This week we’ve unlocked some exciting new features like multiple databases of the same type in a single project! This is made possible by Reference Variables, a new way to define variables shared between databases and services.
Database Reference Variables
Since the beginning, Railway has auto-injected database variables into every deployment. Going forward, these links can be created explicitly by adding Reference Variables to the desired services.
📣 No action is required from you. We have created Reference Variables automatically for all existing services.
Screencast showcasing database reference variablesThis brings a few major improvements:
- Database credentials can now be restricted to only the services that require them
- Multiple plugins of the same type can now exist in a single project
- A single service can connect to multiple databases
Which brings us to the next thing…
Multiple DBs of the Same Type
The previous auto-injection behavior prevented us from allowing two databases of the same type within a project because the variables would collide. Now, since variables are referenced explicitly, collisions can be avoided and multiple DBs can be used with no issue.
This means that you can have two services, each with its own database, within a single project!

For more information, be sure to read the full blogpost.
Railway Status
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Improvements and Fixes
- Nixpacks upgraded to v.1.5.1