The bootstrap/cache directory must be present and writable Laravel Origin: Application & API Last updated 4 Nov 2026

Laravel: RuntimeException: The /var/www/bootstrap/cache directory must be present and writable.

Laravel can't write its compiled cache files because the folder is missing or has the wrong permissions/owner.

Exact message you may see The bootstrap/cache directory must be present and writableRuntimeException: The /var/www/html/bootstrap/cache directory must be present and writablebootstrap/cache must be present and writableUnable to create bootstrap cache directory
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Seen on: Laravel PHP Linux

Meaning

The web server user (www-data, nginx, apache) must write bootstrap/cache and storage. Create the folder if missing, set ownership/permissions (775), and avoid running artisan as root which creates root-owned cache files. SELinux contexts can also block writes.

Common causes

  • Folder missing after deploy (git-ignored)
  • Wrong owner or permissions
  • Artisan run as root created root-owned files
  • SELinux denying writes
  • Read-only filesystem/container

⚡ Quick fix

  1. mkdir -p bootstrap/cache && chmod -R 775 bootstrap/cache storage
  2. chown -R www-data:www-data bootstrap/cache storage
  3. Run artisan as the web user

Detailed fix by platform

Linux

  1. sudo chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache && sudo chmod -R ug+rwX storage bootstrap/cache

How to diagnose

  1. Folder — Exists?
  2. Owner — Web user?
  3. SELinux — Context ok?

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

Where this error sits

Origin: Application & API. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):

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