---
title: "Deploy Coder | Open Source GitHub Codespaces Alternative"
description: "Self-host Coder on Railway. Remote dev environments with any IDE"
category: "Other"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/coder-remote-development
---

# Deploy Coder | Open Source GitHub Codespaces Alternative

Self-host Coder on Railway. Remote dev environments with any IDE

**[Deploy Coder | Open Source GitHub Codespaces Alternative on Railway](https://railway.com/template/coder-remote-development)**

- **Creator:** Heimdall
- **Category:** Other
- **Total deploys:** 15

## Template content

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

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

### Coder https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/coder-light.svg

- **Image:** ghcr.io/coder/coder:latest
- **Public domain:** Yes

## Documentation

![Coder dashboard](https://res.cloudinary.com/asset-cloudinary/image/upload/v1776445158/coder-dashboard_a3i4vz.png)

# Deploy and Host Coder on Railway

[![Deploy on Railway](https://railway.com/button.svg)](https://railway.com/deploy/coder-remote-development?referralCode=QXdhdr&utm_medium=integration&utm_source=template&utm_campaign=generic)

Deploy Coder on Railway to self-host your own remote development platform with zero infrastructure management. Coder lets teams provision cloud development environments on any infrastructure using Terraform templates — giving developers consistent, pre-configured workspaces accessible from VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, or a web terminal.

Self-host Coder on Railway with this template that pre-configures the Coder control plane server alongside a PostgreSQL database for persistent state. The control plane handles user management, template definitions, workspace orchestration, and the web dashboard — while workspace compute runs on your own Docker hosts, Kubernetes clusters, or cloud VMs connected via external provisioners.

## Getting Started with Coder on Railway

After deployment completes, visit your Coder URL to reach the first-time setup wizard. Create your admin account by entering a username, email, and password. Once logged in, you'll land on the Coder dashboard where you can create workspace templates.

Since Railway doesn't support Docker-in-Docker, this deployment runs as a **control plane only** — the web UI, API, and user management all work, but workspace provisioning requires connecting external provisioners. To start creating workspaces, install the Coder CLI on a machine with Docker or Kubernetes access and run `coder provisioner start` pointed at your Railway-hosted control plane. You can also use cloud-based templates (AWS EC2, GCP VMs, Azure) that don't need local Docker.

Navigate to **Templates** to browse the starter templates or create your own using Terraform. Invite team members under **Users** with role-based access controls.

## About Hosting Coder

Coder is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) remote development platform that provisions reproducible cloud development environments via Terraform. Unlike GitHub Codespaces (Azure-only, GitHub-only) or the now-deprecated Gitpod Classic, Coder is fully cloud-agnostic and self-hosted.

Key features:
- **Infrastructure-as-Code** — workspaces defined as Terraform templates, deployable on any cloud, on-prem, or air-gapped
- **Multi-IDE support** — VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, Windsurf, Jupyter, and web terminal
- **AI agent governance** — run Claude, Copilot, and other AI agents in auditable, sandboxed workspaces via Coder Tasks
- **Coder Desktop & Connect** — native desktop app with seamless remote access without port forwarding
- **Enterprise-grade security** — SOC 2 Type II, RBAC, audit logging, OIDC SSO, multi-org support
- **Automatic cost optimization** — auto-shutdown idle workspaces, right-size infrastructure

The Railway deployment uses two services: Coder (control plane) and PostgreSQL (state storage).

## Why Deploy Coder on Railway

A single-click Railway deployment gets your Coder control plane running without managing servers:

- Pre-configured PostgreSQL with automatic backups and failover
- HTTPS with Railway's TLS termination — no certificate management
- Scale the control plane independently from workspace compute
- Centralized admin dashboard accessible from anywhere
- Connect external provisioners for workspace creation on any infrastructure

## Common Use Cases for Self-Hosted Coder

- **Enterprise developer onboarding** — spin up pre-configured environments in seconds instead of days of manual setup
- **Regulated industries** — banks and government agencies keeping source code off developer laptops and on compliant infrastructure
- **AI coding agent management** — running and monitoring AI agents in governed, auditable workspaces with Coder Tasks
- **Remote/distributed teams** — consistent development environments regardless of developer location or hardware

## Dependencies for Coder on Railway

- **Coder** — `ghcr.io/coder/coder:latest` (v2.32.0) — control plane server
- **PostgreSQL** — `ghcr.io/railwayapp-templates/postgres-ssl:18` — persistent state storage

### Deployment Dependencies

- **Runtime:** Go binary in container, no build step required
- **Docker image:** [ghcr.io/coder/coder](https://github.com/coder/coder/pkgs/container/coder)
- **Source:** [github.com/coder/coder](https://github.com/coder/coder) (12.9k stars, AGPL-3.0)
- **Docs:** [coder.com/docs](https://coder.com/docs)

## Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting Coder

| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| CPU | 1 vCPU | 2 vCPU |
| RAM | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Storage | 1 GB (control plane) | 32 GB SSD (with PostgreSQL) |
| PostgreSQL | 13+ required | 16+ recommended |

The control plane scales at approximately +1 vCPU and +2 GB RAM per 250 users. Workspace resources are separate and depend on the compute infrastructure connected via external provisioners.

## Self-Hosting Coder with Docker

Run Coder locally with Docker Compose for development or evaluation:

```
services:
  coder:
    image: ghcr.io/coder/coder:latest
    ports:
      - "7080:7080"
    environment:
      CODER_ACCESS_URL: "http://localhost:7080"
      CODER_HTTP_ADDRESS: "0.0.0.0:7080"
      CODER_PG_CONNECTION_URL: "postgresql://coder:coder@database:5432/coder?sslmode=disable"
    depends_on:
      database:
        condition: service_healthy
  database:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: coder
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: coder
      POSTGRES_DB: coder
    volumes:
      - coder_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U coder -d coder"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
volumes:
  coder_data:
```

Start with:

```
docker compose up -d
# Visit http://localhost:7080 to create your admin account
```

## Is Coder Free to Self-Host?

Coder is fully open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license. The Community Edition is free with unlimited workspaces, templates, and users within a single organization. You pay only for your own compute infrastructure. A Premium Edition adds enterprise features like multi-org support, audit logging, HA replicas, and SLA-backed support — contact Coder for pricing. On Railway, your cost is purely infrastructure: the control plane and PostgreSQL services.

## Coder vs GitHub Codespaces vs Gitpod

| Feature | Coder | GitHub Codespaces | Gitpod (now Ona) |
|---------|-------|-------------------|------------------|
| Hosting | Self-hosted anywhere | Azure SaaS only | Pivoted away from CDEs (Oct 2025) |
| Open source | Yes (AGPL-3.0) | No | N/A |
| Cloud support | Any cloud, on-prem, air-gapped | Azure only | Was K8s-based |
| Repository support | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps | GitHub only | Was multi-provider |
| IDE support | VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, Windsurf, Jupyter | VS Code (primary) | Was VS Code, JetBrains |
| Data sovereignty | Code stays on your infra | Code on Microsoft infra | N/A |
| Pricing | Free (open source) + infra costs | Per-hour compute billing | Discontinued |

Coder is the strongest self-hosted option — especially after Gitpod's pivot to Ona left many teams looking for alternatives. GitHub Codespaces remains simpler for VS Code + GitHub-only workflows but lacks data sovereignty and multi-cloud support.

## FAQ

**What is Coder and why self-host it on Railway?**
Coder is an open-source platform for creating and managing remote cloud development environments. Self-hosting on Railway gives you a managed control plane with automatic HTTPS, PostgreSQL backups, and zero server maintenance — while keeping full control over where developer workspaces run.

**What does this Railway template deploy for Coder?**
The template deploys two services: the Coder control plane server (`ghcr.io/coder/coder:latest`) and a PostgreSQL 18 database for persistent state. The control plane handles the web dashboard, API, user management, and template definitions.

**Why does the Coder Railway template include PostgreSQL?**
Coder requires PostgreSQL 13+ to store user accounts, workspace metadata, template definitions, audit logs, and session state. Without a database, Coder cannot persist any configuration between restarts.

**Can I create developer workspaces with Coder deployed on Railway?**
The Coder control plane works fully on Railway, but workspace provisioning requires Docker or Kubernetes — which Railway doesn't provide. Connect external provisioners running on a machine with Docker/K8s access using `coder provisioner start`, or use cloud-based templates (AWS EC2, GCP VMs) that provision directly via cloud APIs.

**How do I connect an external provisioner to my Railway-hosted Coder instance?**
Install the Coder CLI on a machine with Docker or Kubernetes access. Set `CODER_PROVISIONER_DAEMON_PSK` as a shared secret on both the Railway Coder service and the provisioner machine, then run `coder provisioner start --psk  --url https://your-coder.up.railway.app`. The provisioner connects to the control plane and handles workspace creation.

**How do I enable SSO authentication for self-hosted Coder?**
Set the `CODER_OIDC_ISSUER_URL`, `CODER_OIDC_CLIENT_ID`, and `CODER_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET` environment variables to connect any OpenID Connect provider (Google, Okta, Auth0, Keycloak). For GitHub OAuth specifically, use `CODER_OAUTH2_GITHUB_CLIENT_ID` and `CODER_OAUTH2_GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET`.


## Similar templates

- [Rocky Linux](https://railway.com/deploy/rocky-linux) — Hosted Rocky Linux 9 workspace with SSH and persistent storage. 🚀
- [Foundry Virtual Tabletop](https://railway.com/deploy/X5tR6G) — A Self-Hosted & Modern Roleplaying Platform
- [Letta Code Remote](https://railway.com/deploy/letta-code-remote) — Run a Letta Code agent 24/7. No inbound ports, just deploy.

Open this page in a browser: https://railway.com/deploy/coder-remote-development