Deploy and Host

Deploy Betula, a self-hosted federated bookmark manager with ActivityPub support, on Railway with one click.

About Hosting

Betula is a lightweight, single-user bookmark manager with Fediverse integration. This template provides a production-ready deployment with:

• Docker multi-stage build (Go 1.23 + Alpine 3.19)
• SQLite database with persistent Railway Volume
• CGO-enabled for native SQLite support
• Automatic HTTPS via Railway
• ActivityPub/Fediverse federation
• Optimized image size (~20-30 MB)

Post-deployment steps:

1. Add Railway Volume: Variables → Add Volume → Mount at /data → Size: 1 GB
2. Open your Railway-generated URL
3. Create your admin account
4. Optional: Configure custom domain for federation

Live example: https://bookmarks.stevennoack.de

Common Use Cases

• Personal bookmark management with privacy focus
• Federated link sharing via ActivityPub
• Self-hosted alternative to Pinboard/Pocket
• IndieWeb-compatible link collections
• Fediverse-integrated linklog

Why Deploy

Benefits:

• ✅ Zero-config deployment (just add volume)
• ✅ Production-ready Docker setup
• ✅ Automatic HTTPS via Let's Encrypt
• ✅ Self-hosted privacy-first bookmarking
• ✅ Fediverse integration out-of-the-box
• ✅ Lightweight (~30 MB image)
• ✅ Git-based updates (push = deploy)
• ✅ Single SQLite file (easy backups)

Perfect for privacy-conscious users wanting self-hosted bookmark management with Fediverse integration.

Dependencies for Betula Deployment

Required:

• Railway Volume (mount at /data, minimum 1 GB for SQLite database)

Optional:

• Custom domain (required for ActivityPub federation)

Deployment Dependencies

External resources:

• Betula Documentation: https://betula.mycorrhiza.wiki/
• Source Code: https://codeberg.org/bouncepaw/betula
• ActivityPub Guide: https://betula.mycorrhiza.wiki/activitypub