Deploy and Host AList on Railway

About Hosting AList

AList is an open-source file listing and management application that supports multiple cloud storage providers through a single web interface. Built with Gin and SolidJS, it enables users to browse, manage, and share files from various storage backends while providing a lightweight, modern, and easy-to-use administration experience.

Common Use Cases

Create a unified file browser for multiple cloud storage providers.
Self-host a personal or team file management platform with a web interface.
Share files and directories securely across different storage backends.

Dependencies for AList Hosting

Dependency	Required	Purpose
Railway Volume	Yes	Stores application data, configuration, database, and metadata persistently.

Deployment Dependencies

Resource	Link
Official Documentation	https://alist.nn.ci/
GitHub Repository	https://github.com/AlistGo/alist
Docker Image	https://hub.docker.com/r/xhofe/alist

Implementation Details

Docker

This template deploys the official Docker image:

xhofe/alist:latest

Railway pulls and runs the official container automatically.

Public Networking

Setting	Value
Proxy Type	HTTP Proxy
Target Port	`5244`

Generate a Railway domain from Settings → Networking → Generate Domain to access your AList instance over HTTPS.

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
`ADMIN_PASSWORD`	Yes	Initial password for the default administrator account.
`PUID`	No	User ID used by the container. Default: `0`.
`PGID`	No	Group ID used by the container. Default: `0`.
`TZ`	No	Container timezone.
`UMASK`	No	Default file permission mask.

Raw Editor example:

ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin
PUID=0
PGID=0
TZ=Asia/Karachi
UMASK=022

Persistent Storage

A persistent Railway Volume is required to preserve application data, configuration, and metadata across deployments.

Add a volume from:

Railway Service → Settings → Volumes → Add Volume

Mount Path:

/opt/alist/data

Without persistent storage, uploaded data, configuration, and the internal database will be lost whenever the container is recreated.

Database

AList uses its built-in local database stored within the application data directory. No external PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Redis service is required for the default deployment.

Build & Start

This template uses the official Docker image, so no custom build or start commands are required.

Accessing the Application

After deployment:

Generate a Railway domain from Settings → Networking → Generate Domain.
Open your generated Railway URL in a browser.
Sign in using:
- Username: admin
- Password: The value configured in ADMIN_PASSWORD.

If you change the administrator password later, use the updated credentials for subsequent logins.

Why Deploy AList on Railway?

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying AList on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway.