Docker Setup for PHP 8.4 & Symfony Application with RoadRunner and NodeJS Assets

This Docker configuration sets up a PHP 8.4 environment optimized for running Symfony applications. It includes RoadRunner as the HTTP server, integrates Composer for PHP dependencies, and builds frontend assets using NodeJS.

Overview

This Dockerfile leverages a multi-stage build to efficiently build and serve a production-ready Symfony app:

• PHP 8.4 Alpine: Lightweight PHP environment with essential extensions.
• RoadRunner 2025: High-performance HTTP server.
• NodeJS 22 Alpine: For compiling JavaScript assets.

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Prerequisites

• Docker (v24+ recommended)
• Docker Compose (optional, recommended for development convenience)

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Included Components

Component	Version
PHP	8.4 Alpine
Composer	v2 (latest)
RoadRunner	2025
NodeJS	22 Alpine

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PHP Extensions Installed

• opcache
• zip
• intl
• sockets
• protobuf
• pdo_pgsql
• redis

(Extensions like mbstring and curl are included by default.)

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Directory Structure

/app
│
├── public/
│   └── build/ (compiled frontend assets)
├── var/
│   ├── cache/
│   └── log/
├── vendor/ (composer dependencies)
├── composer.json
├── webpack.config.js
├── package.json
├── server.sh (entrypoint script)
└── assets/ (source frontend files, excluded from final image)

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Entrypoint (server.sh)

This script optimizes and prepares the application runtime environment by:

• Dumping environment-specific variables (composer dump-env prod).
• Clearing and warming up Symfony cache.
• Running Doctrine database migrations.
• Starting the RoadRunner server.

#!/bin/bash
# Optimizing application before start
composer dump-env prod
php bin/console cache:clear --no-interaction
php bin/console cache:warmup --no-interaction
php bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate --no-interaction
./rr serve -c .rr.yaml

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Excluded Files (.dockerignore)

The .dockerignore file optimizes build performance and maintains image cleanliness by excluding files such as:

/.env.local
/.env.local.php
/.env.*.local
/config/secrets/prod/prod.decrypt.private.php
/public/bundles/
/public/build/
/var/
/vendor/
/phpunit.xml
.phpunit.result.cache
/.idea/
/node_modules/
npm-debug.log
yarn-error.log

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How to Build and Run

1. Build the Docker Image

docker build -t symfony-app .

2. Run the Docker Container

docker run -p 8080:8080 -d symfony-app

The application will be accessible at http://localhost:8080.

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Environment Variables

Default environment variables provided by the Dockerfile:

• APP_ENV=prod
• APP_DEBUG=0

These settings are suitable for production deployments.

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Customization and Further Steps

• Modify server.sh to customize RoadRunner startup logic or add additional startup routines.
• Adjust the .dockerignore file if additional files or directories must be excluded.
• Customize webpack.config.js according to your frontend build requirements.

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Docker Multi-stage Build Explained

• Stage 1 (server): Sets up PHP environment, including Composer, PHP extensions, and RoadRunner.
• Stage 2 (node_build): Installs NodeJS dependencies and builds frontend assets.
• Stage 3 (final): Integrates the compiled frontend assets back into the PHP/RoadRunner environment, producing a streamlined, optimized runtime container.

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Security and Permissions

The Dockerfile explicitly creates a non-root user (app) to enhance security by running the application with minimal privileges. Directories such as /app, var/cache, and var/log are secured with appropriate permissions (700) and ownership (app:app).

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Support and Contribution

For issues, enhancements, or contributions, please open a GitHub issue or pull request, clearly stating the proposed changes.