Deploying Custom Applications (Laravel, Node.js, Git) on Shared Hosting

Introduction

This guide explains how to deploy custom web applications on shared hosting. It is designed for users who need to set up and run applications that are not pre-installed (such as WordPress) and require command-line access or manual configurations.

✅ What This Guide Covers

This guide applies to PHP-based and Node.js-based applications that can run within the limits of a shared hosting environment. This includes:

• Laravel and Other PHP Frameworks

• Basic Git Deployments (if Git is available on your plan)

• Static and Frontend Applications (React, Vue, Angular with static builds)

• Node.js Applications (if supported via cPanel)

❌ What This Guide Does NOT Cover

This guide does not apply to applications that require root access, such as:

• Custom Server Software (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, Nginx custom setups)

• System-level Services (Supervisor, Redis, Queue Workers without cPanel support)

• Applications Needing Daemon Processes (long-running background tasks requiring root)

• High-Resource Applications that exceed shared hosting limits

For such applications, upgrading to a VPS or dedicated server is strongly recommended.

1. Retrieve Your SSH Credentials

• Check your inbox for the "New Account Information" email that was sent upon registration. This includes your server’s hostname/IP address, your cPanel username, and password.

• If you can’t find the email, log in to your hosting dashboard, click on your profile icon (top-right corner), and select “Email History” to find a copy of the email.

2. Access the Server via SSH

Choose an SSH Client

• Windows: PuTTY or any SSH client
• Mac/Linux: Built-in Terminal

Connect to Your Server

For PuTTY (Windows):

1. Open PuTTY.

2. Enter your server’s IP address or hostname in the “Host Name” field.

3. Click Open to start the session.

4. Enter your credentials when prompted.

For Mac/Linux Terminal:

ssh username@your_server_ip

Replace username and your_server_ip with the details from your email. Enter your password when prompted.

Note: Since your shell is Jailed Shell, you’ll be restricted to your home directory but can still run most necessary commands.

3. Navigate to Your Laravel Project Directory

cd public_html

(Adjust if your Laravel project is in a different folder.)

4. Run Composer and NPM Commands

Install Composer Dependencies

composer install

Ensure that your composer.json file is in the current directory.

Install Node Dependencies

Ensure you’ve set up a Node version in cPanel → Software → Setup Node.js App before running npm commands.

npm install

npm run build

This will install and compile any front-end assets needed by your Laravel project.

5. Run Artisan Commands

php artisan migrate --seed

php artisan storage:link

These commands will set up your database tables and link the storage folder properly.

6. Configure Permissions

By default, if PHP runs as your user (suPHP/LiteSpeed), you typically only need:

• 755 for folders

• 644 for files

Ensure storage and bootstrap/cache are writable if Laravel requires it:

chmod -R 755 storage/ bootstrap/cache/

chown -R youruser:youruser storage/ bootstrap/cache/

(Adjust youruser accordingly if your environment differs.)

7. SSL & Supervisor

SSL (AutoSSL in cPanel)

Use AutoSSL via cPanel instead of manually setting up Certbot.

Supervisor for Queue Workers

Supervisor requires root access and is not available on shared hosting. If you need queue workers or other persistent processes, consider upgrading to a VPS.

8. A Note on Support Scope

Since this is a custom Laravel/Node.js deployment, it falls outside our standard support scope. Our team focuses on cPanel basics and common applications like WordPress/WooCommerce.

For advanced Laravel or Node.js troubleshooting, we recommend:

• Consulting a developer

• Upgrading to a VPS for full control over your environment

If you have any questions about cPanel basics or run into issues unrelated to custom code deployments, we’ll be glad to assist.