Laradock vs Lando

What is Lando?

Lando is a free, open-source command-line tool that uses Docker to run local development environments from a single configuration file (.lando.yml). Similar in spirit to DDEV, it originated in the Drupal community and ships ready-made "recipes" for platforms like Drupal, WordPress, and Laravel, so you describe what kind of project you have and Lando builds the matching Docker setup for you.

This page compares it to Laradock, which skips the recipe/generation layer entirely: instead of a tool that builds Docker containers for you, Laradock ships the Docker container definitions directly, ready to run and ready to edit.

Lando is DDEV's closest cousin: a recipe file and a CLI that generate Docker behind the scenes, popular in Drupal and WordPress agency work. Laradock is the opposite philosophy: the Docker files are the product, pre-wired and fully visible.

TL;DR: pick Lando if your team already standardized on its recipes. Pick Laradock for transparency, a far larger service catalog, and no tool between you and Docker.

Setting up a Laravel app with Lando

Install the Lando binary first, then describe your stack in .lando.yml at the project root:

name: my-app
recipe: laravel
config:
  webroot: public
  php: "8.3"
services:
  cache:
    type: redis

Then:

lando start
lando composer install
lando artisan migrate

Your site is served at https://my-app.lndo.site. Day to day you talk to the tool: lando ssh, lando artisan, lando db-import, lando rebuild after recipe changes. The compose files Lando generates live in ~/.lando/ and are regenerated; they are not meant to be edited.

The same thing with Laradock

cd my-app
git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git
cd laradock && cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d nginx mysql redis workspace
docker compose exec workspace bash   # composer, artisan, node

No binary, no recipe format to learn, no regeneration: the service definitions are plain files in front of you, and the commands are standard Docker Compose. Change PHP with PHP_VERSION=8.3 in .env + rebuild; add any of 100+ services with one up command.

Side by side

	Lando	Laradock
Install	lando binary (+ its own Docker setup)	nothing (git clone)
Config	.lando.yml recipe	.env + per-service folders
URLs	https://my-app.lndo.site automatic	http://localhost (or wire Traefik/Caddy)
Services	~15 supported types	100+ shipped folders
Docker files	Generated, hidden	Plain files you own and edit
Commands	lando * vocabulary	standard docker compose *
Frameworks	Recipe-based (Drupal, WordPress, Laravel, ...)	Any PHP project
Project pace	Slower releases, smaller team than DDEV	Community-maintained since 2015
Skills you build	Lando-specific	Transferable Docker

Choose Lando if...

• Your agency already standardized on Lando recipes and the workflow fits.
• You want automatic per-project URLs and HTTPS without touching config.
• Your stack fits comfortably inside Lando's supported service types.

Choose Laradock if...

• You want to see and own every Dockerfile and config.
• You need services outside Lando's recipe list (brokers, search clusters, LLMs, monitoring).
• You prefer plain docker compose over another CLI vocabulary.
• You want the environment defined by files in your repo tree, not generated state in ~/.lando/.

Already on Lando? Migrating takes minutes

1. Export your database while Lando still runs: lando db-export backup.sql.gz && gunzip backup.sql.gz
2. Stop Lando: lando stop (keep .lando.yml around until you are confident).
3. Add Laradock next to your code: git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git && cd laradock && cp .env.example .env
4. Start your stack: docker compose up -d nginx mysql redis workspace
5. Import the database: docker compose exec -T mysql mysql -uroot -proot default < ../backup.sql
6. Update your app's .env: Lando's Laravel recipe uses DB_HOST=database; change it to DB_HOST=mysql. Credentials are in mysql/defaults.env (user default, password secret).
7. Your site now answers at http://localhost instead of https://my-app.lndo.site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lando free?

Yes, Lando is free and open-source (GPL-3.0), maintained by Tandem/Lando's team, with no paid tier for the core tool.

Does Lando require rebuilding after every config change?

Yes, this is a deliberate Lando design choice: lando restart never re-reads .lando.yml, only lando rebuild does, which recreates containers (while preserving database volumes). It is one of the more common friction points reported by Lando users.

What frameworks does Lando support?

Lando ships built-in "recipes" for many stacks, including Laravel, Drupal, WordPress, generic LAMP/LEMP, and more, each pre-wiring the right services for that framework.

Can I add custom commands to Lando?

Yes, via the tooling: section of .lando.yml, which lets you define project-specific commands (like lando php) that route into the right container; it is one of Lando's most-liked features.

Is Lando slower than Docker Compose directly?

It can feel slower: Lando runs a shared proxy container and additional tooling on top of Docker, and community reports cite multi-minute startup times on some setups, an overhead a direct docker compose up (what Laradock uses) does not add.

See the full landscape, including DDEV, Sail, Herd and XAMPP: Laradock vs Others. Ready to try it? Getting Started takes about five minutes.