Deploy and Host Evolution API on Railway

Evolution API is an open-source WhatsApp REST API built on Baileys. Connect a personal WhatsApp account via HTTP endpoints without Meta's Business API approval. Send messages, manage groups, receive webhooks, and automate workflows—all through a simple REST interface.

About Hosting Evolution API

Hosting Evolution API requires a PostgreSQL database for persistence (instances, messages, contacts, chats), Redis for cache and session management, and a persistent volume for WhatsApp instance authentication data. The API listens on port 8080 and exposes REST endpoints for instance creation, QR code connection, messaging, and webhook configuration. Railway provisions all services and handles networking, SSL, and scaling.

Common Use Cases

Chatbots and conversational automation
Notifications, alerts, and broadcast messaging
Customer support and helpdesk integration
Multi-instance WhatsApp management for agencies

Dependencies for Evolution API Hosting

PostgreSQL: Persistence for instances, messages, contacts, and chats.
Redis: Cache and session management.
Persistent Volume: Mount path /evolution/instances for auth data.

Implementation Details

Environment Variables

Variable	Value
`DATABASE_PROVIDER`	`postgresql`
`DATABASE_CONNECTION_URI`	`${{Postgres.DATABASE_URL}}`
`CACHE_REDIS_URI`	`${{Redis.REDIS_URL}}`
`CACHE_REDIS_ENABLED`	`true`
`SERVER_URL`	`https://${{RAILWAY_PUBLIC_DOMAIN}}`
`AUTHENTICATION_API_KEY`	`${{secret(64, "abcdef0123456789ZXCVBNM")}}`

Volumes

Mount: /evolution/instances for persistent instance data.

Quick Start (Local)

Run cp .env.example .env
Run docker compose up -d
The API will be available at http://localhost:8080.

Deployment Dependencies

Why Deploy Evolution API 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 Evolution API 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.