LIGHTCLOUD

Runtime

Deploy PHP on Light Cloud

PHP serves web pages and apps through Apache. Light Cloud detects it from a composer.json or index.php. It runs as a container that scales with traffic and down to zero when idle.

Free plan, no card. Google or GitHub sign-in.

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Deploy PHP

PHP at a glance

Detected from
a composer.json or index.php
Runs as
Container that scales with traffic and to zero when idle
Versions
PHP 8.2 on Apache, with mod_rewrite on
Build
composer install --no-dev when there is a composer.json
Start command
Apache, serving public/ when public/index.php exists, otherwise the repository root
Port
8080
Good to know
The generated image adds no PHP extensions. An app that needs one, such as the pdo_pgsql database driver, brings its own Dockerfile, which is used as is.

How to deploy PHP

  1. 01

    Bring the code

    Pick a repository, upload a folder, or ask Claude Code or GitHub Copilot to put it online.

    github.com/acme/app

  2. 02

    PHP, detected

    The files are read and the build is filled in. Every setting can be changed by hand.

  3. 03

    Built into a container

    An image is built and started, listening on the port the app expects.

  4. 04

    Live

    A light-cloud.io URL in minutes, a preview URL for every branch, and logs and metrics beside it.

    main-app-acme.light-cloud.io

Add a database

Managed PostgreSQL in the same project, its connection string one copy away.

Questions

How do I deploy PHP?
Connect the repository, upload the folder, or ask Claude Code or GitHub Copilot to deploy it. Light Cloud reads the files, builds PHP and returns a live URL in minutes, with a preview URL for every branch.
How much does it cost to host PHP?
The Free plan runs up to 3 server apps with $1 of usage a month and no card. A container is billed by the hour only while it runs, so an idle app costs nothing and a quiet one uses about $0.10 a month. Paid plans start at $5 a month with $5 of usage included.
Can a PHP app use a database?
Yes. Create a PostgreSQL database in the same project and set its connection string as DATABASE_URL. Databases come with paid plans, from $5 a month.
Can I use my own Dockerfile instead?
Yes. A Dockerfile at the root of the repository always wins over detection: it is built as is and runs as a container.

PHP, live in minutes

Connect a PHP repository and get a live URL. Start free, no card.

Deploy PHPRead the PHP docs