Deploy Brave

Deploy and Host Brave Browser on Railway

Brave is a privacy-focused, Chromium-based web browser designed to provide fast browsing, built-in ad blocking, and protection against online tracking. This Railway template allows you to deploy Brave as a persistent cloud browser with remote desktop access, powered by the official LinuxServer.io Docker image and Selkies streaming technology.

About Hosting Brave Browser

Hosting Brave Browser on Railway allows you to run a fully functional browser in the cloud without managing virtual machines, configuring Linux desktop environments, or maintaining a GitHub repository.

This template uses the official LinuxServer.io Brave Docker image, which integrates Selkies for browser-based remote desktop streaming. Railway handles container deployment, networking, and HTTPS termination, while persistent storage preserves browser profiles, bookmarks, extensions, and settings across redeployments.

The deployment supports configurable authentication, desktop hardening, and shared memory allocation. With no external database or additional services required, Brave provides a convenient environment for remote browsing, web application testing, and maintaining a dedicated browser workspace.

Common Use Cases

• Private Cloud Browser: Maintain a dedicated Brave browsing environment separate from your local device.
• Remote Browser Access: Access Brave from different devices through a web-based remote desktop.
• Privacy-Focused Browsing: Use Brave Shields to block many advertisements, trackers, and unwanted scripts.
• Persistent Browser Sessions: Preserve bookmarks, preferences, browser extensions, and profiles across deployments.
• Web Application Testing: Test websites and applications using Brave's Chromium-based rendering engine.
• Remote Development Workspace: Access web-based development tools, dashboards, and administration panels.
• Browser Isolation: Separate browser activity from your local operating system using a containerized environment.

Dependencies for Brave Browser Hosting

• Docker Image: lscr.io/linuxserver/brave:latest — official LinuxServer.io Brave container.
• Selkies: Integrated web-based remote desktop streaming.
• Persistent Storage: Railway volume mounted at /config for browser profiles and user data.
• Shared Memory: Recommended 1 GiB shared memory allocation.
• Networking: Railway-generated HTTPS domain forwarding to container port 3000.

No PostgreSQL, Redis, or additional database services are required.

Implementation Details

Docker Configuration

Environment Variables

RAILWAY_RUN_UID=0
RAILWAY_SHM_SIZE_BYTES=1073741824

PUID=1000
PGID=1000
TZ=Asia/Jakarta

PORT=3000
CUSTOM_PORT=3000

CUSTOM_USER=admin
PASSWORD=${{secret(32)}}

HARDEN_DESKTOP=true
SELKIES_ENABLE_SHARING=false

Environment Configuration Explained

The RAILWAY_SHM_SIZE_BYTES setting controls shared memory capacity, not the total RAM limit of the Railway service.

Persistent Storage

Mount a Railway persistent volume at:

/config

The volume stores Brave browser profiles, bookmarks, extensions, downloads, and application settings.

Browser data remains available across container restarts and redeployments while the persistent volume is retained.

Accessing Brave Browser

1. Deploy this template to your Railway project.
2. Open the generated Railway HTTPS domain.
3. Enter the configured CUSTOM_USER and PASSWORD credentials.
4. Access the Brave desktop through the Selkies web interface.
5. Start browsing and customize your persistent cloud browser.

Security Considerations

This template provides a dedicated containerized browser environment with configurable authentication and desktop restrictions.

However, the built-in HTTP Basic Authentication is intended for trusted environments and is not sufficient by itself for an internet-facing remote desktop.

For public deployments, use an additional authentication gateway, restrict access to trusted users, and avoid exposing sensitive applications without appropriate security controls.

Brave Shields improves protection against advertisements and tracking, but a cloud-hosted browser does not automatically provide anonymity or eliminate all privacy risks.

Resource Recommendations

• Memory: Start with 2 GB and increase based on actual usage.
• Shared Memory: 1 GiB recommended for browser stability.
• CPU: Start with 1–2 vCPUs.
• Storage: Allocate sufficient space for browser profiles, cached data, and downloads.
• GPU: Optional; standard browsing can operate using CPU rendering.

Why Use Brave Browser?

Brave Browser vs Alternatives

Brave is a strong choice for users who prefer Chromium compatibility with built-in advertising and tracking protection.

Mozilla Firefox provides an independent Gecko rendering engine, Microsoft Edge offers Microsoft-specific browser capabilities, and Chromium provides a general-purpose open-source Chromium environment.

Why Deploy Brave Browser 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 Brave Browser 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.