Deploy AFFiNE 0.27 Docs and Whiteboards

Deploy and Host AFFiNE with Railway

AFFiNE is an open-source workspace that combines docs, whiteboards and databases on one canvas. This community template runs the AFFiNE 0.27 self-hosted server on Railway with PostgreSQL (pgvector), Redis, a Manticore search indexer and a Railway Bucket for files, and creates your administrator account on first start.

About Hosting AFFiNE

AFFiNE's server is a Node.js application that stores documents in PostgreSQL, uses Redis for real-time sync and background jobs, and keeps uploaded images and attachments in a file store. Since version 0.27 most settings live in a config.json file; this template generates it from Railway variables on every start, so files go to a Railway Bucket and no manual configuration is needed. Database migrations run in Railway's pre-deploy step. A stable server key is derived from a generated secret, so sessions and stored secrets survive redeploys. The Manticore indexer adds server-side full-text search, and AI features work with your own provider key.

Common Use Cases

• Team knowledge base and wiki that replaces Notion, with data on your own infrastructure.
• Whiteboards and diagrams next to the documents they belong to, like Miro inside your docs.
• Project planning with database views (tables, kanban) linked to pages.
• Personal or family notes synced across the desktop, mobile and web apps.

Dependencies for AFFiNE Hosting

• AFFiNE self-hosted server (ghcr.io/toeverything/affine)
• PostgreSQL 16 with pgvector
• Redis
• Manticore Search (indexer)
• S3-compatible storage (Railway Bucket)
• Optional: SMTP server for invitations and password resets (Railway Pro plan), AI provider key

Deployment Dependencies

• AFFiNE self-hosting documentation: https://docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine
• Configuration (config.json): https://docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/configuration
• Indexer setup: https://docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/administer/indexer
• AFFiNE releases: https://github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/releases
• AFFiNE pricing and self-hosted plans: https://affine.pro/pricing
• Railway Buckets: https://docs.railway.com/storage-buckets

Implementation Details

First login. Enter your email in AFFINE_ADMIN_EMAIL when deploying. After the first deploy, sign in with that email and the generated AFFINE_ADMIN_PASSWORD from the service variables, then change the password. The admin panel is at /admin.

Adding people. Sign-up is closed by default. Open it in Admin → Settings, or create accounts in Admin → Accounts. Invitation and password-reset emails need SMTP (MAILER_HOST, MAILER_PORT, MAILER_USER, MAILER_PASSWORD, MAILER_SENDER), which Railway allows on the Pro plan.

AI. AI is enabled with bring-your-own-key: workspace owners add a provider key under Workspace Settings → Integrations.

Apps. In the AFFiNE desktop or mobile app, add a self-hosted server with your Railway domain.

Custom domain. Update AFFINE_SERVER_HOST and AFFINE_SERVER_EXTERNAL_URL and redeploy.

Licensing. AFFiNE states that self-hosting is free for up to 10 seats per workspace; larger teams need AFFiNE's self-hosted Team plan. Check AFFiNE's pricing page for current terms.

Scaling. AFFiNE runs as one server process; give the service more memory and CPU as your team grows. Files scale with the Bucket.

Pinning and upgrades. The version is the FROM line in services/affine/Dockerfile. Change it after reading the release notes and push; migrations run before the new version starts. Desktop and mobile apps must be on a compatible version.

Why Deploy AFFiNE on Railway?

Railway runs AFFiNE with its database, cache, search engine and file storage on a private network with automatic HTTPS, so your team gets a self-hosted Notion and Miro alternative in one deploy. You own the data, files scale in a low-cost Bucket, and you pay for the resources you use.