---
title: "Deploy Chatwoot"
description: "Intercom, Zendesk Alternative: Modern customer support platform"
category: "CMS"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/chatwoot-customer-support
---

# Deploy Chatwoot

Intercom, Zendesk Alternative: Modern customer support platform

**[Deploy Chatwoot on Railway](https://railway.com/template/chatwoot-customer-support)**

- **Creator:** A3A
- **Category:** CMS
- **Total deploys:** 4

## Template content

### Redis https://cdn.sanity.io/images/sy1jschh/production/0ce0bfdcfbdbf69662b1116671f97c2dd788b655-157x157.svg

- **Image:** redis:8.2.1
- **Start command:** `/bin/sh -c "rm -rf $RAILWAY_VOLUME_MOUNT_PATH/lost+found/ && exec docker-entrypoint.sh redis-server --requirepass $REDIS_PASSWORD --save 60 1 --dir $RAILWAY_VOLUME_MOUNT_PATH"`

### chatwoot-web https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/chatwoot.svg

- **Image:** chatwoot/chatwoot:v4.16.2-ce
- **Start command:** `/bin/sh -c 'echo "Rails.application.config.assume_ssl = true" > /app/config/initializers/zz_railway_assume_ssl.rb; exec bundle exec rails s -p 3000 -b 0.0.0.0'`
- **Health check:** /health
- **Public domain:** Yes

### chatwoot-worker https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/chatwoot.svg

- **Image:** chatwoot/chatwoot:v4.16.2-ce
- **Start command:** `/bin/sh -c 'bundle exec rails ip_lookup:setup && exec bundle exec sidekiq -C config/sidekiq.yml'`

### Postgres https://devicons.railway.app/i/postgresql.svg

- **Image:** ghcr.io/railwayapp-templates/postgres-ssl:18

## Buckets

- **chatwoot-storage**

## Documentation

![Chatwoot logo](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1786135023/de24a304-fefd-4182-a7e9-7d3f4fb2c5a6.png)

# Deploy and Host Chatwoot on Railway

Chatwoot is an open-source customer engagement platform: live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and SMS collapsed into one shared inbox your support agents work from. Built on Rails and Vue, it is the self-hosted alternative to Intercom, Zendesk and Freshdesk — no per-seat fee, and every conversation stays on infrastructure you control.

Self-host Chatwoot on Railway from the official `chatwoot/chatwoot:v4.16.2-ce` image. `chatwoot-web` runs Puma on port `3000` behind the public domain, health-checked at `/health`; a private `chatwoot-worker` runs Sidekiq, so job throughput is never tied to web memory. Managed **Postgres**, **Redis** and a Railway **object storage bucket** hold records, queues and attachments — no volume needed.

![Chatwoot Railway architecture](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1786135138/43e06718-1729-487e-b920-d58e935c3f58.png)

## Getting Started with Chatwoot on Railway

Open the Railway domain once both services are green. Chatwoot ships **no default credentials**: the first request redirects to `/installation/onboarding`, a one-time form creating the super-admin. It appears even with `ENABLE_ACCOUNT_SIGNUP=false` and closes for good once submitted, so claim it immediately. Then open **Settings → Inboxes → Add Inbox → Website** for a script tag to paste into your site. To verify end to end, load the widget in a private window, message yourself as a visitor and reply from the dashboard: a live conversation proves Postgres, Redis and ActionCable are wired, the bot follow-ups prove Sidekiq is draining, and an attachment confirms the bucket. Set SMTP before inviting teammates; unset, the mailer falls back to sendmail, which the image lacks.

![Chatwoot dashboard screenshot1](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1786135156/02-reports_bvtk6d.png)
![Chatwoot dashboard screenshot2](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1786135157/01-conversations_ekzlwy.png)
![Chatwoot dashboard screenshot3](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1786135154/03-chat-widget_zst2jr.png)

## About Hosting Chatwoot

Self-host Chatwoot when transcripts are regulated data, when per-agent pricing stops scaling, or when the widget must come from your domain.

- **Shared omnichannel inbox** — website chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, SMS and an API channel in one queue.
- **Embeddable live chat widget** — colours, greetings, pre-chat forms and business hours per inbox.
- **Automations, canned responses and a Help Center** — routing rules plus a knowledge base inside the widget.
- **Reports, CSAT and CSV export**, a **REST API**, signed **webhooks** and **agent bots**.

## Why Deploy Chatwoot on Railway

Railway runs the web tier, worker tier and all three data stores as one project:

- Pinned `v4.16.2-ce` image on both services — no `latest` drift.
- Explicit start commands, so neither container falls back to the image's IRB default.
- Migrations run as a pre-deploy step, not on every boot.
- Managed Postgres already carrying pgvector, plus Redis and a bucket.
- HTTPS domain, `/health` check and the SSL setting Rails needs behind a proxy.

## Common Use Cases

- **Omnichannel support desk** — one queue for chat, email and social; no tab-hopping.
- **WhatsApp-first support** — work a WhatsApp Business number beside every other channel.
- **In-product support** — embed the widget, identify logged-in users, route by plan.

## Dependencies for Chatwoot

- **`chatwoot-web`** — [`chatwoot/chatwoot:v4.16.2-ce`](https://hub.docker.com/r/chatwoot/chatwoot), port `3000`, health check `/health`. Puma serves the dashboard, widget and API. The image sets `CMD ["irb"]` and no `ENTRYPOINT`, so a start command is required.
- **`chatwoot-worker`** — same image running `sidekiq -C config/sidekiq.yml`, private: mail, webhooks, bot replies, report rollups. Match its tag to web; stay at one replica, as scheduled jobs assume one leader.
- **`Postgres`** — Chatwoot's schema declares the `vector` extension, so plain Postgres refuses the schema load; `pg_trgm`, `pgcrypto` and `pg_stat_statements` are needed too. Managed Postgres 18 has all four.
- **`Redis`** — Sidekiq queues, ActionCable pub/sub for live delivery, cached config.
- **`chatwoot-storage`** — S3-compatible bucket for attachments, avatars and article images.

### Chatwoot Environment Variables Reference

| Variable | What it does |
|---|---|
| `FRONTEND_URL` | Public base URL for links, emails and widgets |
| `SECRET_KEY_BASE` | Signs sessions; identical on web and worker |
| `ACTIVE_RECORD_ENCRYPTION_*` | Three keys for MFA secrets; losing them locks users out |
| `FORCE_SSL` | HSTS and secure cookies; needs `assume_ssl` behind a proxy |
| `SMTP_ADDRESS` | Unset falls back to sendmail, which is absent |

### Deployment Dependencies

[chatwoot/chatwoot](https://github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot) · [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/r/chatwoot/chatwoot) · [docs](https://developers.chatwoot.com). The pinned **`-ce` (Community Edition)** build is MIT throughout; the plain `v4.16.2` tag bundles an `enterprise/` tree licensed for production only with a paid subscription, so Captain AI, SLAs and SAML are absent.

## Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting Chatwoot

| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2 vCPU across both services | 4 vCPU (~10k conversations/day) |
| RAM | 2 GB total | 4–8 GB (8 GB ≈ 20k/day) |
| Storage | No volume | 5–10 GB Postgres |
| Runtime | PostgreSQL 14+ with pgvector, Redis 7+ | PostgreSQL 18, Redis 8 |

At rest it draws ~1.0 GB for web, ~0.56 GB for the worker and ~0.15 GB for the data stores; `WEB_CONCURRENCY=1` roughly halves the web figure.

## Self-Hosting Chatwoot with Docker

Upstream ships a production Compose file covering both roles plus Postgres and Redis:

```
git clone https://github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot.git
cd chatwoot && cp .env.example .env
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yaml run --rm rails rails db:chatwoot_prepare
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yaml up -d
```

Or run the web container alone, passing the start command:

```
docker run -d --name chatwoot-web -p 3000:3000 \
  -e SECRET_KEY_BASE="$(openssl rand -hex 64)" \
  -e DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:pass@postgres:5432/chatwoot_production" \
  -e REDIS_URL="redis://:pass@redis:6379" \
  -e FRONTEND_URL="https://support.example.com" \
  chatwoot/chatwoot:v4.16.2-ce \
  bundle exec rails s -p 3000 -b 0.0.0.0
```

The worker runs the same image with `bundle exec sidekiq -C config/sidekiq.yml`; migrations belong in a release step.

## Chatwoot vs Intercom and Zendesk

| | Chatwoot CE | Intercom | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-host | Yes, MIT | No | No |
| Cost | Infrastructure only | from ~$29/seat | from ~$25/agent |
| Channels | Chat, email, WhatsApp, social | Chat, email, social | Adds voice |

Only Chatwoot runs end to end on hardware you own.

## How Much Does Chatwoot Cost to Self-Host?

Chatwoot Community Edition is free and MIT-licensed with no agent cap, conversation cap or per-message fee, so self-hosting on Railway costs infrastructure only. Chatwoot Cloud runs from a free 2-agent tier through $19, $39 and $99 per agent per month, and paid self-hosted plans ($19 for Captain AI, $99 for SSO/SAML and SLAs) unlock the enterprise build.

## Troubleshooting Self-Hosted Chatwoot

**Health checks time out with no request logs** → `FORCE_SSL=true` redirects plain-HTTP requests, and the probe arrives internally without `X-Forwarded-Proto`. Chatwoot sets `force_ssl` but not `assume_ssl`, and the SSL middleware sits above the Rails logger, so redirected probes log nothing and the app looks idle rather than broken. The start command sets `assume_ssl` in an initializer, keeping HSTS and secure cookies.

**Schema load aborts on `extension "vector" is not available`** → `vector` and `pg_stat_statements` are untrusted extensions a non-superuser cannot create. Create them as a superuser before first boot; Railway's managed Postgres already has them.

## FAQ

**What is Chatwoot?**

A shared omnichannel inbox for live chat, email, WhatsApp, social and SMS, plus a knowledge base, automations and reports — open source and self-hostable.

**What does this Railway template deploy?**

`chatwoot-web` (`chatwoot/chatwoot:v4.16.2-ce`, port `3000`, health check `/health`), a private `chatwoot-worker` running Sidekiq on the same image, managed Postgres, Redis and a bucket. No volume.

**Why does self-hosted Chatwoot need Postgres, Redis and object storage?**

Postgres holds accounts, contacts and messages; Redis backs the Sidekiq queues and the ActionCable channel behind live delivery; the bucket holds attachments, so both containers stay stateless.

**What are the default login credentials for self-hosted Chatwoot?**

None. The first visit redirects to `/installation/onboarding`, which creates the super-admin once, then closes.

**How do I send and receive Chatwoot messages programmatically?**

Create an access token under **Profile Settings → Access Token** and call `/api/v1/accounts/{id}/...` with an `api_access_token` header; webhooks under **Settings → Integrations** push signed events out.


## Similar templates

- [Libredesk - Complete Setup](https://railway.com/deploy/libredesk-complete-setup) — [Jul'26] Complete self-hosted omnichannel customer support desk.
- [Paperless-ngx](https://railway.com/deploy/paperless-ngx-3) — Document management with OCR on Railway with PostgreSQL and Redis
- [Instatic CMS - Postgres](https://railway.com/deploy/instatic-cms-postgres) — Design, build and manage powerful static sites from state-of-the-art CMS

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