcher, the built-in task scheduler) is opt-in and covered below.

Why run Joomla 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 sites and "works on my machine" starts, you run disposable containers that mirror production and vanish cleanly when you delete them. One site can run PHP 8.3 while an older Joomla 4 install runs 8.0, 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 Joomla​

Joomla ships its own official Docker image on Docker Hub, 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 API, a WordPress site, or a plain PHP script beside your Joomla install, it runs in the same environment with the same commands. A single-purpose image cannot do that.
  • Far more flexibility. 100+ ready services and any PHP version from 5.6 to 8.5, versus the narrower set of tags the official image maintains.
  • 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.

Concretely, for Joomla it gives you a production-style NGINX + PHP-FPM stack, MySQL/MariaDB/PostgreSQL ready to connect (and Redis one command away when you want caching), a workspace container with the Joomla CLI, Composer and git ready to use, and any PHP version behind a single line of config.

Run Joomla on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

cd my-joomla-site
git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git
cd laradock

(No Joomla files yet? Clone Laradock first, then download Joomla from the workspace container in the next steps.)

2. Pick the services your site needs​

Joomla needs exactly two things: a web server and a database. The web server pulls in PHP-FPM automatically, so this is the whole required stack:

./laradock start nginx mysql workspace

Prefer MariaDB or PostgreSQL? Swap the name: ./laradock start nginx mariadb workspace (or docker compose up -d nginx mariadb workspace). Joomla also runs on Apache if your theme relies on .htaccess: use apache2 in place of nginx. The full catalog is here.

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

Do I need Redis? Not to get running. Joomla defaults to file-based caching and a fresh site runs perfectly on nginx mysql workspace. Redis only helps on busier sites, and only once you switch the cache handler over. See Add Redis caching below when you actually want it.

3. Point Joomla at the containers​

Joomla's installer asks for the database connection in the browser wizard; use the service name as the host:

Database Type: MySQLi
Host Name: mysql
Username: default
Password: secret
Database Name: default

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

4. Install and run your site​

Enter the workspace container, where the Joomla CLI, git and Composer live, and fetch Joomla:

./laradock workspace

Once inside, download and unpack Joomla into your project's public folder (skip this if you already have Joomla files):

curl -LO https://downloads.joomla.org/latest    # latest full package .zip
unzip Joomla_*-Stable-Full_Package.zip -d /var/www

Then open http://localhost and finish the installer in the browser using the database details from the step above. Joomla asks you to create the first Super User account here; note the username and password, that is your admin login.

Prefer a scripted, no-browser install? Joomla ships a headless installer you can run from the workspace container:

php installation/joomla.php install \
  --site-name="My Site" --admin-user="Admin" --admin-username=admin \
  --admin-password=secret1234 --admin-email=[email protected] \
  --db-type=mysqli --db-host=mysql --db-user=default \
  --db-pass=secret --db-name=default --db-prefix=jos_

After either path, delete the installation/ folder (the browser wizard offers a button; from the CLI just rm -rf installation) and open http://localhost. That is a full Joomla site running on Docker.

First admin login​

Your Joomla admin (the Super User) is created during install, from the credentials you typed into the wizard or passed to the headless installer. Sign in at http://localhost/administrator.

Locked out or forgot the password? Reset it from the workspace container with the Joomla CLI, no database surgery needed:

php cli/joomla.php user:reset-password --username=admin

Working with Joomla from the command line​

Joomla 4 and 5 ship a full console application at cli/joomla.php. Run everything from inside the workspace container (./laradock workspace). List every command with:

php cli/joomla.php list

The ones you will reach for most:

php cli/joomla.php extension:install --path=/var/www/my-extension.zip  # install an extension
php cli/joomla.php extension:list                                      # list installed extensions
php cli/joomla.php core:check-updates                                 # check for a Joomla update
php cli/joomla.php core:update                                         # update Joomla core
php cli/joomla.php cache:clean                                         # clear all caches
php cli/joomla.php config:get db.host                                 # read a config value
php cli/joomla.php user:add                                            # create a user interactively

Because the CLI runs inside the container, it always uses the same PHP version and extensions as the site itself, no host PHP required.

Add Redis caching (optional)​

Joomla has caching built into core and defaults to storing it as files. On a busy site, pointing that cache at Redis keeps it in memory and noticeably speeds up the front end and admin. No extension or plugin is needed, Joomla talks to Redis natively; you just start the container and flip the cache handler.

  1. Start the Redis container alongside the rest:
./laradock start redis
  1. In the Joomla admin, go to System, Global Configuration, System tab, Cache Settings and set:
Cache Handler: Redis
Cache: ON - Conservative caching
Redis Server Host: redis
Redis Server Port: 6379

(The equivalent lines in configuration.php are $caching = 2;, $cache_handler = 'redis';, $redis_server_host = 'redis'; and $redis_server_port = 6379;.)

That is it, Joomla now stores its cache in Redis. Until you change the handler, the container just sits idle, which is why the required stack above leaves it out.

Catch outgoing mail (optional)​

Joomla sends registration, password-reset and contact-form email through PHP mail or SMTP. In development you do not want that leaving your machine, so route it into a mail catcher and read every message in a web inbox.

  1. Start the mail catcher:
./laradock start mailpit
  1. In the Joomla admin, go to System, Global Configuration, Server tab, Mail Settings and set:
Mailer: SMTP
SMTP Host: mailpit
SMTP Port: 1025
SMTP Authentication: No

Now every email Joomla sends is captured. Open the inbox at http://localhost:8025 to read it. (Prefer MailHog? Start mailhog instead; the SMTP host becomes mailhog on the same port 1025, inbox at http://localhost:8025.)

Run scheduled tasks (cron)​

Joomla 4 introduced a built-in Scheduled Tasks manager (System, Manage, Scheduled Tasks) for jobs like session cleanup, cache purging, update checks and Smart Search indexing. Those tasks need a heartbeat. In production you point a cron at them; locally you do the same from the workspace container, which has cron built in.

Run all due tasks once to confirm it works:

php cli/joomla.php scheduler:run --all

To fire them on a schedule, add a line to the workspace crontab (crontab -e inside the container) so it runs every minute:

* * * * * cd /var/www && php cli/joomla.php scheduler:run --all >/dev/null 2>&1

List and inspect the configured tasks with php cli/joomla.php scheduler:list.

Smart Search indexing​

Joomla's built-in Smart Search (com_finder) provides site search with no external search engine required; it indexes your content straight into the database. Enable the "Smart Search - Content" plugin, then build the index. You can do it from the admin, or from the workspace container:

php cli/joomla.php finder:index

To keep the index fresh automatically, add Smart Search indexing as a Scheduled Task (see the cron section above) so scheduler:run refreshes it, or add the finder command to the crontab directly.

Import an existing database​

Moving a live Joomla site into Laradock is just a database restore. Copy your SQL dump next to the laradock folder so it is visible inside the container, then load it from the workspace container:

mysql -h mysql -u default -psecret default < /var/www/backup.sql

Then edit configuration.php so the connection points at the containers: $host = 'mysql';, $user = 'default';, $password = 'secret';, $db = 'default';. Also blank out $log_path and $tmp_path or set them to the container paths (/var/www/administrator/logs and /var/www/tmp) if the old absolute paths do not exist here. Reload http://localhost and your site is 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
./laradock rebuild php-fpm workspace

Joomla 5 requires PHP 8.1 or newer, and Laradock covers anything from PHP 5.6 to 8.5, so the same tool runs an older Joomla 4 site and a current Joomla 5 site side by side, each isolated, none of it installed on your machine.

Take your site live​

When your site is ready, the same Laradock stack becomes your deployment. You build one hardened image of your app and ship it to the host of your choice:

./laradock ship

Then pick a target and follow its short guide, a single server, a managed platform, or Kubernetes: Deploy to Production lists every provider (Fly.io, Render, Railway, DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Kamal, Kubernetes) with a ready config file for each. There is no per-provider magic to learn; a Docker image runs the same everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Do I need to install PHP or MySQL to run Joomla with Laradock?​

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

Which services should I start for a typical Joomla site?​

nginx mysql workspace is all Joomla requires: web server, database, and a shell. Swap mysql for mariadb or postgres, or nginx for apache2, if you prefer. Add redis only when you switch Joomla's cache handler to Redis, and mailpit only when you want to catch outgoing email; neither is needed to boot the site.

Can I run multiple Joomla sites 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.