diff --git a/bin/php54/Dockerfile b/bin/php54/Dockerfile
index 257ced48ec..1ab59bec72 100644
--- a/bin/php54/Dockerfile
+++ b/bin/php54/Dockerfile
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ RUN pecl install xdebug-2.4.0RC4 && docker-php-ext-enable xdebug \
 # Insure an SSL directory exists
 RUN mkdir -p /etc/apache2/ssl
 
+# create directory to store app files outside DOCUMENT ROOT
+RUN mkdir /var/app
+
 # Enable SSL support
 RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 
diff --git a/bin/php56/Dockerfile b/bin/php56/Dockerfile
index 1f483691b3..3f3c70cb13 100644
--- a/bin/php56/Dockerfile
+++ b/bin/php56/Dockerfile
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@ RUN docker-php-ext-install curl \
 # Insure an SSL directory exists
 RUN mkdir -p /etc/apache2/ssl
 
+# create directory to store app files outside DOCUMENT ROOT
+RUN mkdir /var/app
+
 # Enable SSL support
 RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 
@@ -41,4 +44,4 @@ RUN a2enmod rewrite headers
 EXPOSE 80
 EXPOSE 443
 
-ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/sbin/apache2ctl", "-D", "FOREGROUND"]
\ No newline at end of file
+ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/sbin/apache2ctl", "-D", "FOREGROUND"]
diff --git a/bin/php71/Dockerfile b/bin/php71/Dockerfile
index 27787956fa..cff17d3307 100644
--- a/bin/php71/Dockerfile
+++ b/bin/php71/Dockerfile
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ RUN docker-php-ext-install -j$(nproc) gd
 # Insure an SSL directory exists
 RUN mkdir -p /etc/apache2/ssl
 
+# create directory to store app files outside DOCUMENT ROOT
+RUN mkdir /var/app
+
 # Enable SSL support
 RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 
diff --git a/bin/php72/Dockerfile b/bin/php72/Dockerfile
index f6edeac270..047a2e18a5 100644
--- a/bin/php72/Dockerfile
+++ b/bin/php72/Dockerfile
@@ -56,8 +56,11 @@ RUN docker-php-ext-install -j$(nproc) gd
 # Insure an SSL directory exists
 RUN mkdir -p /etc/apache2/ssl
 
+# create directory to store app files outside DOCUMENT ROOT
+RUN mkdir /var/app
+
 # Enable SSL support
 RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 
 # Enable apache modules
-RUN a2enmod rewrite headers
\ No newline at end of file
+RUN a2enmod rewrite headers
diff --git a/bin/php73/Dockerfile b/bin/php73/Dockerfile
index e18ba87093..1954bcc9b9 100644
--- a/bin/php73/Dockerfile
+++ b/bin/php73/Dockerfile
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ RUN apt-get -y update && \
 # Insure an SSL directory exists
 RUN mkdir -p /etc/apache2/ssl
 
+# create directory to store app files outside DOCUMENT ROOT
+RUN mkdir /var/app
+
 # Enable SSL support
 RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 
@@ -60,4 +63,4 @@ RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 RUN a2enmod rewrite headers
 
 # Cleanup
-RUN rm -rf /usr/src/*
\ No newline at end of file
+RUN rm -rf /usr/src/*
diff --git a/bin/php74/Dockerfile b/bin/php74/Dockerfile
index f8b7d99e8b..8656b3308d 100644
--- a/bin/php74/Dockerfile
+++ b/bin/php74/Dockerfile
@@ -80,6 +80,9 @@ libpng-dev && \
 # Insure an SSL directory exists
 RUN mkdir -p /etc/apache2/ssl
 
+# create directory to store app files outside DOCUMENT ROOT
+RUN mkdir /var/app
+
 # Enable SSL support
 RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 
diff --git a/bin/php8/Dockerfile b/bin/php8/Dockerfile
index fc76afb609..19defd9c6c 100644
--- a/bin/php8/Dockerfile
+++ b/bin/php8/Dockerfile
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ libpng-dev && \
 # Insure an SSL directory exists
 RUN mkdir -p /etc/apache2/ssl
 
+# create directory to store app files outside DOCUMENT ROOT
+RUN mkdir /var/app
+
 # Enable SSL support
 RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 
diff --git a/bin/php81/Dockerfile b/bin/php81/Dockerfile
index aa7f3508ff..35575f1317 100644
--- a/bin/php81/Dockerfile
+++ b/bin/php81/Dockerfile
@@ -93,6 +93,9 @@ libpng-dev && \
 # Insure an SSL directory exists
 RUN mkdir -p /etc/apache2/ssl
 
+# create directory to store app files outside DOCUMENT ROOT
+RUN mkdir /var/app
+
 # Enable SSL support
 RUN a2enmod ssl && a2enmod rewrite
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 4cb90d0d16..a7e01a3ef3 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ services:
     links:
       - database
     volumes:
+      - ${APP_DIR-./app}:/var/app:rw
       - ${DOCUMENT_ROOT-./www}:/var/www/html:rw
       - ${PHP_INI-./config/php/php.ini}:/usr/local/etc/php/php.ini
       - ${SSL_DIR-./config/ssl}:/etc/apache2/ssl/
diff --git a/sample.env b/sample.env
index a0ae72a6e9..2bc8d8db9f 100644
--- a/sample.env
+++ b/sample.env
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=lamp
 
 # Possible values: php54, php56, php71, php72, php73, php74, php8, php81
 PHPVERSION=php8
+APP_DIR=./app
 DOCUMENT_ROOT=./www
 APACHE_DOCUMENT_ROOT=/var/www/html
 VHOSTS_DIR=./config/vhosts