--- title: "Logs Panel, Automatic Image Updates, Database Credentials & Extensions, SMTP" date: 2025-09-05 number: 0254 url: https://railway.com/changelog/2025-09-05-logs-panel --- # Logs Panel, Automatic Image Updates, Database Credentials & Extensions, SMTP It's September, which means (checks notes) [cloud CEOs are taking swings at each other in public](https://x.com/dok2001/status/1963611108998095246) and [rappers are launching AI startups](https://x.com/MeekMill/status/1962032948208640118)? The timeline doesn't disappoint. If you think we should start some Twitter beef, you can [let us know individually](https://x.com/Railway/status/1964051673296605378) and we'll get right to it! Otherwise, it's time to lock in because we have an extra spicy changelog for you today featuring an improved service-level logging experience, a beautiful new automatic image update maintenance window configurator, a new unlock for SMTP ports, and more. Before we get started, we wanted to remind you that [the free plan is back](https://blog.railway.com/p/free-plan) and if you haven't read about it yet be sure to check that out. We also [recorded a video about it](https://x.com/Railway/status/1963130219826438260) featuring Jake and Mahmoud. Finally, if you’re looking for inspiration for things to build or want a starting point, look no further than the [Railway Template Marketplace](https://railway.com/deploy). Fun fact: You can ship your own templates and [make money whenever other Railway users deploy them](https://railway.com/open-source-kickback). Ok, that's it for the preamble. Let's go! ## Logs Panel [Video: Log Explorer - Attribute panel ] We want the logs experience on Railway to be more than just functional. It should be fast, intuitive, and frustration-free, so you can focus on solving problems instead of fighting the tooling. Previously, you could expand a log entry and the different attributes would be presented in a nested-tree like structure. While this worked, we wanted to offer a better detailed view that makes it easier to view the different attributes and their values. So now when expanding a log entry you’ll be able to view the data in a dedicated panel. This provides a clearer, more organized view, making it easier to see all relevant attributes and their values in one place. We’d love to know your feedback. Let us know what you think over in this [Central Station](https://station.railway.com/community/logs-explorer-feedback-8ee94ff7)[ thread](https://station.railway.com/community/logs-explorer-feedback-8ee94ff7). ## Automatic Image Updates [Video: Automatic upgrades for image-based services] Automatic upgrades for image-based services are now available right from the service settings. Updates are fully customizable: choose to automatically apply only patch releases for security and bug fixes, or extend this to include both patch and minor updates for broader improvements. A maintenance window can also be set, giving Railway the chance to check for updates and apply them on your schedule. For example, updates can run: - Only on weekends - Overnight, any day - Anytime - Or on a custom schedule This means always ensuring your services always run on the latest, most secure, and most stable images. As always, drop by [Central Station](https://station.railway.com/) if you’ve got feedback or run into any issues. ## Reset Database Credentials and Manage Postgres Extensions [Video: Rolling database credentials and managing Postgres extensions] Two features around databases are now GA: - Reset database credentials: you can now regenerate a secure password for your database - Manage Postgres extensions: you’ll be able to view available Postgres extensions and install/uninstall them These features should be especially useful when you need to roll database credentials or extend your Postgres database. In the future, you can expect more opinionated workflows that remove the need for deep database expertise and allow you to focus on what you’re building. If you have any specific feature requests around databases on Railway, let us know on [Central Station](https://station.railway.com/). ## SMTP Is Now Available for Pro Users [SMTP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Mail_Transfer_Protocol) (the protocol behind sending emails) relies on ports `25`, `456`, or `587`. Since Railway’s early days, we’ve blocked these ports to prevent abuse, which worked … but also limited legitimate email workflows. A few months ago, an unintended config change briefly opened up SMTP across all plans. In that window, many of you successfully wired-up production email flows, and when we rolled the change back, it became clear this was functionality people genuinely needed. So, we’re making this happy accident official: SMTP support is now available for users on the **Pro plan**. This gives established apps a reliable path for email while letting us maintain a secure, fair environment for everyone. Check out the [documentation for outbound networking](https://docs.railway.com/reference/outbound-networking#email-delivery) to learn more. If you’re not on the Pro plan, no worries, you can still send emails through HTTP-based APIs such as [Resend](https://railway.com/deploy/resend). ## Fixes and Improvements - We fixed an issue where new preview environments could mistakenly inherit from another preview instead of the correct base environment. This improves consistency and ensures previews always reflect the intended base branch for reliable testing - We fixed an issue where validation errors in the `railway.toml`/`railway.json` config files were missing from build logs, so they now appear clearly during builds. This improves visibility and makes debugging configuration issues faster and easier - We fixed an issue where pushing unsupported Docker images caused the build to hang. Now the build step fails fast with a clear error message