Running Multiple Laravel Apps on Synology NAS with Docker

November 28, 2025

10 min read

Published

Running Multiple Laravel Apps on Synology NAS with Docker

Docker makes running multiple applications on the same system simple and conflict-free. In this guide, we’ll walk through setting up multiple Laravel applications on a Synology NAS using Docker Compose with PHP-FPM, Nginx, and MySQL. We’ll cover everything from folder setup to common permission fixes.

Synology NASDockerLaravel

Running Multiple Laravel Apps on Synology NAS with Docker

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

A Synology NAS with Docker installed via the Package Center

SSH access to your NAS (optional, but recommended)

Basic knowledge of Laravel and Docker

A Laravel project, or the ability to create one using Composer

Folder Structure

Organize your Laravel apps on the NAS to keep them isolated:

/volume1/docker/laravel_app1/
    app/          # Laravel project files
    docker-compose.yml
    nginx.conf

/volume1/docker/laravel_app2/
    app/
    docker-compose.yml
    nginx.conf

Each app should remain isolated to avoid port and database conflicts.

Docker Compose Setup

Here’s an example docker-compose.yml for App1:

version: '3.8'

services:
  php:
    image: php:8.2-fpm
    container_name: laravel_app1_php
    working_dir: /var/www
    volumes:
      - ./app:/var/www
    networks:
      - laravel

  web:
    image: nginx:latest
    container_name: laravel_app1_nginx
    ports:
      - "8081:80"
    volumes:
      - ./app:/var/www
      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
    depends_on:
      - php
    networks:
      - laravel

  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    container_name: laravel_app1_db
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
      MYSQL_DATABASE: laravel_app1
      MYSQL_USER: laravel
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: secret
    ports:
      - "3307:3306"
    volumes:
      - db_data_app1:/var/lib/mysql
    networks:
      - laravel

networks:
  laravel:

volumes:
  db_data_app1:

Make sure each app uses unique ports to prevent conflicts.

Nginx Configuration

Here’s an example nginx.conf for App1:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name localhost;

    root /var/www/public;
    index index.php index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ .php$ {
        fastcgi_pass php:9000; # Must match the PHP service name
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
    }
}

Installing Composer

Laravel requires Composer to manage dependencies. You have two main options:

Option 1: Install Composer manually inside the PHP container

Enter the PHP container:

sudo docker exec -it laravel_app1_php bash

Download and install Composer:

# Download installer
php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');"

# Verify hash (optional but recommended)
php -r "if (hash_file('sha384', 'composer-setup.php') === file_get_contents('https://composer.github.io/installer.sig')) { echo 'Installer verified'; } else { echo 'Installer corrupt'; unlink('composer-setup.php'); } echo PHP_EOL;"

# Install globally
php composer-setup.php --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

# Remove installer
php -r "unlink('composer-setup.php');"

Verify installation:

composer --version

Now you can create a Laravel project:

composer create-project laravel/laravel .

Option 2 (Recommended): Use a PHP image with Composer pre-installed

Instead of installing Composer manually every time, you can use the official Composer Docker image or build a custom PHP image:

Example Dockerfile for Laravel:

FROM php:8.2-fpm

# Install system dependencies
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y     git unzip libzip-dev zip     && docker-php-ext-install pdo_mysql

# Install Composer from official image
COPY --from=composer:latest /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer

Build this image and use it in your docker-compose.yml:

php:
  build: .
  container_name: laravel_app1_php
  working_dir: /var/www
  volumes:
    - ./app:/var/www
  networks:
    - laravel

Using a prebuilt Composer image simplifies setup and keeps your containers clean.

Creating the Laravel Project

If the app/ folder is empty, you have two options:

Option 1: Create Laravel project directly on the NAS via the PHP container

sudo docker exec -it laravel_app1_php bash

# Install dependencies if needed
apt-get update
apt-get install -y unzip zip git
docker-php-ext-install zip

# Create Laravel project
composer create-project laravel/laravel .

# Fix permissions
chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache
chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache
exit

Option 2: Copy an existing Laravel project into the `app/` folder.

Running the Apps

Start your containers:

sudo docker-compose up -d

App1: http://:8081

App2: http://:8082

Check logs for troubleshooting:

sudo docker logs -f laravel_app1_nginx

Database Considerations

SQLite: Works, but ensure write permissions on database/database.sqlite.

MySQL (recommended): Easier for multiple apps. Update .env:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=db
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=laravel_app1
DB_USERNAME=laravel
DB_PASSWORD=secret

Troubleshooting Common Issues

“File not found” → Nginx root might be incorrect (/var/www/public) or the app/ folder is empty.

Composer errors → Ensure zip, unzip, and git are installed in the PHP container.

SQLite readonly database → Fix folder/file permissions or switch to MySQL.

Docker permission denied → Use sudo for Docker commands on Synology.

Tips

Use Nginx Proxy Manager on Synology to access apps via friendly URLs (app1.local, app2.local) instead of ports.

Ensure each app has unique ports for both the web server and database.

Set proper folder permissions for Laravel’s storage and bootstrap/cache directories.

Conclusion

With Docker on Synology NAS, running multiple Laravel apps locally is straightforward. Each app is isolated, preventing port or database conflicts, and your environment is ready for further extensions like Redis, queues, or worker containers.