How to Self-Host October CMS with Docker Compose

What Is October CMS?

October CMS is a self-hosted content management system built on the Laravel PHP framework. It targets developers who want Laravel’s power with a clean CMS layer on top — backend admin panel, drag-and-drop page builder, plugin marketplace, and a content scaffolding system called Tailor. Think of it as the middle ground between raw Laravel and WordPress: cleaner architecture than WordPress, more batteries-included than a bare framework. Official site.

Licensing note: October CMS uses a proprietary EULA, not an open-source license. The first year is free; ongoing updates and Marketplace access require a paid license. If you need a fully open-source CMS, consider Ghost, WordPress, or Wagtail.

Prerequisites

• A Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
• Docker and Docker Compose installed (guide)
• 1 GB of free disk space
• 1 GB of RAM minimum (2 GB recommended)
• PHP 8.2+ and Composer (for initial project creation)
• A domain name (optional, for remote access)

Docker Compose Configuration

First, create the October CMS project using Composer:

composer create-project october/october ~/october-cms
cd ~/october-cms

Create a Dockerfile in the project root:

FROM php:8.3-apache

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    libpng-dev libjpeg-dev libfreetype6-dev \
    libzip-dev libxml2-dev unzip git \
    && docker-php-ext-configure gd --with-freetype --with-jpeg \
    && docker-php-ext-install pdo_mysql gd zip simplexml mbstring opcache \
    && a2enmod rewrite \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

COPY --from=composer:2 /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer

WORKDIR /var/www/html
COPY . .

RUN composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader \
    && chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/storage \
    && chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/themes

EXPOSE 80

Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  app:
    build: .
    container_name: october-cms
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - october_storage:/var/www/html/storage
      - october_plugins:/var/www/html/plugins
      - october_themes:/var/www/html/themes
    environment:
      - APP_ENV=production
      - APP_DEBUG=false
      - APP_URL=http://localhost:8080
      - APP_KEY=base64:generate-this-with-artisan
      - DB_CONNECTION=mysql
      - DB_HOST=october-db
      - DB_PORT=3306
      - DB_DATABASE=october
      - DB_USERNAME=october
      - DB_PASSWORD=changeme
      - CACHE_STORE=redis
      - SESSION_DRIVER=redis
      - REDIS_HOST=october-redis
    depends_on:
      october-db:
        condition: service_healthy
      october-redis:
        condition: service_healthy
    restart: unless-stopped

  october-db:
    image: mariadb:10.11
    container_name: october-db
    volumes:
      - october_dbdata:/var/lib/mysql
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=changeme-root
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=october
      - MYSQL_USER=october
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=changeme
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    restart: unless-stopped

  october-redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    container_name: october-redis
    volumes:
      - october_redis:/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  october_storage:
  october_plugins:
  october_themes:
  october_dbdata:
  october_redis:

Generate an application key and run migrations:

docker compose build
docker compose up -d
docker compose exec app php artisan key:generate
docker compose exec app php artisan october:migrate

Initial Setup

1. Open http://your-server-ip:8080/admin in your browser
2. Create the admin account during the first-run setup wizard
3. Configure your site name, timezone, and default locale
4. Install plugins from the Marketplace through the backend admin panel
5. Choose and activate a frontend theme

Configuration

Setting	Environment Variable	Description
Database	DB_CONNECTION	mysql, pgsql, or sqlite
Cache	CACHE_STORE	file, redis, database, or memcached
Sessions	SESSION_DRIVER	file, redis, database, or cookie
Admin URL	BACKEND_URI	Admin panel path (default: /admin)
Debug mode	APP_DEBUG	Set false in production
Site URL	APP_URL	Full URL including protocol

Tailor Content Scaffolding

Tailor lets you define custom content types without writing code. Create blueprint YAML files in app/blueprints/:

handle: Blog\Post
type: entry
name: Blog Post
fields:
  title:
    label: Title
    type: text
  content:
    label: Content
    type: richeditor
  featured_image:
    label: Featured Image
    type: mediafinder
    mode: image

Reverse Proxy

Example Nginx Proxy Manager configuration:

• Scheme: http
• Forward Hostname: october-cms
• Forward Port: 80

See Reverse Proxy Setup for full configuration guides.

Backup

Back up these volumes:

• october_dbdata — MariaDB database with all content, users, and settings
• october_storage — uploaded media, cache, logs
• october_plugins — installed plugins
• october_themes — installed themes

See Backup Strategy for automated approaches.

Troubleshooting

White Screen / 500 Error After Deployment

Symptom: Blank page or server error on first visit. Fix: Check permissions on the storage/ directory — it must be writable by the web server: docker compose exec app chown -R www-data:www-data storage. Also verify APP_KEY is set — run php artisan key:generate if needed.

Plugin Installation Fails

Symptom: Marketplace plugins won’t install from the admin panel. Fix: Ensure the container has outbound internet access. Check that the plugins/ directory is writable. For air-gapped environments, install plugins via Composer: composer require author/plugin-name.

Database Migration Errors

Symptom: october:migrate fails with table errors. Fix: Ensure the database is fully initialized before running migrations. Check the health of october-db with docker compose ps. For fresh installs, drop and recreate: docker compose exec app php artisan october:migrate --seed.

Resource Requirements

• RAM: ~200 MB idle, ~500 MB under load
• CPU: Low-Medium — Laravel applications are CPU-efficient
• Disk: ~100 MB for core application, plus media uploads

Verdict

October CMS is a polished Laravel-based CMS with a clean architecture and a mature plugin ecosystem. The Tailor content scaffolding system is genuinely useful for building custom content types without plugins. The main drawback is licensing — it’s not open source, and ongoing updates require a paid license after the first year. For a fully open-source Laravel-based CMS, Wagtail (Django, not Laravel) or Ghost are better choices. For PHP specifically, WordPress has a vastly larger ecosystem, while October CMS offers a much cleaner codebase. Choose October CMS if you’re a Laravel developer who wants a familiar framework with CMS capabilities built in.

Related

• Grav vs October CMS: PHP Content Systems Compared
• Best Self-Hosted CMS
• How to Self-Host WordPress
• How to Self-Host Ghost
• Wagtail vs WordPress
• Payload vs Directus
• Self-Hosted Squarespace Alternatives
• Docker Compose Basics
• Reverse Proxy Setup