Laravel Storage Link Error

Common issue due to the way file systems are managed in shared hosting environments, where symbolic links might be restricted

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Solutions and Workarounds

If your Laravel photo storage is not displaying images, the issue could be related to several potential causes, such as incorrect file permissions, storage paths, symbolic link configuration, or URL generation. Here’s how to troubleshoot and fix the issue.

1. Check File Permissions

Laravel’s storage directory needs proper permissions for the web server to read the files.

  • Ensure that the storage and public/storage directories have the correct permissions.
  • In cPanel or via SSH, set permissions for the storage directory:
chmod -R 775 storage
chmod -R 775 public/storage

This will give the web server write and read access to those directories.

2. Ensure Symbolic Link is Created

Laravel stores uploaded files in the storage/app/public directory, but the web server serves files from the public directory. To make the files accessible via a URL, you need to create a symbolic link between the storage folder and the public folder.

Run the following command (via SSH or the Terminal in cPanel):

php artisan storage:link

This command will create a symbolic link from public/storage to storage/app/public.

After running the command, check that the public/storage directory exists and is properly linked to storage/app/public.

3. Check .env File for APP_URL

Make sure your .env file contains the correct APP_URL for your site. This affects how Laravel generates URLs for images and other assets.

For example, if your site is accessible at https://example.com, ensure this is set:

APP_URL=https://example.com

If your APP_URL is incorrect, Laravel may generate broken image URLs.

4. Use the Correct Path for Image URLs

When displaying images stored in the storage folder, use the asset or Storage::url helper functions to generate the correct URLs.

Example using asset() helper:

<img src="{{ asset('storage/images/your_image.jpg') }}" alt="Image">

Example using Storage::url():

<img src="{{ Storage::url('images/your_image.jpg') }}" alt="Image">

These will generate a URL pointing to the public/storage directory where your files are stored.

5. Check .htaccess File for the Public Storage

If you’re using a .htaccess file to manage URL rewriting, make sure there is no rule that could block access to the storage folder in public.

The following rule in your .htaccess file (typically located in public_html or the root) will ensure proper access:


# Ensure public access to storage folder
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    Options +FollowSymLinks
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteRule ^storage/(.*)$ /public/storage/$1 [L]
</IfModule>

6. Check the Image Paths in the Database (if applicable)

If you are storing image paths in a database, ensure that the paths stored are correct. You can test this by logging or dumping the path being used in your Blade templates:


{{ dd(asset('storage/images/your_image.jpg')) }}

This will help confirm if the correct path is being generated.

7. Clear Cache (Optional)

Sometimes, cached configurations or views may cause the images to not display. Clear the cache to see if that resolves the issue:


php artisan config:cache
php artisan view:clear
php artisan cache:clear

8. Debug Using the Browser’s Developer Tools

Use the developer tools in your browser (e.g., Chrome DevTools) to inspect the image paths being generated and to see if there are any errors in the console, such as 404 errors for missing files or permission-related issues.

Other Solutions and Workarounds

1. Manually Create the Symlink via SSH

If your hosting provider allows SSH access, you can manually create the symbolic link.

  • Access SSH via cPanel or a terminal.
  • Navigate to the public directory where your Laravel project is stored: “cd public_html/public”
  • Create a symbolic link manually using this command:
    ln -s ../storage/app/public storage
    This creates a symbolic link from public/storage to storage/app/public.
  • Check if the symlink was created by navigating to
    public_html/public/storage. It should now point to storage/app/public.
  • Check Symbolic Link Existence using SSH Access
    • Navigate to your public directory where the symbolic link should exist:
      cd public_html/public
    • List the contents of the directory and check if the storage folder is a symbolic link:
      ls -l
    • You should see an entry like this:
      storage -> ../storage/app/public
      • The storage directory should point to ../storage/app/public.
      • If it doesn’t exist, you can try manually creating the symlink as mentioned earlier:
        ln -s ../storage/app/public storage
  • Check Symbolic Link Existence using Via cPanel File Manager
    If you don’t have SSH access, you can check using cPanel:
    • Log into cPanel, then open the File Manager.
    • Navigate to the public_html/mria.kloudbased.com/public directory.
    • Check if the storage folder has a “link” icon next to it, indicating that it’s a symbolic link.
    • Verify the destination:
      • Right-click on the storage folder in cPanel and select “Edit” or “View” to see where it points. It should point to ../storage/app/public.
  • Delete the Existing (Broken) Symbolic Link
    Before you can recreate the symbolic link, you need to remove the existing one that is broken or misconfigured.
    Via SSH:
    • Navigate to the public folder of your Laravel application:
      cd public_html/public
    • Remove the existing (broken) symbolic link:
      rm -rf storage
      This will remove the current storage folder, whether it’s a symbolic link or a regular folder.
  • Via cPanel:
    • Open cPanel, then go to the File Manager.
    • Navigate to public_html/public.
    • Locate the storage folder.
    • Right-click on storage and select Delete.
      • Make sure you delete only the symbolic link or broken folder and not any critical files.
  • Recreate the Symbolic Link
    Now, recreate the symbolic link.
    Via SSH:
    Create the symbolic link manually:
    ln -s ../storage/app/public storage
    • This command creates a new symbolic link in the public folder that points from public/storage to storage/app/public.
  • Via cPanel (No SSH Access):
    If your hosting environment doesn’t allow you to use SSH to create symbolic links, and the php artisan storage:link command is not working, try the following alternatives:
    • Contact your hosting provider to ask them to create the symbolic link for you.
    • Workaround: Instead of using a symbolic link, you can manually copy the contents from storage/app/public to public/storage as a temporary solution.
  • Verify the Symlink
    After creating the symlink, verify its existence.
    Via SSH:
    You can list the files in the public directory to confirm the link was created properly:
    • ls -l public_html/mria.kloudbased.com/public
    • The output should show something like this:
      storage -> ../storage/app/public
  • This confirms that public/storage is now a symbolic link to storage/app/public.
    Via cPanel:
    • Open File Manager in cPanel.
    • Navigate to the public folder of your application.
    • Check for the storage folder and see if it has a “link” icon next to it (this indicates it’s a symbolic link).

2. Workaround: Directly Serve Files from storage/app/public

If symbolic links are completely restricted, you can modify the way files are served by directly exposing the storage/app/public directory in your public folder.

  1. Copy the files from storage/app/public to public/storage manually:
    This is a manual process but works as a workaround if symbolic links are not allowed.
    • Use the File Manager in cPanel or FTP to navigate to storage/app/public
    • Copy the contents of storage/app/public into public/storage
  2. Modify File Upload Logic (optional): If you’re frequently uploading files, you can automate the copying of files from storage/app/public to public/storage using hooks in your Laravel code or by creating a scheduled task.
  3. Update .htaccess for URL Rewriting
    If you can’t create symbolic links, you can rewrite URLs so that files in storage/app/public are served as if they were in public/storage.
    • Edit the .htaccess file in your public_html/mria.kloudbased.com/public directory.
    • Add the following rule to map requests for storage/* to the storage/app/public folder:
      This .htaccess rule will tell Apache to serve files from the storage/app/public folder when a request is made to public/storage.
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteRule ^storage/(.*)$ ../storage/app/public/$1 [L]
</IfModule>
  1. Serve Files Using Storage::url()
    Ensure you are using the correct Laravel helper function to generate file URLs, especially if you’re working without a symbolic link. Instead of using asset(), use Storage::url() to generate URLs for files stored in the storage directory:
    This helper function automatically resolves the correct path based on your filesystem configuration.
<img src="{{ Storage::url('uploads/admin/AHJXTYMTQG/photo.png') }}" alt="Admin Photo">
  1. Check with Hosting Provider
    Some shared hosting environments completely block the creation of symbolic links for security reasons. If none of the above steps work, contact your hosting provider to see if:
    • They can enable symbolic link creation for your account.
    • They can provide an alternative or workaround.
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