PHP Docker Environment

A Docker-based PHP development environment using FrankenPHP (a modern PHP server that combines Nginx and PHP-FPM into a single process) with Traefik reverse proxy integration.

Project Structure

php-docker/
├── Dockerfile          # PHP container configuration
├── compose.yaml        # Docker Compose service definition
├── README.md           # This file
└── public/
    └── index.php       # Default PHP entry point

Components

Dockerfile

The Dockerfile is based on serversideup/php:8.5-frankenphp, which provides:

• PHP 8.5 - The latest PHP version
• FrankenPHP - A modern PHP server that integrates Nginx and PHP-FPM
• Pre-installed extensions - Ready for PHP development

Customizations:

• Installs the intl and bcmath PHP extensions
• Runs as www-data user for security

compose.yaml

The compose.yaml defines a single service:

Feature	Configuration
Service Name	php
Port	localhost:8080 → container:8080
Volume Mount	Current directory → /var/www/html
Network	proxy (Traefik integration)

Traefik Labels

The service is configured for Traefik reverse proxy with:

• HTTP Router: php.apps.actionbehind.com (port 80)
• HTTPS Router: php.apps.actionbehind.com (port 443)
• HTTPS Redirect: Automatic redirect from HTTP to HTTPS
• SSL Certificate: Let's Encrypt certificate resolution

Prerequisites

• Docker
• Docker Compose (v2+)
• Traefik (for proxy functionality)

Usage Instructions

Quick Start

1. Start the container:

   docker compose up -d
   

2. Access the application:

   • Local: http://localhost:8080
   • Traefik: https://php.apps.actionbehind.com

3. View logs:

   docker compose logs -f
   

Development

1. Place your PHP files in the public/ directory - This is the web root (/var/www/html)

2. Edit files locally - Changes are immediately reflected via volume mounting

3. Restart container after dependency changes:

   docker compose up -d --build
   

Available PHP Extensions

The following extensions are pre-installed:

• intl - Internationalization functions
• bcmath - Arbitrary precision mathematics

Common Commands

Command	Description
docker compose up -d	Start containers in background
docker compose down	Stop and remove containers
docker compose down -v	Stop, remove containers AND volumes
docker compose logs -f	Follow container logs
docker compose exec php php -v	Run PHP inside container
docker compose exec php bash	Get shell access to container

Traefik Configuration Notes

The Traefik labels configure:

1. redirect-to-https@file - A Traefik middleware that redirects HTTP to HTTPS
2. certresolver=letsencrypt - Uses Let's Encrypt for SSL certificates
3. Host rule - Routes requests to php.apps.actionbehind.com to this service

If you're running locally without Traefik, you can access the service at http://localhost:8080 and ignore the Traefik labels.

Customization

To add more PHP extensions, modify the Dockerfile:

RUN install-php-extensions extension_name

To change the PHP version, update the base image:

FROM serversideup/php:8.2-frankenphp  # or 8.3, 8.4

To modify Traefik configuration, update the labels section in compose.yaml.