Skip to main content

Run webERP on Docker

What is webERP?​

webERP is an open-source, browser-based accounting and business administration ERP written in plain PHP: general ledger, inventory, sales and purchase orders, and more, all served as regular web pages with no separate desktop client. The project started life on SourceForge as a Subversion repository and has since moved to GitHub, where a small maintainer team still ships it; the current stable line is 5.0, released in January 2026. It is a PHP application backed by a MySQL (or MariaDB) database, served through a web server, nothing more exotic than that.

Why run webERP in Docker?​

Docker packages the pieces webERP needs (a web server, 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. This matters more than usual for webERP: current 5.0 requires PHP 8.1+, but plenty of real installs still run the older 4.x line against PHP 7.x, and you probably don't want either version, let alone both, installed natively on your host.

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 webERP​

webERP has no official Docker image or first-party container tooling of its own (only a handful of unofficial, infrequently updated images exist on Docker Hub), 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 webERP today, add a Laravel or WordPress site 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 you can run webERP's current PHP 8.1+ requirement or an older 4.x install pinned to PHP 7.x, side by side if needed.
  • 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 webERP it gives you a production-style NGINX + PHP-FPM stack, MySQL/MariaDB already wired, and a workspace container with Composer and git installed, plus any PHP version behind a single line of config.

Run webERP on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

cd my-weberp-install
git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git
cd laradock

(No webERP files yet? Clone Laradock first, then download webERP from the official GitHub repository into your project root in the next steps.)

2. Pick the services webERP needs​

webERP needs a web server and a database; the web server pulls in PHP-FPM automatically:

./laradock start nginx mysql workspace

Prefer MariaDB over MySQL? Swap the name: ./laradock start nginx mariadb workspace. 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.

3. Point webERP at the containers​

webERP does not use a hand-edited .env; it writes its own config.php in the project root through its web installer, using the service name as the database hostname:

Host: mysql

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

4. Install and run​

Open http://localhost and the webERP installer takes over: it checks file and folder permissions, walks you through database connection details (host mysql, the credentials above), creates the database, and writes config.php for you. webERP creates one database per company, so plan the company name accordingly.

If you need a shell for anything else (git, Composer), it's in the workspace container:

./laradock workspace

Once the installer finishes, log back in through the browser. That is a full webERP install 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=8.1
./laradock rebuild php-fpm workspace

Current webERP 5.0 requires PHP 8.1 or newer; older 4.x installs generally expect PHP 7.x. Laradock covers both ends (PHP 5.6 through 8.5), so a legacy 4.x instance and a fresh 5.0 install can run side by side, each isolated, none of it installed on your machine.

Take your webERP install live​

When your webERP install is ready, the same Laradock stack becomes your deployment. You build one hardened image 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 webERP with Laradock?​

No. Everything lives inside the containers. PHP, its extensions, and MySQL/MariaDB are all provided; you never install them on your host.

Which services should I start for a typical webERP install?​

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

Is webERP still actively maintained?​

Yes, though at a slower pace than mainstream frameworks. Development moved from SourceForge/Subversion to GitHub, and a small maintainer team shipped a major modernization (v5.0, requiring PHP 8.1+ and dropping the old mysql extension) in January 2026. Expect a small-team release cadence, not a large-project one, but it is not abandoned.

Can I run multiple webERP instances, or different versions, at once?​

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.