Symfony 7 Framework on Docker, XAMPP and CLI (Hands-on 2025)

Install PHP on Windows with the official x64 zip package from php.net, extract to c:\program files\php, add it to PATH, then run php -v.

Install Composer on your PC via the installer or binary, declare PHP libraries for automatic download, and commit the binary to Git so teammates share the same version.

Install and verify the Symfony CLI on your computer to install and manage Symfony apps and bootstrap a dev server from the official download.

Verify Symfony pre-installation requirements by checking PHP versions, extensions, composer, and Symfony CLI, review documentation versions, and enable opcache and relpath cache for a green setup.

Install the Symfony framework using composer create-project, download the skeleton, and install dependencies; explore project structure and extend with webapp packages such as doctrine and maker.

Run a Symfony app with the built-in PHP server, localhost:8000, and the public directory. Compare Symfony 7 with 6.4, observe the debug toolbar and environment details.

Learn how to run Symfony with the Symfony CLI, start the web server on port 8000, and enable TLS via a certificate authority.

Install must-have Visual Studio Code extensions for Symfony development. Explore PHP IntelliSense and PHP doc command.

Learn how to configure PhpStorm for a Symfony project, activate a license, install and enable the Symfony plugin, and ensure the IDE detects Symfony structure for streamlined development.

Build a simple online fortune cookie app with Symfony by creating a fortune controller and rendering a Twig template to display a random saying on the home page.

Configure an sqlite database, create a doctrine entity for a cookie fortune saying, and update the schema with doctrine to fetch random fortunes via a repository.

Install XAMPP to run Apache and MySQL, start the control panel, and test localhost; configure a Symfony localhost virtual host with the project's public root, noting a future sqlite-to-mysql switch.

Configure a MariaDB database for a Symfony app via XAMPP, create a phpMyAdmin user and database, and run Doctrine schema update to populate cookie fortune saying and messenger messages tables.

Install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) and Ubuntu, set up a username and password, access your Linux home from Windows, and prepare for Docker Desktop integration in a future step.

install docker desktop on windows, enable wsl integration with ubuntu, and run a php script inside a docker container to demonstrate containerized development.

Start a new Symfony project using the dunglas/symfony-docker template, configure docker compose, build fresh images, run the stack, and verify Symfony version 7.1.2 in a local development environment.

Explore a dockerized Symfony 7 setup, build a fortune controller with twig, install bundles via composer inside a container, and render fortunes before moving them to a database.

Learn how to move fortune cookie sayings to a PostgreSQL database inside Docker by configuring Doctrine entities, updating Docker Compose, and using a repository to fetch random fortunes.

Switch from PostgreSQL to MySQL by updating docker compose and environment settings, adjust images, ports, PDO driver, and volumes, then verify connection and populate the fortunes table.

Switch from MySQL to MariaDB in a Symfony docker setup, update env and docker-compose, remove the data volume, restart containers, and test the connection to verify MariaDB is active.

Finish the course by mastering three ways to configure and run Symfony on Windows, and explore further Symfony courses with a discount in the final bonus lecture.