OK, isprobao sam i Laravel Sail. Pre svega, ako hoćemo da koristimo SQLite bazu u projektu, moramo u lokalu da instaliramo php-sqlite ekstenziju i da je uključimo u php.ini:
sudo pacman -S php-sqlite
sudo nano /etc/php/php.ini # omogućiti pdo_sqlite i sqlite3
Onda kreiramo projekat u tekućem direktorijumu
composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel .
pa instaliramo Sail:
php artisan sail:install
E sad, Sail radi samo sa PHP-ovim serverom, ne može da se pokrene nginx ili Apache što je bezveze. Ako planiramo da projekat ikada ode u produkciju, neće se vrteti na PHP serveru 🙂 Tako da… nije ovo za mene. Držim se mog Docker compose-a.
You’ve hit on a valid point. Sail is essentially a convenience wrapper around Docker Compose. Here’s the honest breakdown:
What Sail Actually Provides
sail up = docker compose up
sail artisan migrate = docker compose exec app php artisan migrate
sail composer install = docker compose exec app composer install
sail npm run dev = docker compose exec app npm run dev
Pre-built PHP images = You build your own
sail:add for services = You write the YAML yourself
Sail Makes Sense When:
• You’re new to Docker — zero config to get started
• Quick prototyping — composer require laravel/sail and go
• You don’t care about production parity — just need something running
• Team with mixed Docker experience — simpler commands for everyone
Plain Docker Compose Makes Sense When:
• You want production parity — your exact Nginx/PHP-FPM setup
• You already know Docker — Sail’s abstractions just get in the way
• Custom requirements — specific extensions, configs, services
• You want transparency — no magic, you control everything
My Recommendation
Since you want to replicate production and you’re comfortable with Docker:
Skip Sail. Use plain Docker Compose.
Create your own docker-compose.yml with:
• Nginx configured like production
• PHP-FPM with your production extensions
• Same MySQL/PostgreSQL version as production
You’ll have full control, no workarounds, and your local environment will actually match production.
