Deploy and Host Cobalt - Media Downloader on Railway

Cobalt is a self-hosted media downloader that lets you save media from supported platforms through a clean web interface. This template deploys both the Cobalt API backend and a modern frontend, giving you a complete browser-based downloader without needing to configure the two services manually.

Cobalt Tools

About Hosting Cobalt - Media Downloader

This template deploys two connected services:

Cobalt API — handles media processing and download requests
Cobalt Web UI — provides the browser interface for submitting media links

The frontend is pre-configured to communicate with the Cobalt backend inside the same Railway project, so the stack is ready to use immediately after deployment.

Cobalt can process supported media links from platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X, and other compatible services.

The result is a simple self-hosted downloader with your own backend, your own frontend, and control over where the service runs.

Included Architecture

Service	Purpose
Cobalt API	Processes media URLs and handles download requests
Cobalt Web UI	Browser-based interface for submitting links and downloading media
Railway Private Networking	Connects the frontend to the API internally
Railway Public Networking	Provides HTTPS access to the web interface

                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │      User       │
                    └────────┬────────┘
                             │
                             ▼
                  Railway HTTPS Proxy
                             │
                             ▼
                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │ Cobalt Web UI   │
                    │                 │
                    │ Paste URL       │
                    │ Download Media  │
                    └────────┬────────┘
                             │
                    Private Network
                             │
                             ▼
                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │   Cobalt API    │
                    │                 │
                    │ Media Process   │
                    │ Download API    │
                    └─────────────────┘

Common Use Cases

Self-host your own media downloader
Download supported video, audio, and media content
Provide a private downloader for personal or team use
Access media downloads through a clean web interface
Run your own Cobalt backend instead of relying on a public instance
Integrate media downloading into internal workflows
Use the API backend from other applications or automation tools

Cobalt vs Public Media Downloaders

Feature	Cobalt Self-Hosted	Public Downloader Services
Self-hosted	✅ Yes	❌ Usually managed
Own backend	✅ Yes	❌ No
Web interface	✅ Yes	✅ Usually
API access	✅ Yes	⚠️ Varies
Infrastructure control	✅ Full control	❌ Provider controlled
Private deployment	✅ Yes	❌ Usually public

Self-hosting Cobalt is useful when you want more control over the downloader infrastructure and prefer not to depend entirely on a third-party hosted instance.

Dependencies for Cobalt - Media Downloader Hosting

This template deploys two services:

Cobalt API using ghcr.io/imputnet/cobalt:latest
Cobalt Web UI using ghcr.io/spotdemo4/cobalt-web:latest

No PostgreSQL, Redis, or other external database is required for this setup.

The frontend communicates with the Cobalt API within the same Railway project.

Deployment Dependencies

Cobalt Website: https://cobalt.tools/
Cobalt GitHub: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt
Cobalt API Image: https://ghcr.io/imputnet/cobalt
Railway Networking: https://docs.railway.com/networking

Getting Started

After deployment:

Wait until both services are online.
Open the public Railway domain assigned to the Cobalt Web UI service.
Paste a supported media URL.
Select the available download option.
Download the processed media directly from the browser.

No external database setup is required.

Deployment Notes

The Cobalt API performs the media processing, while the Web UI acts as the user-facing frontend.

For most users, only the Web UI needs to be publicly accessible. The API can communicate with the frontend over Railway's private network unless you specifically need public API access.

This keeps the deployment simple while reducing unnecessary public exposure of backend services.

Why Deploy Cobalt - Media Downloader 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 Cobalt - Media Downloader on Railway, you get a complete self-hosted media downloading stack with a dedicated API backend, modern web interface, private service networking, and simple one-click deployment.