Can a laravel website be hosted without using a composer or any other tools, simply by copying and pasting it onto the hosting platform?

No, a Laravel website cannot be hosted without using Composer or any other tools. Laravel heavily relies on Composer to manage its dependencies and autoload the required files. Additionally, Laravel utilizes various configuration files and directories that need to be properly set up and structured. Simply copying and pasting the files onto a hosting platform would not ensure that everything is in place and functioning correctly. It is important to follow the appropriate deployment process using tools like Composer to ensure a Laravel website is hosted successfully.

Here's some more information about hosting a Laravel website:

To host a Laravel website, you typically need to follow these steps:

1. Choose a Hosting Provider: Look for a hosting provider that supports PHP and provides the necessary server requirements for running a Laravel application. Popular options include shared hosting, virtual private servers (VPS), or cloud platforms.

2. Set Up the Server Environment: Once you have access to the hosting platform, you'll need to set up the server environment to meet Laravel's requirements. This includes installing PHP, a web server (such as Apache or Nginx), and necessary extensions. You may also need to configure the server with necessary permissions and settings.

3. Transfer Files: You will need to transfer your Laravel project files to the hosting server. This can be done using FTP, SFTP, SSH, or any other file transfer method supported by your hosting provider. Ensure that you transfer all the files and directories from your Laravel project while maintaining the folder structure.

4. Install Composer Dependencies: On the hosting server, navigate to your Laravel project's root directory and run the Composer install command. This will download and install all the required dependencies specified in the `composer.json` file.

5. Configure Environment Variables: Laravel relies on environment variables to store sensitive configuration data. Make sure to set up the appropriate environment variables on the hosting server. This may include details such as database credentials, API keys, and other sensitive information.

6. Set Up Database: If your Laravel application relies on a database, you'll need to create a database on the hosting server and configure the necessary credentials in the environment variables or the `.env` file.

7. Point Domain: If you have a domain name, you'll need to point it to the hosting server's IP address. This can be done by updating the DNS records of the domain name to reflect the correct IP address.

8. Ensure Proper File Permissions: Make sure that the necessary directories and files within your Laravel project have the appropriate read and write permissions to ensure the web server can access them.

9. Configure Web Server: You'll need to configure your web server (Apache or Nginx) to point to the public directory of your Laravel project. This is the directory that should be accessible publicly, while other directories should be protected.

10. Generate Application Key: Laravel requires an application key for encryption and security purposes. Run the `php artisan key:generate` command on the hosting server to generate a unique application key for your Laravel project.

11. Optimize Configuration: To enhance the performance of your Laravel application, you can run the `php artisan config:cache` command on the hosting server. This will cache the configuration files, improving the loading time of your application.

12. Run Migrations: If your Laravel application utilizes a database, you'll need to run any necessary database migrations on the hosting server. Execute the `php artisan migrate` command to apply the migrations.

13. Set Up Cron Jobs (if necessary): If your Laravel application requires scheduled tasks or background jobs, you'll need to set up cron jobs on the hosting server. These cron jobs will execute the necessary Artisan commands at specified intervals.

14. Test and Monitor: Once your Laravel website is hosted, it's crucial to test it thoroughly to ensure everything is functioning as expected. Also, set up monitoring tools to track the performance and availability of your application.

15. SSL Certificate: Consider securing your website by obtaining and installing an SSL certificate. This will enable HTTPS encryption, providing a secure connection between your website and its visitors.

16. Error Handling and Logging: Configure error handling and logging mechanisms in Laravel to effectively track and troubleshoot any issues that may arise on the hosting server. Laravel provides robust error handling and logging features out of the box.

17. Performance Optimization: Implement caching mechanisms, optimize database queries, and utilize techniques like eager loading and query optimization to improve the performance of your Laravel application. Additionally, consider using tools like Redis for caching and queue management.

18. Load Balancing and Scaling: If your website experiences high traffic or requires high availability, you may need to implement load balancing and scaling strategies. This can involve distributing traffic across multiple servers or utilizing cloud infrastructure to handle increased demand.

19. Security Measures: Implement security best practices, such as input validation, XSS protection, CSRF protection, and secure authentication mechanisms to protect your Laravel application from common web vulnerabilities.

20. Backup and Disaster Recovery: Regularly back up your application's files, databases, and other important data to ensure that you can recover in case of any unforeseen events. Consider implementing automated backup solutions or utilizing cloud storage for redundancy.

21. Continuous Integration and Deployment: To streamline the deployment process, consider setting up continuous integration and deployment pipelines using tools like Git, Jenkins, or Laravel Forge. This allows for automated testing, code review, and seamless deployment to production.

22. Monitoring and Logging: Implement a robust monitoring and logging solution to track the performance, availability, and errors in your Laravel application. Tools like New Relic, Datadog, or the Laravel Telescope package can help you gain insights into your application's behavior.

23. Caching: Utilize caching mechanisms within Laravel, such as using the Redis or Memcached drivers, to improve the performance of your application and reduce database queries.

24. Content Delivery Network (CDN): Consider using a CDN to distribute your static assets globally, improving the loading speed of your website for users across different geographical locations.

25. Automated Testing: Set up automated testing in Laravel using tools like PHPUnit or Laravel Dusk to ensure the stability and correctness of your codebase even after deployment.

26. Version Control: Utilize version control systems like Git to manage and track changes in your Laravel project. This enables easy collaboration with team members, rollbacks, and code reviews.

27. Deployment Scripts: Create deployment scripts or configurations using tools like Deployer or Laravel Envoyer to automate the deployment process, making it repeatable and less error-prone.

28. Resource Optimization: Optimize images, CSS, JavaScript files, and other assets used in your Laravel project to reduce file sizes and improve page load times. Tools like Laravel Mix or asset minification can help with this.

29. Scalability: Plan for scalability by designing your application architecture to handle increased traffic or user demand. This might involve utilizing load balancing, vertical or horizontal scaling, or cloud-based infrastructure.

30. Continuous Improvements: Regularly update your Laravel framework, dependencies, and packages to benefit from bug fixes, new features, and security enhancements.

In fact, this is a necessary condition; there are no actions required on the server for deployment tools such as composer, git, npm. With just rsync, copy the built project to the server's directory containing the latest release. Then, connect the link to the removed directory, including the updated files, perform migrations, run tests, and finally, switch the link from the previous release to the new one.

No, it is both impossible and unnecessary to do so. Moreover, the cost of the machine required for Laravel is no more than that of hosting. However, it is important to forget about using public hosting, as it can turn into a nightmare.