Common PHP Project Directory Structure

PHP projects vary, but a clear directory layout makes ownership visible. Application source, tests, configuration, public entry points, templates, migrations, runtime storage, and vendor code should not be mixed together.

Working Knowledge

• Keep the web-server document root narrow, commonly public/.
• Place application classes under a namespaced source directory such as src/ or app/.
• Keep tests separate from production source.
• Keep writable runtime directories such as logs and cache outside public serving paths.
• Treat vendor/ as generated dependency output.

A Conventional Layout

project/
  bin/                 command-line entry points
  config/              application configuration
  migrations/          versioned database changes
  public/
    index.php          web entry point
  src/                 application classes
  templates/           server-rendered views
  tests/               automated tests
  var/                 writable cache and logs
  vendor/              generated Composer dependencies
  composer.json
  composer.lock

The web server should expose public/, not the repository root. That keeps source, configuration, logs, and dependency metadata away from direct HTTP access.

Follow The Existing Framework

Laravel commonly uses app/, routes/, resources/, and storage/. Symfony commonly uses src/, config/, templates/, and var/. The exact folders differ, but the responsibilities remain recognisable.

In Application Work

Follow the repository's existing layout unless a change has a clear benefit. A consistent ordinary layout is easier to operate than a novel one.

What To Check

Before moving on, make sure you can identify source, tests, configuration, public entry points, migrations, writable storage, and generated dependencies in an unfamiliar project.