Deploy and Host code-server on Railway

Pinned VS Code in the browser (code-server 4.135.0) with a persistent home volume, a generated login password, Node.js + Python, and an HTTP healthcheck.

This is a single service. It is not the full Coder control plane.

About Hosting code-server

This template builds a thin Dockerfile FROM codercom/code-server:4.135.0 (Code 1.135.0). Railway gives it a public HTTPS domain. A volume is mounted at /home/coder so settings, Open VSX extensions, git config, and project files survive restarts.

The image also installs Node.js, npm, Python 3, pip, venv, and build-essential. code-server listens on $PORT, requires password auth, and exposes unauthenticated GET /healthz.

Why Deploy code-server on Railway

Faraz's 2022 coder/deploy-code-server marketplace listing still ships code-server 4.9.0, with no volume and no healthcheck. Official Coder is a heavier control plane.

This listing is healthier:

Pins a current 4.x tag (4.135.0) instead of :latest or 4.9.0
Mounts /home/coder so settings and extensions persist
Generates PASSWORD (${{secret()}}) instead of a shared default
HTTP healthchecks /healthz so Railway only routes to a live editor
Installs Node + Python in the image
Stays one service (code-server), not Coder's team control plane

Common Use Cases

Browser IDE on a persistent Railway volume
Remote Node.js / Python development without SSH
Always-on personal VS Code with Open VSX extensions
Teaching or demo environments that survive redeploys
Replacement for rotting 4.9.0 code-server clones

Dependencies for code-server Hosting

Public GitHub source: leoisadev1/railway-template-code-server
Docker image base: codercom/code-server:4.135.0
Railway volume at /home/coder
Generated PASSWORD secret
Public HTTP domain

Deployment Dependencies

Variable	Required	Default	Purpose
`PASSWORD`	generated	`${{secret()}}`	Login password. Railway generates a unique value per deploy.
`PORT`	injected	Railway sets this	Listen port. code-server honors `$PORT` over the image default of 8080.

Optional: set HASHED_PASSWORD (argon2) instead of PASSWORD if you want a hashed secret. HASHED_PASSWORD takes precedence.

Do not set PASSWORD to a dummy value in the template. Leave it as the generated secret.

Mount	Why
`/home/coder`	Persistent home. Settings, Open VSX extensions, `~/.config/code-server`, git config, and project files survive restarts.

UID 1000 (coder) owns the home directory. The entrypoint chowns the volume on first boot if Railway mounts it unwritable.

HTTP on $PORT (image also EXPOSE 8080). Railway assigns a public domain to this service.
Healthcheck: GET /healthz (unauthenticated). Returns {"status":"alive",...}.
Restart policy: on failure.

After Deploy

Copy PASSWORD from the code-server service Variables tab.
Open the Railway-generated HTTPS URL.
Sign in on the code-server login page (Welcome to code-server).

There is no unauthenticated shell and no SSH. Password auth is required.

Use the integrated terminal after login: node -v, python --version, npm, pip.