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Run Pico on Docker

What is Pico?​

Pico describes itself as a stupidly simple, blazing fast, flat-file CMS. There is no database, no admin panel and no install wizard: a page is just a Markdown file dropped into a content folder, rendered through Twig templates. It needs nothing more than a web server and PHP.

Why run Pico in Docker?​

Docker packages the web server and PHP runtime into isolated containers that run the same on every machine. Instead of installing PHP 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 Pico site can run on PHP 8.3 while another small project runs on an older version, on the same computer, with nothing installed globally.

The catch: wiring those containers together yourself (base images, PHP extensions, permissions) is a week of fiddly Docker work. That is exactly what Laradock removes.

Why Laradock is the best fit for Pico​

Pico has no official Docker image 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 Pico today, add a Laravel API, a WordPress site, or another flat-file project 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 old Pico site and a brand-new 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 Pico it gives you a production-style NGINX + PHP-FPM stack, no database container to babysit, a workspace container with Composer and git installed, and any PHP version behind a single line of config.

Run Pico on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

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

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

2. Pick the services your site needs​

Pico has no database, so it only needs a web server. Start that (it pulls in PHP-FPM automatically) and the workspace shell:

docker compose up -d nginx 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 Pico at the containers​

There is no hostname to configure, since there is no database. Site-wide settings (base URL, theme, timezone) live in config/config.yml in the project root, which sits on your host through Laradock's normal volume mount, so you can edit it with any editor while the containers run.

4. Add content and run your site​

Enter the workspace container to pull in Pico:

docker compose exec workspace bash
composer create-project picocms/pico-composer my-pico-site

There is no install wizard and no admin panel to log into. A page is just a Markdown file: create content/index.md (and any other content/*.md files you want as pages) directly on your host, in your editor of choice. Pico picks them up on the next request.

Then open http://localhost. That is a full Pico site 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
docker compose build php-fpm workspace

Pico's minimum is PHP 5.3.6 with the dom and mbstring extensions, though in practice any current PHP 7.x or 8.x works fine, so the same tool runs an old Pico site and a brand-new one side by side, each isolated, none of it installed on your machine.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Do I need to install PHP or Composer to run Pico 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 Pico site?​

nginx workspace is all a Pico site needs; the web server pulls in PHP-FPM automatically. There is no database service, no admin panel, and no install wizard to run.

Can I run multiple Pico 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.