PHP app starts but cannot reach its database

The application is running but cannot reach its database. Check the database credentials in the project environment, and that the database service is up.

Seen3 times
WherePhp

Why it happens

The container starts successfully and responds with HTTP 200 on port 8000, but the application reports a database connection error. The project has no configured environment source, so required database credentials may be missing. A database service may also be absent or unreachable.

What the log looks like

Deploy log
Detected project type: PHP (no Composer)Using strategy: phpStarting application (docker compose up -d)Container project-app-1 StartedHealth check: http://[ip]:8000/ answered HTTP 200Check failed: The application is running but cannot reach its database.Deploy finished with warnings

Try PanelAlpha Engine yourself.

The easiest way to turn your server into a safe, controlled environment for your AI agent. Deploy, manage and maintain any project from Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or any other MCP client. Open source under Apache 2.0, free to run.

Requires Ubuntu 24.04 or 26.04 · 2 GB RAM · 1 CPURead the documentation