How do I deploy Backstage on Railway?

You can deploy Backstage on Railway by clicking the "Deploy Now" button on this page. Railway will automatically set up all the necessary services and configurations for you.

What are the system requirements?

Railway handles all the infrastructure requirements. You only need a web browser to deploy and manage your application.

Is this template free to use?

Yes, this template is free to use within your existing Railway account.

Can I customize this template?

Yes, you can fully customize this template. After deployment, you will have full control of what you've deployed in your Railway project.

How do I get support for this template?

You can get support through our community forum: backstage-31549768, or click "Get template help" for this template for more assistance.

Deploy and Host Backstage on Railway

Backstage is an open-source framework developed by Spotify for building customized internal developer portals. It unifies your organization’s software ecosystem including microservices, documentation, and infrastructure into a single "pane of glass" interface, allowing teams to manage their software catalog, documentation (TechDocs), and CI/CD pipelines in one centralized location.

About Hosting Backstage

Hosting Backstage involves deploying a multi-layered application consisting of a React frontend and a Node.js backend. In a production environment, Backstage requires a persistent database (ideally PostgreSQL) to store the software catalog and plugin metadata. The deployment process typically centers around containerization, where the app is built into a Docker image containing both the static frontend assets and the server-side logic. On Railway, this is streamlined by connecting your GitHub repository, where Railway automatically detects the Dockerfile or Nixpacks configuration, manages environment variables for authentication (like GitHub OAuth), and provisions the necessary database plugins.

Common Use Cases

Centralized Software Catalog: Maintain a unified directory of all microservices, libraries, and APIs, providing clear ownership and technical metadata for every component in your ecosystem.
Developer Self-Service: Use Software Templates to automate the creation of new projects with pre-configured CI/CD, boilerplate code, and infrastructure, ensuring adherence to best practices.
Technical Documentation (TechDocs): Centralize documentation by using a "docs-like-code" approach where Markdown files live in the source code repository but are rendered within the Backstage UI.

Dependencies for Backstage

PostgreSQL Database: Required for production environments to persist the Software Catalog, Scaffolder state, and plugin data.
Node.js Environment: Backstage is built on the Node.js runtime (v18 or v20+ recommended) to execute its backend logic and serve the frontend application.

Deployment Dependencies

Why Deploy Backstage 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 Backstage 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.