Deploy and Host Dufs on Railway

Dufs is a distinctive utility file server that supports static serving, uploading, searching, accessing control, webdav...

About Hosting Dufs

Hosting Dufs on Railway involves deploying its official Docker image as a service. Since Dufs is a self-contained binary, it's incredibly lightweight and perfect for containerization. The process requires setting up a persistent volume on Railway to ensure your files are not lost when the service restarts. You'll configure Dufs using a start command, where you can specify permissions (like allowing uploads and deletes), set user authentication, and define the directory to be served from the persistent volume. Railway handles the networking, providing you with a public URL to access your file server instantly.

Common Use Cases

Personal Cloud Storage: Create a private, self-hosted cloud drive by enabling WebDAV, allowing you to mount your storage on your computer or mobile device.
Quick File Sharing: Easily share files, folders, or archives with friends, family, or colleagues without relying on third-party services.
Simple Static Site Hosting: Host a simple static website, portfolio, or a single-page application (SPA) directly from a folder with its built-in rendering options.

Dependencies for Dufs Hosting

Docker: Dufs is deployed as a container, making Docker a core dependency for the build and deployment process on Railway.
A Railway Volume: To store files persistently, you need to attach a volume to the Dufs service.

Deployment Dependencies

Implementation Details

To deploy Dufs, you can use the official Docker image or create a Dockerfile in your repository. Railway will automatically detect and build it.

1. Create a Dockerfile

This Dockerfile uses a multi-stage build to create a small, optimized image.

# Dockerfile
FROM rust:1-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /usr/src/dufs
RUN apk add --no-cache musl-dev
RUN cargo install dufs --locked
RUN strip /usr/local/cargo/bin/dufs

FROM alpine:latest
RUN apk add --no-cache ca-certificates
COPY --from=builder /usr/local/cargo/bin/dufs /usr/local/bin/
# Create a non-root user
RUN addgroup -S appgroup &amp;&amp; adduser -S appuser -G appgroup
USER appuser
# Default port
EXPOSE 5000
# Default command (can be overridden in Railway)
CMD ["/data"]

2. Configure the Start Command on Railway

In your service settings on Railway, set the Start Command. This command tells Dufs which directory to serve (your volume, typically mounted at /data) and what permissions to enable.

To allow all operations (upload, delete, search):
```
dufs /data -A
```
To set up a user with a password and full permissions:
```
dufs /data -A -a "your_username:your_password@/:rw"
```
> Note: It is highly recommended to set authentication for any publicly accessible file server. You can also use environment variables like DUFS_AUTH to manage credentials securely.

Why Deploy Dufs 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 Dufs 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.