Install Laravel 11 on Windows with Docker and Laravel Sail

Laravel, one of the most popular frameworks for developing web applications, has released its version 11. If you are a Windows user and want to take advantage of the benefits of this new version using Docker and Laravel Sail, you have come to the right place. In this article, I will guide you through the step-by-step installation process so you can start working with Laravel 11 quickly and easily.

Prerequisites

Before starting the installation, make sure you have the following installed on your system:

• Docker: It is essential to have Docker installed on your machine to manage the containers necessary for Laravel.
• Docker Desktop: This software provides a graphical interface for you to easily manage your images and containers.

Installing Docker on Windows

1. Download Docker Desktop: Go to the official Docker website and download the latest version for Windows.
2. Install Docker: Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions. Make sure to enable the "Use WSL 2" (Windows Subsystem for Linux) option.
3. Verify the installation: Once installed, open the PowerShell terminal and run the following command:

4. docker --version

5. This should display the installed version of Docker.

Installing Laravel 11

With Docker installed, the next step is to create a new Laravel project using Laravel Sail.

Create the Laravel project

1. Open a terminal: Use PowerShell or any terminal of your choice.
2. Create a new project: Run the following command to create a new Laravel project:

3. curl -s https://laravel.build/project-name | bash

4. This command will download and set up a new Laravel project with Sail already integrated.
5. Access the project folder:

6. cd project-name

Start the development environment

1. Start Sail services: Use the following command to start the Docker containers used by Laravel Sail:

2. ./vendor/bin/sail up

3. If you are on Windows, you can use sail.cmd instead of ./vendor/bin/sail.
4. Access your application: Once the containers are up and running, open your web browser and go to http://localhost. You should see the Laravel welcome screen, indicating that your installation was successful.

Accessing the Laravel Sail shell

Laravel Sail allows you to access a shell within your Docker container. To do this, use the following command:

./vendor/bin/sail shell

From this shell, you can run Artisan commands and perform administrative tasks without leaving your Docker environment.

Security and additional configurations

It is advisable to configure the database connection and other environment variables according to the needs of your project. You can do this by editing the .env file within your project.

Conclusion

Installing Laravel 11 on Windows using Docker and Laravel Sail is a straightforward process that allows you to quickly create modern applications. Now that you have your environment set up, you can explore all the features that Laravel 11 offers for developing high-quality web projects.

If you wish to read more news and guides about web development and technologies, I invite you to keep exploring my blog.