8 Best TYPO3 Docker Development Approaches

Docker has become an essential tool for modern web development, providing a consistent, isolated, and efficient environment for building and testing applications. For TYPO3 developers, Docker offers a powerful way to set up local development environments quickly, manage dependencies easily, and ensure projects run reliably across different systems. 

In the TYPO3 community, several Docker-based approaches have emerged, each designed to simplify development, streamline workflows, and support both beginners and experienced developers. 

In this guide, we explore the 8 best TYPO3 Docker development approaches, along with tips, best practices, and additional resources to help you create high-quality TYPO3 projects efficiently.

Installing Docker is straightforward and ensures consistent TYPO3 development environments.

Step 1: Install Docker

• Download Docker Desktop from docker.com.
• Follow instructions for Windows, macOS, or Linux.
• Verify installation:

docker --version
docker-compose --version

Step 2: Configure Docker

• Allocate sufficient CPU, RAM, and disk space.
• Enable automatic startup if desired.

Step 3: TYPO3-Specific Tutorials

• Beginner-friendly guide: T3Planet Docker Tutorial

DDEV is the most popular TYPO3 Docker solution for local development.

System Requirements:

• Docker >= v18.6
• Docker-Compose >= v1.2
• macOS, Linux, Windows 10

Install DDEV:

curl -L raw.githubusercontent.com/drud/ddev/master/scripts/install_ddev.sh | bash

Start TYPO3 Project:

mkdir my-typo3-site
cd my-typo3-site

ddev config --project-type=typo3 --docroot=public --create-docroot=true
ddev start

ddev composer create "typo3/cms-base-distribution:^10" --prefer-dist
ddev exec touch public/FIRST_INSTALL
ddev launch

martinhelmich/typo3

Quickstart TYPO3 Docker image (not production-ready).

Steps:

webdevops/TYPO3-docker-boilerplate

Full-featured boilerplate with multiple services.

Steps:

git clone github.com/webdevops/TYPO3-docker-boilerplate.git projectname
cd projectname

cp docker-compose.development.yml docker-compose.yml

docker-compose up -d

rm -f app/.gitkeep
composer create-project typo3/cms-base-distribution app/
touch app/public/FIRST_INSTALL app/.gitkeep

t3easy/docker-typo3

Bootcamp environment for TYPO3 development:

• Follow installation guide: t3easy/docker-typo3

fnagel/docker-typo3

Minimal PHP + Apache Docker environment for dev and production:

• Install via guide: fnagel/docker-typo3

crinis/typo3-docker

Supports most TYPO3 LTS versions.

Steps:

docker network create typo3-db

docker run -d --volume typo3-mysql:/var/lib/mysql/ --network typo3-db \
 --env MYSQL_DATABASE=typo3 --env MYSQL_USER=typo3 \
 --env MYSQL_PASSWORD=StrongPassword --env MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=StrongPassword \
 --name typo3-mysql mysql:5.7 --character-set-server=utf8mb4 \
 --collation-server=utf8mb4_unicode_ci

docker run -d -p 80:80 --volume typo3:/var/www/html/ --network typo3-db \
 --env TYPO3_DB_HOST=typo3-mysql --env TYPO3_DB_NAME=typo3 \
 --env TYPO3_DB_USERNAME=typo3 --env TYPO3_DB_PASSWORD=StrongPassword \
 --env TYPO3_ADMIN_PASSWORD=StrongPassword \
 --name typo3 crinis/typo3:9.5-php7.2-apache

raaimund/typo3-docker

Lightweight core for fast TYPO3 setup:

• Use build.bat and run.bat to install TYPO3 quickly.

kronova/typo3-docker

Multi-container setup supporting multiple TYPO3 LTS versions, scalable for Kubernetes or cloud deployment.

Following best practices ensures smooth, secure, and maintainable TYPO3 development with Docker.

• Use Version-Specific Docker Images
  • Always choose Docker images that match your TYPO3 LTS version.
  • This ensures compatibility with extensions, templates, and PHP requirements.
  • Example: crinis/typo3:9.5-php7.2-apache for TYPO3 v9 LTS.
• Store Persistent Data in Docker Volumes
  • Keep database files, uploads, and site content in Docker volumes.
  • This prevents data loss when containers are recreated or updated.

Example:

docker volume create typo3-mysql
docker run -d --volume typo3-mysql:/var/lib/mysql mysql:5.7

• Keep Containers Lightweight
  • Avoid installing unnecessary tools or services inside the TYPO3 container.
  • Use separate containers for services like MySQL, Redis, or Elasticsearch.
  • This improves performance, reduces image size, and simplifies updates.
• Plan Networking for Multi-Container Setups
  • Use Docker networks to allow TYPO3 web containers to communicate with databases and caching services.

Example:

docker network create typo3-network
docker run -d --network typo3-network --name typo3-db mysql:5.7
docker run -d --network typo3-network --name typo3-web crinis/typo3:9.5-php7.2-apache

• Regularly Update Images and Dependencies
  • Keep Docker images and TYPO3 versions updated for security and stability.
  • Test updates in a separate development container before applying to production.
• Use Compose Files for Reproducibility
  • Docker Compose allows you to define multi-container setups in a single YAML file.
  • This ensures every team member has the same environment.

Using Docker in TYPO3 development can significantly simplify Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) workflows.

• Simplified Pipelines

  • Docker ensures that the same TYPO3 environment is used across local, staging, and production servers.
  • This eliminates the “works on my machine” problem during deployments.

• Integration with CI/CD Tools

  • TYPO3 projects using Docker can be easily integrated with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, or other CI/CD platforms.

Example using GitHub Actions:

 jobs:
 build:
   runs-on: ubuntu-latest
   services:
     db:
       image: mysql:5.7
       env:
         MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
         MYSQL_DATABASE: typo3
       ports: ['3306:3306']
   steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Set up Docker
       uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v1
     - name: Build TYPO3 container
       run: docker-compose up -d
     - name: Run tests
       run: ddev exec vendor/bin/phpunit

• Benefits of CI/CD with Docker

  • Automated testing of TYPO3 code and extensions before deployment.
  • Version control of Docker images and environment configuration.
  • Faster and more reliable deployment cycles.

Optimizing performance ensures your TYPO3 project runs smoothly both in development and production.

• Use PHP-FPM and NGINX

  • Prefer PHP-FPM with NGINX containers over Apache for better speed and scalability.

• Enable Caching Extensions

  • Use TYPO3 caching extensions like ext:cache or Redis integration during development.
  • Improves response times and reduces container load.

• Optimize Container Resources

  • Allocate sufficient CPU, RAM, and storage for TYPO3 and database containers.
  • Monitor resource usage to prevent slowdowns during development or CI/CD runs.

• Lightweight Containers

  • Keep containers minimal and separate services like database, search (Solr/Elasticsearch), and caching to dedicated containers.

Even though Docker simplifies TYPO3 development, beginners may face some common issues.

• Port Conflicts
  • Error: “Port 80 already in use.”

Solution: Map TYPO3 web container to another port:

docker run -d -p 8080:80 your-typo3-image

• Database Connection Errors
  • Error: TYPO3 cannot connect to MySQL.

Solution: Ensure containers share the same Docker network and correct environment variables are set:

docker network create typo3-net
docker run --network typo3-net --name typo3-db -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=root mysql:5.7
docker run --network typo3-net --name typo3-web -e TYPO3_DB_HOST=typo3-db your-typo3-image

• Permission Issues
  • TYPO3 cannot write to fileadmin or uploads.

Solution: Adjust permissions in the container:

docker exec -it typo3-web bash
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/fileadmin
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/fileadmin

• Container Not Starting / Crashing

  Check logs:

  docker logs typo3-web

  • Verify Docker version and resource allocation (CPU/RAM) for heavy TYPO3 projects.

Containerization is rapidly evolving in the TYPO3 ecosystem, enabling more scalable, flexible, and modern development workflows.

• Integration with Kubernetes

  • TYPO3 projects are increasingly being deployed on Kubernetes clusters, allowing for automatic scaling, self-healing containers, and load balancing in production.
  • Agencies and enterprises benefit from reduced downtime and simplified infrastructure management.

• Headless TYPO3 Setups

  • Docker supports headless TYPO3 architectures, where TYPO3 acts as a backend CMS and content is delivered via APIs to modern frontends (React, Vue, Angular) or mobile apps.
  • This trend allows teams to develop flexible, responsive, and high-performance websites or apps while keeping TYPO3 as a content hub.

• Streamlined Development Pipelines

  • Docker combined with CI/CD continues to enhance automation, testing, and deployment.
  • TYPO3 developers can maintain multiple versions and extensions without environment conflicts, making large-scale updates smoother.

• Ecosystem Growth

  • Open-source projects like DDEV, t3easy/docker-typo3, and webdevops/typo3-docker-boilerplate keep evolving with community contributions, ensuring TYPO3 Docker setups remain modern and efficient.

To help you explore TYPO3 Docker development further, here are some essential resources:

• Docker Official Documentation: https:// docs.docker.com
• DDEV TYPO3 Documentation: https:// ddev.readthedocs.io
• Martin Helmich TYPO3 Docker Image: https://github.com/martinhelmich/typo3-docker
• webdevops/typo3-docker-boilerplate: https://github.com/webdevops/TYPO3-docker-boilerplate
• t3easy/docker-typo3: https://github.com/t3easy/docker-typo3
• fnagel/docker-typo3: https://github.com/fnagel/docker-typo3
• TYPO3 Official Tutorials & Guides: https:// docs.typo3.org

These resources are ideal for developers who want to set up local environments, explore different Docker approaches, or integrate TYPO3 with modern development workflows.

Docker has transformed the way TYPO3 developers work, offering a consistent, scalable, and flexible environment for both local development and production deployments. By leveraging Docker, teams can speed up project setup, reduce environment conflicts, and manage multiple TYPO3 projects efficiently.

From enterprise agencies like T3Planet and Netlogix to educational institutions like RWTH Aachen University, real-world case studies show that Docker improves collaboration, deployment speed, and overall project quality.

The future of TYPO3 development is increasingly containerized, with trends toward Kubernetes deployments, headless setups, and fully automated CI/CD pipelines. For developers and agencies alike, adopting Docker ensures a modern, efficient, and scalable workflow.

Whether you are a TYPO3 beginner or a seasoned developer, Docker makes it easier to focus on building great websites and applications, while handling infrastructure and environment management seamlessly.

Explore Docker-based TYPO3 development, experiment with different setups, and take advantage of the rich ecosystem of tools, templates, and community support to enhance your TYPO3 projects.