---
title: "Deploy Dossier Resume Tailoring"
description: "Tailor CVs and cover letters to each job from your own profile"
category: "AI/ML"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-dossier-ai-resume-tailoring
---

# Deploy Dossier Resume Tailoring

Tailor CVs and cover letters to each job from your own profile

**[Deploy Dossier Resume Tailoring on Railway](https://railway.com/template/deploy-dossier-ai-resume-tailoring)**

Machine-readable deploy manifest (JSON, validated by TemplateCI): https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-dossier-ai-resume-tailoring/manifest.json

- **Creator:** onepush
- **Category:** AI/ML

## Template content

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

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

### Dossier https://github.com/AienTech.png

- **Image:** ghcr.io/onepush-dev/dossier:1.10.0
- **Health check:** /api/health
- **Public domain:** Yes

## Documentation

# Deploy and Host self hosted Dossier Resume Tailoring (Job-Specific Resume and Cover Letter Tailoring) on Railway

This template deploys Dossier, a self-hosted app that tailors a resume and cover letter to each job ad using only your profile facts.

## About Hosting Dossier Resume Tailoring open-source software on Railway (self hosted self-hosted resume and cover letter tailoring from your profile facts template)

Dossier is an AGPL-3.0 Next.js 16 app on PostgreSQL, version 1.10.0, built for one person with one password.

This template runs the Dossier app on port 3000 with a /data volume and a private PostgreSQL 18 database.

## Why Deploy Dossier Resume Tailoring, the Teal alternative on Railway (Railway Free Trial)

Teal is a well-known job-search tracker, but it keeps your profile on its servers.

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 Dossier Resume Tailoring 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.

### Railway vs Other Hosting Providers and VPS for Dossier Resume Tailoring self hosting

Railway trades some control for a mostly point-and-click setup, while a VPS gives full ownership but more work.

| Provider | What You Get with Railway | What You Get with the Other Provider |
|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | Dossier and PostgreSQL 18 deploy from one template, with a persistent /data volume. | A Droplet you manage yourself, including Docker, Postgres, TLS, and patching. |
| AWS | One template with the login password and DOSSIER_SECRET generated, with no IAM or VPC setup. | Broad networking and storage control, but much configuration before Dossier runs. |
| Hetzner | Build, restart, and healthcheck behavior handled for you. | Good value per core, but you own the OS, reverse proxy, and backups. |

If you want profile data on a machine you fully control, a VPS is the better fit even though it asks more of you.

## Common Use Cases for hosted Dossier Resume Tailoring

- **Tailoring a CV to one job ad:** Paste a posting into a new application and Dossier builds the resume from the experience already in your profile, so every claim traces back to something you actually did.
- **Spotting requirements the profile does not cover:** When a posting asks for a skill or credential your profile lacks, Dossier flags it as a gap, so you can decide whether to add real experience or address it honestly in the letter.
- **Writing a cover letter for each recipient:** The sender, date, recipient, greeting and sign-off are all editable parts, so you can reuse one draft across applications without sending a letter addressed to the wrong company.
- **Drafting on a local model:** Point Dossier at Ollama or LM Studio through the local provider settings, and your profile and documents never leave your own hardware.
- **Exporting a themed PDF per application:** Choose one of the twelve resume themes for each role, export the finished resume and cover letter as PDFs, and keep a dated record of what you sent where.

## Dependencies for Dossier Resume Tailoring Docker hosted on Railway

Dossier Resume Tailoring runs as two Railway services, and both must be healthy before the app loads.

### Deployment Dependencies for Managed Dossier Resume Tailoring Service (Next.js app + PostgreSQL 18)

The Dossier service is a Next.js 16 application on public port 3000, with a volume at /data, a healthcheck at /api/health, and a restart policy of ALWAYS.

### Implementation Details for Dossier Resume Tailoring (Using Dossier official docker image)

The image is ghcr.io/onepush-dev/dossier:1.10.0, built on the upstream ghcr.io/aientech/dossier:v1.10.0 image with a startup script that fixes /data ownership, hashes DOSSIER_LOGIN_PASSWORD, waits up to 120 seconds for Postgres, then runs migrations and starts the server.

## How does Dossier Resume Tailoring compare against other ways to tailor a CV and cover letter to a job ad without inventing experience

### Dossier Resume Tailoring vs Teal (Teal Alternative)

- **Tailoring source:** Dossier builds each resume and letter only from your profile, so a requirement the profile does not cover is flagged as a gap instead of invented.
- **Hosting:** Dossier is AGPL-3.0 software you run on Railway with your data on your own volume, while Teal is a hosted service.
- **Where Teal wins:** Teal is a widely known job-search tracker with broader pipeline management, so it covers more than Dossier does.

### Dossier Resume Tailoring vs Rezi (Rezi Alternative)

- **Focus:** Dossier drafts from your profile and the posting you paste, rather than filling a template for ATS formatting.
- **Gap handling:** Dossier shows uncovered requirements so you add real experience, while Rezi centers on keyword-friendly output.
- **Where Rezi wins:** Rezi is a widely known AI resume builder with an ATS-friendly focus, so it is more direct if you want polished formatting from a blank start.

### Dossier Resume Tailoring vs Jobscan (Jobscan Alternative)

- **Purpose:** Jobscan scores an existing resume against a posting, while Dossier generates the tailored resume and letter from your profile.
- **Honesty of output:** Dossier only uses profile facts, so the draft does not inflate keyword coverage with experience you never had.
- **Where Jobscan wins:** Jobscan is a quick keyword-match check, so it is faster if you only want a score for one job.

### Dossier Resume Tailoring vs Kickresume (Kickresume Alternative)

- **Approach:** Kickresume is a template-based builder, while Dossier drafts each document per job from your profile and exports PDFs with a chosen theme.
- **Local option:** Dossier can run drafting on a local model through Ollama or LM Studio so profile data stays on your hardware.
- **Where Kickresume wins:** Kickresume has a large template library and a simple visual editor, so it suits designing documents by hand.

## How to use Dossier Resume Tailoring (the OSS Job-Specific Resume and Cover Letter Tailoring)?

1. Open your Railway Dossier domain and sign in with the DOSSIER_LOGIN_PASSWORD value.
2. Confirm DOSSIER_PUBLIC_URL is set to https plus your Railway public domain.
3. Build the profile: basics, skills, experience, projects and education, watching the strength meter.
4. Open Settings to AI provider and set DOSSIER_AI_PROVIDER (openai, anthropic, mistral, local or lmstudio) and DOSSIER_AI_KEY if you use a hosted provider.
5. Choose New application and paste the job posting.
6. Review the gaps Dossier flags and add real experience to the profile rather than accepting invented claims.
7. Refine the resume and cover letter in chat, or edit and regenerate any part, undoing or reverting AI changes as needed.
8. Export the finished resume and cover letter as PDFs.

```
DOSSIER_AI_PROVIDER=openai
DOSSIER_AI_KEY=your-api-key
DOSSIER_PUBLIC_URL=https://your-railway-domain
DOSSIER_LOGIN_PASSWORD=your-generated-password
```

## How to self host Dossier Resume Tailoring on other VPS Services (Dossier self hosting guide)

### Clone the Repository

Clone the Dossier source and check out the release tag you want to run.

```bash
git clone https://github.com/AienTech/dossier.git
cd dossier
git checkout v1.10.0
```

### Install Dependencies

Install the packages and generate the Prisma client.

```bash
npm install
npx prisma generate
```

### Configure Environment Variables

Create a `.env` file with the database connection, public URL, and sign-in password.

```bash
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/dossier
DOSSIER_PUBLIC_URL=https://your-domain
DOSSIER_LOGIN_PASSWORD=choose-a-long-password
DOSSIER_SECRET=generate-a-48-character-secret
DOSSIER_AI_PROVIDER=local
DOSSIER_DATA_DIR=/data
```

### Start the Dossier Resume Tailoring Application

Run the migrations, build, and start the server, then sign in at your domain to confirm it loads.

```bash
npx prisma migrate deploy
npm run build
npm start
```

Railway handles the managed Postgres service, the public domain, HTTPS, and the persistent `/data` volume for you.

## Official Pricing of Dossier Resume Tailoring (Dossier pricing)

Dossier is free and open source under AGPL-3.0, so there is no license fee.

## Dossier Resume Tailoring cloud vs self hosted comparison (Pricing, features, costs, and more)

Dossier is free software, so the real choice is paying a hosted platform for convenience or paying for your own server plus the AI provider you pick.

### Monthly cost of self hosting Dossier Resume Tailoring on Railway

Dossier costs nothing to license, but Railway bills for compute and storage across the two services, and a hosted AI provider bills separately for API usage.

### System Requirements for Hosting Dossier Resume Tailoring on a VPS

Dossier is a Next.js 16 app on PostgreSQL, so a VPS needs enough memory for both the Node process and the database, plus persistent storage for the /data volume and backups.

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

### Does Dossier invent experience to match a job ad?

No. Drafts use only facts from your profile.

### What happens if my profile is incomplete?

The drafts are only as complete as the profile.

### Can I keep my profile data on my own hardware?

Yes. A hosted provider receives the text it writes from.

### How do I edit or undo AI changes in a cover letter?

Change any part of the letter, including sender, date, recipient, greeting and sign-off, and regenerate sections as needed.

### Which providers are supported, and who pays for API usage?

Dossier supports openai, anthropic, mistral, local and lmstudio through DOSSIER_AI_PROVIDER.

### How do I export the finished documents as PDFs?

Export the finished resume and cover letter as PDFs.


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