Shared hosting is still one of the most affordable ways to get a PHP application online, but it comes with constraints that local development doesn't. Here's a practical checklist for a clean deployment.

Check the PHP version match. Confirm your host's PHP version matches (or exceeds) what you developed against — most control panels (like cPanel) let you select the PHP version per site. A mismatch is the single most common cause of a working local app breaking in production.

Move environment-specific config out of code. Database credentials, API keys, and debug flags belong in a .env file (or your host's equivalent), never hardcoded. Update these values for the production database before your first deploy, and double-check APP_DEBUG is switched off so errors don't leak stack traces to visitors.

Set up the database separately. Most shared hosts require creating the database and a database user through the control panel first, then importing your schema via phpMyAdmin or a SQL import tool. Export your local schema and seed data with mysqldump, then import it rather than trying to recreate tables by hand.

Upload via FTP/SFTP or Git, not a zip-and-hope approach. SFTP with a client like FileZilla is reliable for shared hosting; some hosts also support deploying directly from a Git repository, which is worth using if available since it makes future updates far less error-prone.

Set correct file and folder permissions. Upload directories typically need to be writable by the web server (commonly 755 for folders, 644 for files, adjusted for your host's specific user setup), while sensitive config files should be locked down as tightly as the host allows.

Test the critical paths immediately after deploying. Load the homepage, submit the contact form, log into the admin panel, and check that uploaded images resolve. Catching a broken path right after deployment is far easier than discovering it from a confused visitor days later.

Set up HTTPS. Most hosts offer free SSL via Let's Encrypt through the control panel — enable it and make sure your app redirects HTTP to HTTPS, especially if you have any login forms.

Deployment doesn't need to be complicated, but skipping any one of these steps is exactly how "it works on my machine" becomes a live incident.