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Run Nucleus CMS on Docker

What is Nucleus CMS?​

Nucleus CMS is an early-2000s PHP blog management system with a MySQL backend. It is legacy software: development has been effectively dormant for years, the last meaningful commit to the project explicitly dropped support for PHP 8, and there is no realistic path to running current Nucleus code on a modern PHP version. This guide is for maintaining or archiving an existing Nucleus site, not for starting a new one. A Nucleus site is a PHP application backed by a MySQL database, served through a web server.

Why run Nucleus CMS in Docker?​

Docker packages each of those pieces (NGINX, PHP-FPM, MySQL) into isolated containers that run the same on every machine. This matters more for a codebase like Nucleus than for most: it needs an old PHP release that has no business being installed on your host machine, alongside your current projects that need current PHP. Docker keeps that old version fully isolated and disposable, and lets you delete it cleanly whenever you are done with it.

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 Nucleus CMS​

Nucleus CMS has no official Docker image, and given its age it never will. A ready-made, no-lock-in environment matters even more for keeping an old codebase running safely. Here is why Laradock is the best fit:

  • You are never locked into one ecosystem. Laradock is framework-agnostic. Keep a legacy Nucleus site running while a Laravel API, a WordPress site, or anything else runs beside it 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 old Nucleus install gets the exact old PHP it needs without touching your host.
  • 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 Nucleus CMS it gives you a production-style NGINX + PHP-FPM stack, MySQL already wired, a workspace container with git installed, and an old PHP version kept alive behind a single line of config, isolated from everything else on your machine.

Run Nucleus CMS on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

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

(No Nucleus files yet? Clone Laradock first, then pull your existing Nucleus files into your project root.)

2. Pick the services your site needs​

Nucleus needs a web server and a database. Start exactly those (the web server pulls in PHP-FPM automatically):

docker compose up -d nginx mysql workspace

The full catalog of every other available service 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 Nucleus at the containers​

The install wizard writes your database connection into config.php. Use the service name as the host, and the default database, user and password from mysql/defaults.env:

DB Host: mysql
DB Name: default
DB User: default
DB Pass: secret

Override any of them by adding the line to Laradock's .env (it always wins). config.php needs to be writable during install (Nucleus's own docs suggest chmod 666) and can be locked back down afterward.

4. Install and run your site​

Open the installer in your browser and follow its steps to create the database tables and write config.php:

http://localhost/install/

Then open http://localhost. That is a Nucleus CMS site running on Docker.

Change the PHP version anytime​

This is where a native install hurts and Laradock shines, particularly for a codebase this old. Set the version in Laradock's .env and rebuild:

PHP_VERSION=7.4
docker compose build php-fpm workspace

Nucleus's last active development explicitly dropped PHP 8 support, so PHP 7.x is the safe choice. Laradock lets you pin exactly that version for this one site while every other project on the same machine runs whatever current PHP it needs, none of it installed on your host.

Frequently Asked Questions​

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

No. Everything lives inside the containers. PHP and MySQL are both provided; you never install them on your host, which matters most here since Nucleus needs an old PHP version you would not want on your machine directly.

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

nginx mysql workspace covers a standard install: web server, database, and a shell.

Can I run Nucleus CMS alongside modern projects on newer PHP?​

Yes. Give each its own Laradock with a unique COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME and DATA_PATH_HOST, pin Nucleus to PHP_VERSION=7.4, and run everything else on a current PHP version, all 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 closer to production than a native install. Given how old and unmaintained Nucleus CMS is, treat any production use as a maintenance liability regardless of how it is hosted; see Prepare Laradock for Production for the general hardening steps.

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