Migrate from Laravel Forge to Laravel Cloud

Q: How do I handle environment variables?

Copy app-specific variables from your Forge .env or the Forge dashboard environment panel. Cloud automatically injects credentials for all attached resources (database, cache, object storage), so you can skip those.

Forge gives you server control, but as you scale, that control eats your time. With Laravel Cloud, you don’t need to touch infrastructure, from autoscaling and managed queues to WebSockets and more. Here's how to migrate.

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Start in Cloud with $5 in free usage credit.

Why Migrate from Forge to Laravel Cloud?

No more server management: No SSH, no Nginx config, no security patches, no worrying about server sizing at 2 a.m.
Autoscale and scale to zero: Unlike Forge's fixed-capacity servers, Laravel Cloud provisions replicas that scale up under load and down to zero when traffic drops. With scale to zero, your entire stack scales with it—database, cache, and compute—so you never pay for idle resources.
Laravel Valkey, WAF and DDoS protection, and WebSockets ship built in: there's nothing extra to add on or spin up yourself.
Managed queues: Background processes are replaced by queue workers that scale with demand and cost nothing when idle.

faster requests

3 hours

to migrate

smaller replicas

“
Even as a new Cloud user, it was easier and faster for me to set up apps on Cloud than it was on Forge, even though I'm a long-time Forge user.”

Dan Harrin

Filament's Co-Creator

Read the customer story

Prerequisites

SSH access to your Forge server (or database credentials from your .env / Forge environment panel)
Git repository connected to a supported provider (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)
DNS management access for your domain
A Laravel Cloud account

Pre-migration tip: Lower your DNS TTL 24 hours before migration for faster cutover.

Laravel Forge to Cloud: Migration steps

Set up Laravel Cloud account

Create your account and set up your organization. Have questions? Check our Laravel Cloud Quickstart documentation.

Have a complex migration and need assistance? Contact support.

Create your new application

From your Cloud dashboard, click + New application.
Connect your Git provider (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket).
Select your repository and branch.
Configure your environment settings:
- Choose PHP version from the list of supported versions.
- Set environment variables (copy from your Forge .env).
- Add any secrets your application needs.

Don't deploy yet. Set up your infrastructure first by following the next steps. See how to configure your application for more info.

Provision your infrastructure

Create the resources your application needs.

MySQL or Serverless Postgres database

In your environment's infrastructure canvas, add a database.
Choose MySQL or Serverless Postgres to match your Forge configuration. Managed AWS RDS databases are also available in Private Cloud.
Select compute size based on your needs.
Enable the public endpoint for migration (you can disable it after).
Laravel Cloud automatically configures Laravel environment variables.

KV store for cache and session storage

Add a KV Store resource to your infrastructure canvas.
Choose Laravel Valkey. It's Redis-compatible and replaces whatever Redis you ran on your Forge server. Fully managed AWS ElastiCache caches (both Valkey and Redis OSS) are also available in Private Cloud.
Laravel Cloud automatically configures your environment variables.

Object storage (S3-compatible)

Add object storage if you use file uploads.
Update your filesystems.php configuration to use Laravel Object Storage.

If your Laravel Forge application stores files on the server's local disk, you'll also need to migrate that content to Cloud's object storage. The easiest way is to copy the files off your Forge server first, then upload them to your new bucket using one of these methods:

Cyberduck: Connect directly to your Cloud bucket using the credentials from Resources → Object storage → View credentials. See the docs for a step-by-step setup.
AWS CLI: Cloud's object storage is S3-compatible, so you can use aws s3 sync with a custom endpoint pointed at your bucket.

If you were already using S3 on Forge, you don't need to move your files. Just update your environment variables to point to the new bucket.

Prepare to migrate

Unlike Laravel Vapor or Heroku, your database runs on a server you control. There are two ways to export it.

Option A: Export from your Forge server via SSH

ssh forge@your-server-ip

Then run mysqldump or pg_dump on the server and download the dump file.

Option B: Export directly from your local machine

If remote database access is enabled on your Laravel Forge server, run the export commands below from your local machine, pointing to your Forge server's IP address.

To find your credentials: Check the .env file on your Forge server, or go to the Forge dashboard and look under your site's environment variables panel.

For MySQL:

# From your local machine
mysqldump \
  --host="forge-server-ip" \
  --port="3306" \
  --user="forge-db-username" \
  --password="forge-db-password" \
  --single-transaction \
  --routines \
  --triggers \
  --events \
  "forge-db-database" > "dump-file.sql"

For Postgres:

# From your local machine
pg_dump \
  -Fc \
  -f "dump-file.bak" \
  "postgresql://forge-db-username:forge-db-password@forge-server-ip:5432/forge-db-database"

Import your database to Laravel Cloud

With your new Cloud database provisioned and public endpoint enabled:

To find your Laravel Cloud database credentials:

Cloud dashboard → Environment → Database → Connection details
Credentials are also injected as environment variables.

For MySQL:

# From your local machine
mysql \
  --host="cloud-db-host" \
  --port="cloud-db-port" \
  --user="cloud-db-username" \
  --password="cloud-db-password" \
  "cloud-db-database" < "dump-file.sql"

For Postgres:

# From your local machine
pg_restore \
  --clean \
  --no-owner \
  --no-acl \
  --if-exists \
  --dbname="postgresql://cloud-db-username:cloud-db-password@cloud-db-host:cloud-db-port/cloud-db-database" \
  "dump-file.bak"

Migrate files and object storage

If you store uploads on the Forge server filesystem (common with Forge's default setup), copy your files to Cloud's object storage using S3-compatible tooling, then update config/filesystems.php to use Cloud's object storage driver.
If you're already on S3, update your environment variables to point at Laravel Object Storage. No code changes are required.

Test your Cloud deployment

Before switching DNS:

Deploy your application: Click the Deploy button in Cloud.
Verify deployment: Check the deployment logs for any errors.
Test using the Cloud URL: Every environment gets a .laravel.cloud URL.
Run smoke tests: Verify critical functionality works.
Check background jobs: Ensure queues are processing correctly.

Switch DNS to Cloud

Once verified, point your domain to Laravel Cloud:

In the Cloud dashboard, go to Domains and follow the custom domains guide.
Cloud will provide DNS records (A/CNAME).
Update your DNS provider with the new records.
SSL certificates are automatically provisioned and renewed.

Disable public database endpoint (optional)

After migration is complete and stable:

Disable the public endpoint on your Cloud database for security.
Your application will continue to access it via the private network.

Successfully migrated?Email [email protected] with a screenshot of your server cancellation for $50 off Laravel Cloud.

Redeem code

Code changes required

When moving from Laravel Forge to Cloud, almost nothing changes:

Background processes are replaced by managed queues. Queue workers are configured in the Cloud dashboard.
Scheduler unchanged: Laravel's scheduler runs the same way on Cloud.
Octane is optional: If you weren't running Octane on Forge, you can enable it as a dashboard toggle on Cloud.
Filesystem: If you were using local disk storage on your Forge server, update config/filesystems.php to use Cloud's S3-compatible object storage. If you were already on S3, no change is required.

Rollback plan

Before migrating production:

Keep your Forge server running until Cloud is fully validated.
Test Cloud with real traffic using the .laravel.cloud preview URL.
Keep old DNS records documented for quick rollback if needed.

Zero-risk migration?Run both platforms simultaneously and switch DNS only when you're confident.

Why migrate from Forge to Laravel Cloud?

Need extra guidance?

Visit documentation

Check Cloud's Quickstart documentation

Migration assistance

Contact support for complex migrations

AI-assisted migration

Using an agent for your migration? Get Markdown instructions

Frequently asked questions

Large production applications can often be migrated in as little as three hours. Most standard applications can be migrated in under an hour.

No. Keep Laravel Forge running while you set up Cloud, then switch DNS when ready. There's no need for any downtime.

If you are running a Laravel or Symfony application, the answer is usually no. Forge apps require no platform-specific packages, manifest files, or environment bootstrapping to migrate. If your Laravel or Symfony app runs on Forge, it runs on Cloud.

Background processes are replaced by Cloud's managed queues. You configure workers in the Cloud dashboard. They scale based on demand and cost nothing when idle.

Laravel's scheduler works the same on Laravel Cloud as it did with Forge.

Laravel Cloud manages the web server for you. If you have custom Nginx rules such as redirects, headers, or rate limits, review them during migration and reach out to support if you need help mapping them to Cloud's configuration.

Copy app-specific variables from your Forge .env or the Forge dashboard environment panel. Cloud automatically injects credentials for all attached resources (database, cache, object storage), so you can skip those.

“
Laravel Cloud brings more peace of mind than Forge. When I'm considering what infrastructure decisions I'm making, I'm trying to make safe bets, and Cloud felt like a safer bet.”