Deploy and Host EtherCalc – Collaborative Spreadsheet on Railway

EtherCalc is an open-source, self-hosted collaborative spreadsheet application that enables multiple users to edit spreadsheets in real time. It provides instant synchronization, browser-based editing, and easy sharing without requiring desktop spreadsheet software, making it ideal for teams, classrooms, and collaborative projects.

About Hosting EtherCalc

Hosting EtherCalc on Railway provides a simple way to run your own collaborative spreadsheet server without managing infrastructure. Railway automatically builds and deploys the application from the official repository, provides HTTPS, networking, and persistent storage, and makes scaling straightforward. The template uses the latest standalone EtherCalc architecture with built-in storage, eliminating the need for Redis in new deployments. Once deployed, users can instantly create and share spreadsheets through a public URL while maintaining full control over their data.

Common Use Cases

• Real-time collaborative spreadsheets for teams
• Classroom assignments and live collaboration
• Internal planning, budgeting, and project tracking

Dependencies for EtherCalc Hosting

• Persistent Railway Volume (mounted at /data)
• Public Railway domain or custom domain

Deployment Dependencies

• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/audreyt/ethercalc
• Official Documentation: https://docs.ethercalc.net/
• Project Website: https://ethercalc.net/

Implementation Details

This template deploys the latest EtherCalc standalone Docker image built from the official repository. It listens on port 8000 and stores persistent spreadsheet data using a Railway Volume mounted at /data.

Recommended environment variables:

ETHERCALC_PORT=8000
ETHERCALC_HOST=0.0.0.0
ETHERCALC_DISABLE_ROOM_INDEX=1

For public deployments, you may also configure:

ETHERCALC_KEY=
ETHERCALC_EXPIRE=2592000
ETHERCALC_RATELIMIT=1

Why Deploy EtherCalc 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 EtherCalc 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.