Deploy and Host Firefox on Railway

Firefox is a free, open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation. Running Firefox inside a Docker container enables users to access a full desktop browser environment directly through any modern web browser via WebRTC/vnc streaming. It provides privacy-focused, isolated browsing capabilities accessible from anywhere on any device.

About Hosting Firefox

Hosting Firefox on Railway deploys a containerized desktop browser powered by the linuxserver/firefox Docker image. Railway handles the underlying container execution, routing HTTP traffic to the WebRTC/noVNC web interface. Persistent storage via a Railway Volume mounted at /config ensures browser profiles, user settings, extensions, and cached data remain intact across container restarts or redeployments. Railway automatically manages SSL/TLS termination, exposing a secure HTTPS URL for safe remote browser access. No dedicated database services are required for hosting this browser instance.

Common Use Cases

Remote isolated browsing and web testing from constrained network environments or non-desktop devices.
Secure, containerized browsing environment for research without affecting host machine configurations.
Hosting an always-on headless or graphical web browser instance accessible from anywhere.

Dependencies for Firefox Hosting

Dependency	Purpose
Railway Volume	Persistent storage for Firefox user profiles, browser settings, extensions, and local configuration files.

Deployment Dependencies

Implementation Details

Docker

Deploy directly using the official Docker image: linuxserver/firefox:latest

Public Networking

Setting	Value
Proxy Type	HTTP Proxy
Target Port	`3000`

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
`CUSTOM_USER`	No	Default username for browser web authentication (Default: `user`).
`PASSWORD`	No	Password for browser web authentication.
`PUID`	No	User ID for file permission management (Default: `1000`).
`PGID`	No	Group ID for file permission management (Default: `1000`).
`TZ`	No	Timezone setting for the container environment (Default: `Asia/Shanghai`).

Raw Editor Example:

CUSTOM_USER=user
PASSWORD=your_secure_password
PUID=1000
PGID=1000
TZ=Utc

Persistent Storage

Persistent storage is required to save browser data across restarts.

Open your Railway Service settings.
Go to Settings > Volumes.
Click Add Volume.
Set the Mount Path to:

/config

This volume stores user profiles, extensions, bookmarks, and configuration files.

Database

No database service (PostgreSQL, Redis, MySQL, or MongoDB) is required for this deployment.

Build & Start

No custom build or start commands are required. Railway runs the pre-built Docker image directly.

Accessing the Application

Go to your Railway Service settings and select Networking.
Click Generate Domain to assign a public domain to your service.
Open the generated HTTPS URL in your web browser.
Log in using the default username user (or your configured CUSTOM_USER) and the password specified in your PASSWORD environment variable.

Why Deploy Firefox 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 Firefox 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.