Install Laravel Valet+ on Ubuntu

To get our projects running, we recommend using the same environment we use ourselves: Ubuntu Linux with Laravel Valet+. This guide takes you from a fresh machine to a working local setup with Nginx, PHP 8.2, MySQL, Composer, Valet+ and phpMyAdmin served on a secure .test domain.

Note: this guide was written in October 2023 for PHP 8.2 and the genesisweb/valet-linux-plus package. Newer Ubuntu and PHP releases may need different package versions.

Pick your Linux: BackBox (recommended)

I like to use BackBox Linux because it comes with a lot of tools and supports our environment.

1. Download the ISO image from the BackBox link.
2. Write it to a USB stick using Rufus.
3. Boot your computer from the USB stick and install it.

Install the dependency packages

Open your terminal and start by adding the Nginx and PHP repositories and updating the system:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:nginx/stable
sudo apt install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

When it finishes, reboot your computer, then install the packages Valet+ depends on:

sudo apt-get install network-manager libnss3-tools jq xsel

Install PHP and its extensions

Install PHP-FPM first:

sudo apt install php8.2-fpm

Then the CLI and the extensions a Laravel app needs:

sudo apt install php8.2-cli php8.2-common php8.2-curl php8.2-mbstring php8.2-opcache php8.2-readline php8.2-xml php8.2-zip php8.2-mysql php8.2-gd

Install MySQL Server

1. Install the server:

sudo apt-get -y install mysql-server

2. Run the secure installation script:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

When it asks for the password validation level, choose 0, then use any password, something like 12345678.

3. When the installation is finished, open the MySQL console:

sudo mysql

4. In the MySQL console, set the root password so apps can log in with it, then reload the privileges and exit:

mysql> ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY '12345678';

mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

mysql> exit;

Install Composer

sudo apt install curl

curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php -- --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

Install Valet+

1. Install the Valet+ package globally with Composer:

composer global require genesisweb/valet-linux-plus

2. Now you need to add Composer's global bin directory to your PATH so the valet command is found:

PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.composer/vendor/bin"

Or, depending on where Composer keeps its global packages, use this one:

PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.config/composer/vendor/bin"

3. Now it's easy to install Valet:

valet install

It will ask you for a password. Enter 12345678, the MySQL password you set earlier.

Install phpMyAdmin

With Valet installed, let's set up phpMyAdmin and serve it on a .test domain.

1. Create a folder for your sites in your home directory ~:

cd ~
mkdir Sites
cd Sites

2. From inside Sites, park the directory so it becomes the home of your projects:

valet park

Every project in this directory is now served automatically on a .test domain.

3. Download phpMyAdmin from phpmyadmin.net, unzip it inside the Sites directory and rename the folder to PHPMyAdmin.

4. Go inside the folder, copy the sample config and open it:

cp config.sample.inc.php config.inc.php
nano config.inc.php

Note: the original post copied the file to config.sample.php, which phpMyAdmin does not read. phpMyAdmin loads config.inc.php, so that name is used here.

5. Change the blowfish_secret line to:

$cfg['blowfish_secret'] = 'YK07LhNSe50vrj,HwBfb.l3gpbv;u8b7';

6. Press CTRL + X, answer Y to save, then use Valet to link phpMyAdmin, secure it with SSL, and open it:

valet link
valet secure
valet open

phpMyAdmin is now running. Log in with root as the user and the MySQL password you created.

Wrapping up

You now have the environment we use for our projects: Nginx and PHP 8.2 managed by Valet+, MySQL with a root password your apps can use, Composer, and phpMyAdmin on a secure .test domain. Put any new project in ~/Sites and Valet serves it straight away.