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Prerequisites

Before installing MyDiary, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

PHP 8.2 or higher

Required for Laravel 12 framework

Composer

PHP dependency manager for Laravel packages

Node.js 18+

JavaScript runtime for React and Vite

MySQL 5.7+

Relational database for data storage

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Additional requirements

  • npm or yarn - Package manager for JavaScript dependencies
  • Git - Version control to clone the repository
  • Web server - Apache or Nginx for production deployment
MyDiary requires PHP 8.2 or higher due to Laravel 12’s requirements. Ensure your PHP version meets this requirement before proceeding.

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Installation

Follow these steps to set up MyDiary on your local machine.
1

Clone the repository

Clone the MyDiary repository to your local machine:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/MyDiary.git
cd MyDiary
2

Install PHP dependencies

Use Composer to install all Laravel and PHP packages:
composer install
This installs key dependencies including:
  • Laravel Framework 12
  • Inertia.js Laravel adapter
  • Ziggy for route generation
  • Laravel Tinker for debugging
3

Install JavaScript dependencies

Install React, Vite, and frontend packages:
npm install
Key packages installed:
  • React 19 and React DOM
  • Inertia.js React adapter
  • Tailwind CSS 4.0
  • Vite 6 and Laravel Vite plugin
  • HugeIcons for UI icons
4

Configure environment variables

Copy the example environment file and configure it:
cp .env.example .env
Update the .env file with your configuration:
APP_NAME=MyDiary
APP_ENV=local
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost:8000

# Database Configuration
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=mydiary
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

# Session Configuration
SESSION_DRIVER=database
QUEUE_CONNECTION=database
CACHE_STORE=database
MyDiary uses database-based sessions, cache, and queues by default. Ensure your database is properly configured.
5

Generate application key

Generate a unique encryption key for your application:
php artisan key:generate
This creates a secure APP_KEY in your .env file used for encrypting session data and other sensitive information.
6

Create the database

Create a MySQL database for MyDiary:
CREATE DATABASE mydiary CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
Or use your database management tool (phpMyAdmin, TablePlus, etc.).
7

Run database migrations

Execute migrations to create all required tables:
php artisan migrate
This creates the following tables:
  • users - User accounts and authentication
  • entries - Diary entries with body, visibility, and creator
  • friend_requests - Friend connections with status tracking
  • entry_users - Pivot table for shared entries
  • image_entries - Image attachments for entries
  • image_users - Profile images for users
  • likes - User engagement on entries
  • sessions - Session storage
  • cache - Cache storage
  • jobs - Queue jobs
If you encounter migration errors, ensure your database user has the necessary privileges to create tables and foreign keys.
8

Create storage symlink

Link the public storage directory for file uploads:
php artisan storage:link
This creates a symbolic link from public/storage to storage/app/public, allowing uploaded images to be publicly accessible.
9

Build frontend assets

Compile React and CSS assets:
npm run dev
For development, npm run dev starts Vite’s development server with hot module replacement (HMR).
10

Start the development server

Launch the Laravel development server:
php artisan serve
The application will be available at http://localhost:8000.
Keep both php artisan serve and npm run dev running in separate terminal windows during development.

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Quick start script

MyDiary includes a convenient development script that starts all services simultaneously: 
composer dev
This single command runs:
  • PHP development server (php artisan serve)
  • Queue listener for background jobs
  • Laravel Pail for real-time logs
  • Vite development server (npm run dev)
All services run in parallel with color-coded output for easy monitoring.

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Database schema overview

Understanding the database structure helps you work with MyDiary effectively.

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Entries table

// Migration: create_entries_table.php
Schema::create('entries', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->text('body');
    $table->string('visibility'); // 'public', 'private', or 'friends'
    
    $table->unsignedBigInteger('creator_id');
    $table->foreign('creator_id')
        ->references('id')->on('users')
        ->onDelete('cascade');
    
    $table->timestamps();
});

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Friend requests table

// Migration: create_friend_requests_table.php
Schema::create('friend_requests', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->string('status'); // 'pending', 'accepted', 'rejected'
    $table->dateTime('send_at');
    $table->dateTime('response_at')->nullable();
    
    $table->unsignedBigInteger('sender_id');
    $table->foreign('sender_id')
        ->references('id')->on('users')
        ->onDelete('cascade');
    
    $table->unsignedBigInteger('recived_id');
    $table->foreign('recived_id')
        ->references('id')->on('users')
        ->onDelete('cascade');
});

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Relationships

MyDiary uses Eloquent relationships for clean database queries: 
// User.php
public function entries()
{
    return $this->hasMany(Entry::class, 'creator_id');
}

public function friendsS() // Sent requests
{
    return $this->belongsToMany(User::class, 'friend_requests', 
        'sender_id', 'recived_id')
        ->withPivot('response_at', 'send_at', 'status');
}

public function friendsR() // Received requests
{
    return $this->belongsToMany(User::class, 'friend_requests', 
        'recived_id', 'sender_id')
        ->withPivot('response_at', 'send_at', 'status');
}

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Seeding test data (optional)

Populate your database with test data for development: 
php artisan db:seed
This runs the EntrySeeder and DatabaseSeeder to create sample users and diary entries.
Only run seeders in development environments. Never seed production databases as it may create unwanted test data.

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Production deployment

When deploying to production, follow these additional steps:
1

Set environment to production

Update your .env file:
APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
2

Optimize the application

Run optimization commands:
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache
composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev
3

Build production assets

Compile and minify frontend assets:
npm run build
4

Configure web server

Point your web server’s document root to the public directory.Example Nginx configuration:
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    root /path/to/mydiary/public;

    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";

    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}
5

Set up queue worker

Configure a process manager like Supervisor to keep the queue worker running:
php artisan queue:work --tries=3
6

Configure file permissions

Ensure proper permissions for storage and cache:
chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache
chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache

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Troubleshooting

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Common issues and solutions

Run composer dump-autoload to regenerate the autoload files.
Check your database credentials in .env and ensure MySQL is running.
Ensure you’ve run npm run dev or npm run build to generate frontend assets.
Clear your browser cache and application cache:
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear
Verify the storage symlink exists:
php artisan storage:link
Check that storage/app/public directory has write permissions.

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Next steps

Your MyDiary installation is complete! Here’s what to do next:
  • Create your first user account at /SingIn
  • Explore the codebase in /app and /resources/js
  • Review the API reference for backend endpoints
  • Read the development guide for contribution guidelines
Join our community to get help, share ideas, and contribute to making MyDiary better!

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