Steps to make a Laravel app production-ready: configure .env, debug mode off, cache config, optimize autoloader

Programming
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Preparing a Laravel App for Production

Before moving a Laravel app from development to production, there are several steps to take in order to ensure proper security and performance.

1. Update .env

Ensure the environment is set to production mode by updating the .env file with APP_ENV=production.

2. Error Logging

Avoid showing errors directly in pages, as this would expose the innards of the app. Enable error logging instead.

3. Caching

Caching can greatly improve the user experience by reducing response times.

4. 404 Page

Build a nice 404, not found page.

Additional Steps
  • Utilize HTTP/2 protocol for faster performance
  • Ensure web server has Gzip installed for content compression
  • Implement a firewall
  • Configure HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate
  • Harden security of the server
  • Limit access to certain directories
  • Use a CDN for static files
  • Configure cron jobs
  • Regularly back up the application and database
  • Monitor the app for potential threats
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Steps to prepare a Laravel app for production:

  1. Update .env file with APP_ENV=production.
  2. Enable error logging instead of showing errors directly in pages.
  3. Implement caching to improve response times.
  4. Create a custom 404 page.
  5. Utilize HTTP/2 protocol, install Gzip, implement a firewall, configure HTTPS, harden server security, limit access to directories, use a CDN for static files, configure cron jobs, regularly back up the application and database, and monitor the app for potential threats.