Final Project: Build and Deploy a Complete ERP using Laravel & Docker

Summary: Bring together everything you've learned in one full-stack project.

Introduction

After mastering the individual components of Laravel, Docker, and modern web application development, it's time to put your skills to the test. In this final project, you'll architect, build, and deploy a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system using Laravel for the backend and Docker for containerized deployment. This project will solidify your understanding of practical development workflows, database design, software architecture, and real-world deployment practices.

Project Overview

An ERP system centralizes core business processes such as inventory, sales, HR, and finance. For this project, we'll focus on the following modules:

  • Authentication & Authorization
  • User Management
  • Product Management
  • Order Processing
  • Reporting Dashboard
  • Settings and Configuration

This modular approach allows you to showcase skills in both backend logic and system design.

Step 1: Scope and Plan the ERP System

Start by mapping your system requirements.

Define User Roles

  • Admin – full access
  • Manager – manage products, view reports
  • Employee – limited data entry, view personal info

Key Entities

  • Users, Roles
  • Products, Inventory
  • Orders (Customers, Order Items)
  • Reports (Sales, Inventory Stock)

Database Diagram

Users --< Orders >-- OrderItems --< Products
Products --< Inventory
Roles --< Users

Tools: draw.io, dbdiagram.io

Step 2: Set Up Laravel with Docker

Containerizing your application ensures consistent environments across development and production.

1. Bootstrap Laravel Project

composer create-project laravel/laravel erp-system
cd erp-system

2. Add Docker Support

Create a docker-compose.yml:

version: '3.8'
services:
  app:
    image: laravelphp/php-fpm
    volumes:
      - ./:/var/www/html
    environment:
      - APP_ENV=local
    depends_on:
      - db
  web:
    image: nginx:alpine
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - ./:/var/www/html
      - ./docker/nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
    depends_on:
      - app
  db:
    image: mysql:5.7
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: erp
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
    ports:
      - "3306:3306"
    volumes:
      - ./dbdata:/var/lib/mysql

Create a simple docker/nginx.conf.

Tip: Use Laravel Sail for quick Docker setup.

Step 3: Build the ERP Modules

1. Authentication & User Management

Leverage Laravel Breeze or Jetstream for authentication scaffolding:

composer require laravel/breeze --dev
php artisan breeze:install
npm install && npm run dev
php artisan migrate

Add Roles and Permissions (using spatie/laravel-permission):

composer require spatie/laravel-permission
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Spatie\Permission\PermissionServiceProvider"
php artisan migrate

2. Product & Inventory Management

php artisan make:model Product -m
php artisan make:model Inventory -m

Define migrations and build resourceful controllers:

php artisan make:controller ProductController --resource
php artisan make:controller InventoryController --resource

Setup relationships:

// Product.php
public function inventory() {
    return $this->hasOne(Inventory::class);
}

3. Order Processing

Models and controllers for:

  • Customer (if needed, or just User)
  • Order
  • OrderItem

Implement Eloquent relationships for easy data retrieval.

4. Reporting Dashboard

Use charts (Chart.js or Laravel Charts) to visualize key metrics:

  • Daily/monthly sales
  • Stock levels

5. Settings and Configuration

Allow the admin to adjust system settings via .env or via a dedicated settings table.

Step 4: API & Frontend

You can create a simple frontend with Blade or Vue.js (integrated with Laravel Mix).

Create API endpoints for all resources using resource controllers and resource classes.

Sample route:

Route::middleware([‘auth’, 'role:admin'])->group(function () {
    Route::resource('products', ProductController::class);
});

Step 5: Testing

Write tests for major components using PHPUnit and Laravel’s testing helpers.

php artisan make:test ProductTest

Include tests for:

  • Authentication
  • CRUD operations
  • Permissions

Step 6: Containerization & Deployment

1. Build and Run Containers

docker-compose build
docker-compose up -d

2. Environment Management

Set secrets and environment variables with .env or via Docker environment properties.

3. Database Migrations Inside Container

docker-compose exec app php artisan migrate

4. Prepare for Production

  • Use Nginx as a reverse proxy
  • Set up HTTPS/SSL (Let’s Encrypt)
  • Configure environment variables: APP_ENV=production, APP_DEBUG=false
  • Use Docker secrets or AWS Parameter Store for sensitive configs

5. Deploy

Deploy to a cloud host supporting Docker (e.g., DigitalOcean, AWS Lightsail, Azure).

Automate with CI/CD using tools like GitHub Actions or GitLab CI for continuous integration:

  • Docker build/test → push to registry → deploy

Conclusion

Congratulations! By building and deploying a complete ERP system with Laravel and Docker, you've demonstrated mastery in:

  • System design & modularization
  • Laravel MVC and Eloquent ORM
  • Secure authentication and authorization
  • API and frontend development
  • Containerization and environment configuration
  • Deployment best practices

This project not only serves as a robust addition to your portfolio, but also provides a foundation you can iterate and improve upon in future roles or personal ventures.

Next Steps

  • Refine your UI/UX with Vue.js or React
  • Integrate advanced reporting
  • Explore microservices (split modules into dedicated containers)
  • Add automated scaling and monitoring

Good luck on your journey to becoming a full-stack Laravel developer! 🚀

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