Creating a Docker Compose configuration for MySQL, PHP 8, and Apache

1. Create a docker-compose.yml file:

version: '3.8'  # Specify a compatible Docker Compose version

services:
  db:
    image: mysql:5.7  # Choose your preferred MySQL version
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your_root_password
      MYSQL_DATABASE: your_database_name
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

  php:
    build: ./php  # Build a custom PHP image from a Dockerfile
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - ./src:/var/www/html  # Mount your project directory

  web:
    image: httpd:2.4  # Use Apache as the web server
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    volumes:
      - ./src:/var/www/html

volumes:
  db_data:  # Volume for persistent MySQL data

Here's a breakdown of the YAML configuration you provided:

Top-Level:

• version: '3.8': Specifies the Docker Compose file format version to use.

Services:

• db:

  • image: mysql:5.7: Uses the MySQL 5.7 image for the database container.

  • restart: always: Automatically restarts the container if it fails.

  • environment: Sets environment variables for the container:

    • MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: Sets the root password for MySQL.

    • MYSQL_DATABASE: Creates a database with this name on startup.

  • volumes: Mounts a persistent volume to store MySQL data:

    • - db_data:/var/lib/mysql: Maps the named volume db_data to the MySQL data directory.

• php:

  • build: ./php: Builds a custom PHP image from a Dockerfile in the ./php directory.

  • restart: always: Automatically restarts the container if it fails.

  • volumes: Mounts the project directory into the container:

    • - ./src:/var/www/html: Maps the local ./src directory to the web root within the container.

• web:

  • image: httpd:2.4: Uses the Apache 2.4 image for the web server container.

  • restart: always: Automatically restarts the container if it fails.

  • ports: Exposes ports:

    • - "80:80": Maps port 80 of the host machine to port 80 of the container.

  • volumes: Mounts the project directory into the container (same as for PHP).

Volumes:

• db_data: Declares a named volume to persist MySQL data across container restarts.

Key Points:

• This configuration defines three services: a MySQL database, a PHP application, and an Apache web server.

• The services are interconnected: the PHP application interacts with the MySQL database, and the Apache web server serves the PHP application's files.

• The volumes configuration ensures that data is persisted across container restarts and that project files are accessible within the containers.

• The ports configuration allows you to access the web application from your host machine.

2. Create a Dockerfile for the PHP image (in a ./php directory):

FROM php:8.0-apache  # Base image with PHP 8 and Apache

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    libapache2-mod-php \
    mysql-client \
    # Add any other required PHP extensions

COPY src/ /var/www/html  # Copy your project files

3. Build and run the containers:

docker-compose up -d

4. Access your application:

• Open http://localhost in your browser to view your application.

• Use docker-compose exec php bash to access the PHP container's shell.

• Use docker-compose exec db mysql -uroot -p to access the MySQL database.

Additional tips:

• Customize the configuration (ports, passwords, etc.) as needed.

• Consider using environment variables for sensitive information.

• Explore additional Docker Compose features for networking, scaling, and more.

• Install any additional PHP extensions required by your application.

Troubleshooting:

• Check container logs for errors using docker-compose logs.

• Use docker-compose down to stop and remove the containers.

• Refer to the Docker Compose documentation for more advanced usage.