Nitrous.IO Adds PHP Support: A Laravel App Quick Start

On February 12th, Nitrous.IO, a cloud-based development environment enabling rapid virtual machine setup and cross-platform access via its Web IDE, finally introduced long-awaited PHP support. This tutorial demonstrates creating a Laravel application on Nitrous.IO. Basic Unix command-line familiarity is assumed.

Key Features:

• Nitrous.IO now supports PHP, facilitating Laravel app development within its cloud environment. Quickly provision virtual machines accessible from any device through the Web IDE.
• Account creation and box provisioning are the first steps. PHP support can be added to the box, with customizable resource allocation. Alternative templates can also be used, allowing for the installation of PHP-related tools (Apache, PHP, MySQL, etc.).
• The platform supports PECL library installation, virtual host configuration, and Composer management (globally installed due to limited box storage).
• Laravel setup and a sample application are demonstrated, including MySQL database connection and sample data creation.

Getting Started:

Create a Nitrous.IO account (referral links may offer benefits). Add your public SSH key for streamlined SSH access (GitHub provides a helpful guide).

Creating a Box:

Navigate to the "Boxes" section and click "New Box." Select PHP, choose a nearby region, and allocate resources (unused nitrous is refunded upon box termination).

After clicking "Create Box," the box will be provisioned (similar to Vagrant, but faster).

The familiar interface appears, along with a setup guide. Alternatively, install PHP tools (Apache, PHP, MySQL) using Autoparts -> Install Parts if using a non-PHP template. Verify PHP version (should display 5.5.8 in a PHP box template).

PhpInfo:

Create index.php in the www subfolder with <?php phpinfo(); ?>. Access via Preview -> Port 3000 (default). Other ports require httpd.conf modification (vim /home/action/.parts/etc/apache2/httpd.conf). The file browser (with "Show Hidden" enabled) also provides access.

Installing PECL libs:

Composer requires the Zip library. Install using:

pear config-set php_ini /home/action/.parts/etc/php5/php.ini
pecl config-set php_ini /home/action/.parts/etc/php5/php.ini
pecl install zip

(Use CTRL SHIFT V to paste.)

Configuring a Virtual Host:

Create a virtual host (recommended over renaming www to public). Edit httpd.conf:

<VirtualHost *:4000>
    ServerName doesnotmatter
    DocumentRoot "/home/action/workspace/myapp/public"
    ServerAdmin bruno.skvorc@sitepoint.com
    <Directory "/home/action/workspace/myapp/public">
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
        Order allow,deny
        Allow from all
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Add Listen 0.0.0.0:4000 (and other desired ports) to httpd.conf. Create the myapp/public directory (mkdir -p /home/action/workspace/myapp/public). Add index.php to this directory. Restart Apache (parts restart apache2). Access via Preview -> Port 4000.

Installing Composer (Note: Now pre-installed, this section details custom binary installation):

Install Composer globally:

mkdir ~/.tools
cd ~/.tools
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
vim ~/.bashrc

Add export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/.tools/ to .bashrc. Reload .bashrc (source ~/.bashrc). Test with composer self-update.

Creating a Sample Laravel App:

Remove myapp (rm -rf /home/action/workspace/myapp). Create the Laravel app:

cd /home/action/workspace
composer create-project laravel/laravel myapp --prefer-dist

Access via port 4000. Add a test route to app/routes.php:

Route::get('test', function() {
    return 'Test!';
});

Connecting Laravel to MySQL:

Verify MySQL access (mysql -u root). Laravel defaults to Nitrous' settings. Change the database name to "sample" in app/config/database.php. Create a sample database and table using:

wget -O- -q https://gist.github.com/Swader/8994154/raw/9bb8d253f92791de77fa01138febd404a306ccc6/sample.sql | mysql -u root

Modify the test route to display database data:

Route::get('test', function() {
  var_dump(DB::select('select * from test'));
});

Conclusion:

This demonstrates the ease of setting up Laravel on Nitrous.IO. Experiment freely; box recreation is straightforward. The advantages of virtual machines for development are highlighted.

(Note: The original article's FAQs about Laravel and the now-defunct Nitrous.IO have been omitted as they are no longer relevant.)

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