Arunangshu Das

Posted on May 30

How to Deploy a Node.js App on Railway in Under 10 Minutes

#node #backenddevelopment #discuss #explainlikeimfive

In today’s fast-paced world, developers want speed, simplicity, and scalability. That’s why platforms like Railway are gaining so much popularity. If you're a Node.js developer looking for a fast and frictionless way to deploy your app without managing infrastructure or wrestling with DevOps complexity, Railway is your best friend.

Why Railway?

Before we dive into the steps, here’s a quick glance at why Railway is a game-changer:

Zero-config deployments: Push to GitHub, and it just works.
Built-in CI/CD: Every commit triggers a build and deploy.
Database hosting included: Easily provision PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, etc.
Free tier: Great for prototypes and small projects.
Live logs & metrics: Real-time insight into app behavior.

Think of Railway as Heroku’s modern sibling—simple, elegant, and powerful.

What You'll Need

To follow along, you’ll need:

A basic Node.js app (Express or any framework).
A GitHub account.
A Railway account (free to sign up).
Git installed on your system.
Node.js and npm installed locally.

If you’ve got those, you’re already halfway there.

Step-by-Step: Deploying Your Node.js App on Railway

Let’s break it down into small, digestible steps so even beginners can follow along.

Step 1: Create a Basic Node.js App

If you already have a Node.js app, you can skip this part. If not, let’s quickly scaffold a simple Express app.

mkdir railway-node-app
cd railway-node-app
npm init -y
npm install express

Create an index.js file:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
 
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('🚂 Hello from Railway!');
});
 
app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});

Update your package.json with a start script:

"scripts": {
  "start": "node index.js"
}

That’s it—you now have a basic Express app ready for deployment.

Step 2: Push Your Code to GitHub

Railway integrates beautifully with GitHub, so your next step is to push your code.

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
gh repo create railway-node-app --public --source=. --push

Note: If you don’t have GitHub CLI (gh) installed, you can push manually using:

git remote add origin https://github.com/your-username/railway-node-app.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

Step 3: Sign In to Railway

Go to https://railway.app and sign in using your GitHub account.

Once you're logged in:

Click “New Project”.
Choose “Deploy from GitHub repo”.
Authorize Railway to access your GitHub repositories.
Select the repo you just pushed.

Railway will immediately detect your Node.js app and begin deployment.

Step 4: Configure Your App (if needed)

Railway automatically detects:

Your runtime (Node.js)
Your start script
The port (based on process.env.PORT)

However, it’s good to double-check:

Head to your project dashboard.
Click on the “Deployments” tab.
Make sure the build logs are clean.
If there’s an issue, Railway usually tells you exactly what’s wrong.

Pro Tip: Always use process.env.PORT—Railway assigns ports dynamically in their containerized environment.

Step 5: Preview & Visit Your Live App

Once your build finishes (usually <60 seconds), Railway provides you with a live URL.

You’ll find this in the Settings tab or right on your project dashboard.

Example:

https://railway-node-app.up.railway.app

Visit the URL—and there it is. Your Node.js app is live on the internet!

Step 6: Add Environment Variables (Optional)

If your app uses environment variables (like database URIs, API keys, etc.), here’s how to set them:

Go to your Railway project.
Click “Variables” on the left menu.
Add your key-value pairs.

Railway will inject these into process.env at runtime.

Pro Tip: You can also use .env files locally and commit a .env.example to your repo for reference.

Step 7: Add a Custom Domain (Optional)

Want to use your own domain like myapp.com?

Go to Settings > Domains.
Click “Add Domain”.
Enter your custom domain.
Update your DNS records as instructed (CNAME or A Record).

Railway handles SSL/TLS for you automatically.

Can You Really Do This in Under 10 Minutes?

Absolutely. Here's the typical time breakdown:

Task	Time Required
Scaffolding a basic app	1–2 minutes
Pushing to GitHub	1–2 minutes
Connecting to Railway	2 minutes
First deploy build	2 minutes
Total	~7–8 minutes

If you have the app ready and GitHub connected, you could do this in under 5 minutes.

Bonus: Deploying with a Database

Many real-world apps need a database. Railway makes this frictionless.

In your Railway project, click “Add Plugin”.
Choose a database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis).
Railway will provision and connect it automatically.
Environment variables like DATABASE_URL will be available immediately.

You can use these in your app like so:

const { Pool } = require('pg');
const pool = new Pool({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
});

No manual provisioning. No copy-pasting credentials. Just click and go.

Continuous Deployment with GitHub

One of Railway’s superpowers is automatic deployments from GitHub.

Every time you push a commit:

Railway triggers a new build.
Your app is redeployed with zero downtime.

This makes Railway great for teams and open-source projects.

Tip: Use feature branches + pull requests for testing before merging to main.

Debugging Tips

Even though Railway handles 90% of the hard stuff, here are some quick fixes if something goes wrong:

App crashes at boot? Check logs under the “Deployments” tab.
Port errors? Make sure you're using process.env.PORT.
Missing env variables? Set them manually in the “Variables” tab.
Build fails? Check if you have a valid start script in package.json.

Railway’s logs are clean, real-time, and often include helpful error hints.

Collaborate with a Team

Railway lets you invite team members to your project.

Go to Project Settings > Members.
Invite using their email.
They’ll get full access to deploy, manage env vars, and more.

Perfect for startups, hackathons, or paired development.

Pricing Overview

Here’s the general breakdown:

Plan	Cost	Features
Free	\$0/month	500 hours/month, 1GB DB
Developer	~\$5/month	More hours, custom domains
Pro	Custom	For larger scale apps

The Free Plan is surprisingly generous and perfect for learning, prototypes, and side projects.

Alternatives to Railway

If you’re exploring other deployment options, here are some competitors:

Render: Great for full-stack apps, similar UX.
Vercel: More frontend-oriented but supports Node.js APIs.
Fly.io: More control and edge-based deployment.
Heroku: The original PaaS, but losing popularity.
Glitch/Replit: Great for beginners and live editing.

Still, for backend-focused Node.js apps, Railway is hard to beat on simplicity + speed.

Final Thoughts

Deploying a Node.js app on Railway is shockingly simple. In a matter of minutes, you can go from a local app to a production-ready, globally-accessible service—with live logs, environment variables, database plugins, and CI/CD all included.

Whether you're a solo developer launching a side project or a team building SaaS MVPs, Railway gives you the freedom to focus on what matters: your code.

TL;DR

Here’s a quick recap of the steps:

Create a basic Node.js app.
Push it to GitHub.
Sign into Railway and import your repo.
Wait for the automatic build.
Visit your live URL.
Add environment variables and database if needed.
Push new commits and enjoy automatic deployment.

DEV Community