Why Upsun is the superior choice for Laravel applications

Laravel developers deserve a hosting platform that not only understands the framework but provides the flexibility and tools needed for applications to evolve and grow. While Laravel Cloud may seem like the obvious choice for hosting Laravel applications, Upsun offers significant advantages that make it the superior option for development teams who want to maximize their Laravel experience.

Beyond basic Laravel hosting

Laravel Cloud focuses exclusively on hosting Laravel applications, which might appear beneficial at first glance. However, this specialization comes with significant limitations. Upsun, on the other hand, provides excellent Laravel support while offering much more:

• Multi-application architecture: Unlike Laravel Cloud, Upsun allows you to run multiple applications within a single project. This means you can separate your Laravel backend from your frontend (whether it's Vue, React, or another framework, build static or running server-side rendering - SSR), creating a more maintainable and scalable architecture. 
• Flexible service ecosystem: While Laravel Cloud offers only basic MySQL, Serverless Postgres, and S3 buckets, Upsun provides a comprehensive range of services including PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, RabbitMQ, Kafka, and many more. Furthermore, we do provide fast local storage for assets, files or cache. This extensive ecosystem ensures your Laravel application has access to all the services it needs.
• Framework evolution: As your project grows, you might need to incorporate additional technologies beyond Laravel. With Upsun, you have the freedom to add Python, Node.js, Go, or other services alongside your Laravel application without migrating to a new platform.

Automated preview environments with data cloning

One of Upsun's most powerful features for Laravel development is automated preview environments with data cloning – something Laravel Cloud simply doesn't offer:

• Git-driven infrastructure: When you create a new branch in Git, Upsun automatically generates a complete environment clone including your Laravel application, all necessary services, and even your production data (with sanitization options). Laravel Cloud requires manual environment creation and reconnection of all services without data transfer.
• Infrastructure as code: Upsun allows you to define your entire Laravel application stack, including services and routing, in YAML files within your repository. This ensures consistency across environments and eliminates configuration drift. You can use Upsun's Laravel project templates to get started quickly with a ready-to-deploy Laravel configuration.
• Parallel development: Laravel teams can work simultaneously on different features in isolated environments that perfectly mirror production. This eliminates "works on my machine" issues and allows for thorough testing before merging code.
• Instant testing environments: Instead of waiting for manual setup, your Laravel application is immediately available in a new environment when you create a branch. This accelerates development cycles and improves code quality.

Laravel-ready configuration with greater flexibility

While Laravel Cloud is designed specifically for Laravel, Upsun provides robust Laravel support with additional flexibility:

• Infrastructure as code: Define your entire Laravel application stack, including services and routing, in YAML files within your repository. This ensures consistency across environments and eliminates configuration drift – problems that often occur with manually configured environments.
• Laravel project templates: Upsun offers ready-to-deploy Laravel configuration that makes getting started just as simple as with Laravel Cloud. You can deploy a Laravel application with just a few clicks.
• Laravel-specific documentation: Our comprehensive documentation includes Laravel-specific guides and best practices to ensure you're making the most of your Laravel deployment.

Advanced observability for Laravel applications

Understanding your Laravel application's performance is crucial, and Upsun provides superior tools:

• Integrated Blackfire profiling: Upsun includes Blackfire integration, offering code-level performance analysis, automated regression detection, and detailed insights into your Laravel application's behavior.
• Comprehensive metrics: Get detailed information about your Laravel application's performance, resource utilization, and third-party service interactions to identify optimization opportunities.
• Cross-environment comparisons: Compare performance metrics across different environments to understand the impact of code changes before they reach production.

Enterprise-grade reliability and experience

When choosing a platform for your Laravel applications, reliability is paramount. Upsun delivers enterprise-level stability that new platforms simply can't match:

• 12+ years of platform experience: Upsun is built on Platform.sh's 12+ years of experience in cloud hosting. This mature foundation means we've encountered and solved countless edge cases and challenges that newer platforms like Laravel Cloud are still discovering.
• 10,000+ applications in production: Currently hosting over 10,000 applications across diverse industries and use cases, Upsun has proven its ability to scale and support critical applications reliably.
• Global infrastructure: With multiple data centers across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions, Upsun provides robust geographic redundancy and compliance options.
• Comprehensive compliance: Upsun maintains PCI DSS, SOC 2, and GDPR compliance, making it suitable for applications with stringent security and regulatory requirements.
• 24/7 support and guaranteed SLAs: Enterprise customers benefit from follow-the-sun support with guaranteed response times and up to 99.99% uptime SLAs.

Real-world example: Laravel + Vue.js

Consider a common scenario: a Laravel application with a Vue.js frontend. With Laravel Cloud, you're forced to include your frontend within your Laravel project, potentially complicating your build process and limiting your architectural options.

With Upsun, you can:

1. Deploy Laravel as a dedicated API backend application
2. Run your Vue.js frontend as a separate application
3. Configure routing between them automatically
4. Scale each component independently based on resource needs
5. Create preview environments that clone both applications and their data

This approach provides greater flexibility, improved maintainability, and better performance optimization – advantages simply not available with Laravel Cloud.

Pricing transparency and resource flexibility

Upsun's approach to pricing and resources offers significant advantages over Laravel Cloud:

• Competitive project pricing: While Laravel Cloud requires a minimum $20 fee to run just one application in production, Upsun offers your first project with no monthly minimum and additional projects for just $9 each. This makes Upsun more cost-effective, especially if you're managing multiple projects.
• Usage-based resource pricing: Beyond the project fee, Upsun's pricing scales based on your actual resource consumption, giving you complete control over costs as your application grows.
• Resource transparency: Upsun provides clear visibility into CPU, RAM, and storage utilization, allowing you to optimize costs effectively. Laravel Cloud's billing structure makes it difficult to predict monthly expenses.
• Independent scaling: Adjust resources for different parts of your application independently, ensuring optimal performance and cost efficiency without overpaying for resources you don't need.

Conclusion: the clear choice for Laravel

While Laravel Cloud offers a specialized platform for Laravel applications, Upsun provides a more powerful, flexible, and comprehensive hosting solution that grows with your application. With automated preview environments, extensive service options, multi-application architecture, and superior observability tools, Upsun is the clear choice for Laravel developers who want to maximize their application's potential.

Experience the difference yourself by creating a free Upsun account today and deploying your Laravel application in minutes.