Deploy Symfony to a VPS with FrankenPHP and Doctrine

To deploy Symfony to a VPS with ox, add the repo as a project and deploy it, with no Dockerfile and no ox.toml. ox reads bin/console and composer.json, runs composer install --no-dev --no-interaction --prefer-dist --optimize-autoloader and php bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate --no-interaction --allow-no-migration for the migrations, then starts frankenphp php-server --root public --listen 127.0.0.1:$PORT under systemd behind Caddy with HTTPS. Run ox check in your repo to see the same plan before the first deploy.

Plan verified, real-server test pending. The plan below is what ox check prints for a minimal Symfony repo in ox's tests. A deploy on a real server is not recorded yet.

What ox detects in a Symfony repo

This is the plan ox check prints for a minimal a Symfony app, with no ox.toml. Each row says where its value came from: a file in the repo, or ox's default.

ox check also prints these hints for it:

• Symfony runs with var/ read-only: the build warms its cache, so log to php://stderr (Monolog's prod default) and keep sessions out of var/

The ox.toml for Symfony

None is needed: the plan above comes from the repo alone. Write one to serve your own domain or to change what ox detected. This one passes ox check against the same repo: [app] keeps the detected start command and build.

domains = ["www.example.com"]

[app]

Check and deploy Symfony

Add the repo as a project, then check and ship it from a terminal:

ox check                                # in the repo: the plan above, offline
ox new <owner/repo> --server <server>  # add the repo as a project
ox deploy <project> --wait              # stream the deploy, exit with its result
ox logs <project> --follow             # the app's own logs

Variables to set for Symfony

Set APP_SECRET before the first deploy: ox check asks for it, and the deploy stops until it has a value. Use the dashboard's Variables tab or ox vars set <project> KEY, which asks for the value.

ox provides these to the app itself: PORT, HOST, OX_ENV, OX_PROJECT, OX_RELEASE, OX_DATA_DIR, PUBLIC_URL and PUBLIC_HOST.

If the Symfony deploy fails

• set these before deploying: APP_SECRET: A variable the app needs has no value. Set it on the dashboard's Variables tab, or with ox vars set <project> KEY. More.
• TCP connect to 127.0.0.1:8001 did not answer within 120s: dial tcp 127.0.0.1:8001: connect: connection refused: The app started but never answered on the port ox gave it. Listen on 127.0.0.1 at $PORT; the lines above the message are the app's own output. More.
• no index.php at the root or in public/; set [app] start = "frankenphp php-server --root <dir> --listen 127.0.0.1:$PORT": Put index.php at the root or in public/, or set [app] start with your document root. More.

Your visitors never see a failed deploy: the previous release keeps serving until the new one passes its health check.

Next steps

• The Laravel guide: Composer, a queue worker and the scheduler.
• The [app] keys: start, health check, memory and the rest.
• Add a custom domain with one A record; Caddy gets the HTTPS certificate.
• Read the logs live, search them, or download them.
• Set variables and secrets on the dashboard or with ox vars.

Symfony FAQ

Do I need a Dockerfile or an ox.toml to deploy Symfony to a VPS?

No. ox does not use Docker, and ox check on a Symfony repo with no ox.toml prints Ready to deploy. Write an ox.toml only to change what ox detected.

What does ox install on the server for Symfony?

Only what the plan names: github:php/frankenphp 1.13.0 (ox's default) and the apt packages composer, php-cli, php-xml and unzip. Your app's own dependencies are installed by the build into the release folder, not system-wide.

Where do Symfony logs go?

To php://stderr, Monolog's prod default, which ox keeps in the app's log. var/ is read-only in a release, so keep logs and sessions out of it.

Related guides

• Plain PHPDeploy a plain PHP site to your own VPS: ox finds index.php, installs FrankenPHP, and serves the site under systemd behind Caddy with HTTPS, no ox.toml.
• PhoenixDeploy an Elixir Phoenix app to your own VPS: ox builds a mix release with its assets, runs Release.migrate, starts it under systemd, and adds PostgreSQL.

Every stack ox deploys, and the ones it does not yet, is on the Stacks page.