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Run SuiteCRM on Docker

What is SuiteCRM?​

SuiteCRM is an open source customer relationship management platform, forked from SugarCRM's community edition, covering sales, marketing and support workflows for teams that want a self-hosted CRM instead of a SaaS one. It is a PHP application backed by a MySQL or MariaDB database, served through a web server, installed through a browser-based setup wizard, and known for wanting a healthy amount of PHP memory to run comfortably.

Why run SuiteCRM 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. One SuiteCRM instance can run on an older PHP version while another project runs the latest PHP, on the same computer, with nothing installed globally.

The catch: wiring those containers together yourself (base images, PHP extensions, networking, permissions, and the generous memory limits SuiteCRM expects) is a week of fiddly Docker work. That is exactly what Laradock removes.

Why Laradock is the best fit for SuiteCRM​

SuiteCRM has no official Docker image of its own beyond community-maintained ones, 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 SuiteCRM today, add a Laravel API, a WordPress marketing site, 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, versus a single-purpose image with a narrow set of tags.
  • 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, including the PHP memory and execution-time settings SuiteCRM needs.
  • 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 SuiteCRM it gives you a production-style NGINX + PHP-FPM stack, MySQL/MariaDB already wired, and a workspace container with Composer and git installed.

Run SuiteCRM on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

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

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

2. Pick the services your instance needs​

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

docker compose up -d nginx mysql workspace

Prefer MariaDB instead? Swap the name: docker compose up -d nginx mariadb workspace. The full catalog 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 SuiteCRM at the containers​

SuiteCRM's installer asks for these values in the browser; use the service name as the database host:

Database Type: MySQL
Host Name: mysql
Database Name: default
User Name: default
Password: secret

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). SuiteCRM also benefits from a raised PHP memory limit; edit memory_limit in the php-fpm/php8.3.ini file matching your PHP_VERSION to at least 256M before installing.

4. Install and run your instance​

Enter the workspace container, place the SuiteCRM files in your project's web root (download the archive from suitecrm.com and extract it if you have not already):

docker compose exec workspace bash
composer install

Then open http://localhost and follow SuiteCRM's install wizard: it checks PHP extensions and memory, asks for the database details from the step above, and creates the admin account.

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

Current SuiteCRM releases need PHP 8.2, 8.3 or 8.4; Laradock covers anything from PHP 5.6 to 8.5, so the same tool runs an older SuiteCRM instance you have not upgraded yet 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 MySQL to run SuiteCRM with Laradock?​

No. Everything lives inside the containers. PHP, its required extensions, and the database server are all provided; you never install them on your host.

Which services should I start for a typical SuiteCRM instance?​

nginx mysql workspace covers most instances: web server, database, and a shell. Swap mysql for mariadb if you prefer.

Why does SuiteCRM need a raised PHP memory limit?​

SuiteCRM's admin panel, module builder and import/export tools are memory-hungry compared to a typical PHP app; the project's own docs recommend at least 256MB, more for larger datasets. Laradock's PHP config is a plain php.ini you control, so raising it is a one-line change and a container rebuild.

Can I run multiple SuiteCRM instances 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.

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.