How to Deploy Managed WebSocket Clusters with Laravel Cloud Reverb

Tools and Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your application is already functional with a local Reverb instance. You will need:

• A Laravel application pushed to a GitHub repository.
• Broadcasting events and Laravel Echo hooks already implemented in your code.
• An active Laravel Cloud account.

Step-by-Step Deployment

1. Push Your Code: Deploy your application to Laravel Cloud directly from your repository. At this stage, your real-time features won't work yet because the production environment lacks a WebSocket server.
2. Add the Resource: Navigate to your application dashboard and select Add New Resource. Choose WebSocket Cluster from the list of managed services.
3. Select a Tier: For small apps or demos, the entry-tier allows for 100 concurrent connections at a low monthly cost. Select your capacity and click Create.
4. Save and Deploy: Once the resource is added, click Save and Deploy. The platform automatically injects the necessary configuration into your environment so that your code recognizes the new Laravel Reverb cluster.

Managing Cluster Capacity

As your user base grows, you can adjust your scale without downtime. Access your Account Settings, then navigate to Resources and WebSockets. From here, you can select your cluster (e.g., "Reverb Demo") to view live usage metrics or increase your concurrent connection limit to 5,000 or more. The platform handles the underlying orchestration, keeping your focus on building features rather than managing pings and heartbeats.

Conclusion

The beauty of this workflow is the zero-config handoff. Because Laravel Cloud manages the Laravel Reverb server internally, the transition from local php artisan reverb:start to a globally available cluster is seamless. You gain a robust, scalable WebSocket infrastructure that just works the moment you hit deploy.