How to Run Laravel Spark with Stripe in a Subdirectory (domain.com/subscribe) on a Live Server

Running Laravel Spark with Stripe in a subdirectory (domain.com/subscribe) requires proper configuration in Laravel, Apache/Nginx, Stripe Webhooks, and Server Setup.

Step 1: Install Laravel Spark in the Subdirectory

If Laravel Spark is not installed, install it in your subdirectory (subscribe):

cd /var/www/domain.com/
composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel subscribe
cd subscribe
composer require laravel/spark-stripe

Then, publish Spark's assets:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=spark-config
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=spark-migrations
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=spark-assets

Set correct permissions:

chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/domain.com/subscribe

Step 2: Configure .env for the Subdirectory

Edit your .env file and update these values:

APP_NAME="Laravel Spark"
APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://domain.com/subscribe

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=laravel_spark
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=yourpassword

STRIPE_KEY=pk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_SECRET=sk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Clear cache:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

Step 3: Update server.php for Running in a Subdirectory

Modify Laravel’s server.php in the subscribe directory:

$uri = urldecode(parse_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], PHP_URL_PATH));

if ($uri !== '/' && file_exists(__DIR__.'/public'.$uri)) {
    return false;
}

require_once __DIR__.'/public/index.php';

Step 4: Update Laravel's public/.htaccess for the Subdirectory

Edit /var/www/domain.com/subscribe/public/.htaccess:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteBase /subscribe/
    RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteRule . /subscribe/index.php [L]
</IfModule>

This ensures Laravel processes requests correctly in domain.com/subscribe.

Step 5: Configure Web Server (Apache or Nginx)

Apache Configuration

Edit Apache virtual host config:

nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/domain.com.conf

Add:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/domain.com

    <Directory /var/www/domain.com/subscribe/public>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    Alias /subscribe /var/www/domain.com/subscribe/public
</VirtualHost>

Then restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite domain.com.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Nginx Configuration

Edit Nginx site config:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/domain.com

Add:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name domain.com;

    root /var/www/domain.com;
    index index.php index.html;

    location /subscribe {
        root /var/www/domain.com/subscribe/public;
        index index.php;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/domain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 6: Set Up Database & Run Migrations

Create a database:

mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE laravel_spark;
exit;

Run migrations:

php artisan migrate --seed

Step 7: Configure Stripe Webhooks

Run:

php artisan cashier:webhook --url="https://domain.com/subscribe/spark/webhook"

Verify webhook routes:

php artisan route:list | grep webhook

Ensure this route exists:

POST spark/webhook Spark\Http › WebhookController@handleWebhook

Step 8: Exclude Webhooks from CSRF Protection

Since Stripe webhooks come from an external service, Laravel's CSRF protection might block them.

Edit app/Http/Middleware/VerifyCsrfToken.php:

protected $except = [
    'subscribe/spark/webhook',
];

Then, clear Laravel cache:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

Step 9: Run Laravel Queues & Scheduler

Stripe payments require queued jobs to process invoices.

Run queue worker:

php artisan queue:work --daemon

(Optional: Set up Supervisor for queue handling)

Set up cron job:

crontab -e

Add:

* * * * * cd /var/www/domain.com/subscribe && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Step 10: Secure with SSL (Optional but Recommended)

If you have an SSL certificate, force HTTPS:

sudo certbot --apache -d domain.com

For Nginx:

sudo certbot --nginx -d domain.com

Step 11: Final Testing

Check Application Routes

php artisan route:list

Ensure webhook routes exist.

Check Laravel Logs for Errors

tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log

Test Webhook

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}' https://domain.com/subscribe/spark/webhook

Test Webhooks with Stripe

stripe trigger invoice.payment_succeeded

Check logs:

tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log

Summary

Laravel Spark is installed in a subdirectory (domain.com/subscribe).
Apache/Nginx is configured correctly to serve Laravel from the subdirectory.
Stripe Webhooks are configured to https://domain.com/subscribe/spark/webhook.
CSRF protection is disabled for Stripe webhooks.
Queue workers & cron jobs are set up for handling payments.

Laravel Spark is Now Running in Your Subdirectory!

Live site: https://domain.com/subscribe
Admin Dashboard: https://domain.com/subscribe/dashboard

Let me know if you need further troubleshooting!