--- title: "Deploy Formbricks Experience Management | Open Source Typeform Alternative" description: "Self Host Formbricks. In-app surveys, NPS, CSAT, and feedback collection" category: "Analytics" url: https://railway.com/deploy/formbricks-survey-platform --- # Deploy Formbricks Experience Management | Open Source Typeform Alternative Self Host Formbricks. In-app surveys, NPS, CSAT, and feedback collection **[Deploy Formbricks Experience Management | Open Source Typeform Alternative on Railway](https://railway.com/template/formbricks-survey-platform)** - **Creator:** Heimdall - **Category:** Analytics - **Total deploys:** 12 ## Template content ### pgvector https://devicons.railway.app/postgres - **Image:** pgvector/pgvector:pg18 - **Start command:** `/bin/sh -c "unset PGPORT; docker-entrypoint.sh postgres --port=5432"` - **Public domain:** Yes ### Redis https://cdn.sanity.io/images/sy1jschh/production/0ce0bfdcfbdbf69662b1116671f97c2dd788b655-157x157.svg - **Image:** redis:8.2.1 - **Start command:** `/bin/sh -c "rm -rf $RAILWAY_VOLUME_MOUNT_PATH/lost+found/ && exec docker-entrypoint.sh redis-server --requirepass $REDIS_PASSWORD --save 60 1 --dir $RAILWAY_VOLUME_MOUNT_PATH"` ### MinIO - **Image:** minio/minio:latest - **Start command:** ` /bin/sh -c 'minio server /bitnami/minio/data --console-address :9001 & MINIO_PID=$!; sleep 8; mc alias set local http://localhost:9000 "$MINIO_ROOT_USER" "$MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD" && mc mb --ignore-existing local/formbricks && mc anonymous set download local/formbricks; wait $MINIO_PID'` - **Public domain:** Yes ### Formbricks https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/formbricks.svg - **Image:** ghcr.io/formbricks/formbricks:latest - **Health check:** /health - **Public domain:** Yes ## Documentation ![Formbricks logo](https://formbricks.com/_next/static/media/formbricks-logo-header-open-source-form-infrastructure.0fba6299.svg) # Deploy and Host Formbricks on Railway Deploy Formbricks on Railway to self-host a privacy-first survey and experience management platform. Formbricks is an open-source alternative to Typeform, SurveyMonkey, and Qualtrics that gives you full control over your survey data with unlimited responses. This Railway template pre-configures Formbricks with PostgreSQL (pgvector-enabled) for data storage and Redis for caching and rate limiting, giving you a production-ready survey platform in minutes. ## Getting Started with Formbricks on Railway After deployment completes, open your Railway-generated public URL. Formbricks redirects to the setup wizard at `/setup/intro` where you create your admin account and organization. No default credentials are used — you set your own email and password during first-time setup. Once registered, create your first survey from the dashboard. Choose between link surveys (shareable URLs), website surveys (embedded via JavaScript snippet), or in-app surveys (integrated with your product via the Formbricks SDK). The survey builder offers 20+ question types including NPS, CES, CSAT, open text, and multi-choice with skip logic and conditional branching. New user signups are disabled by default — additional team members join via invite links from the admin dashboard. ![Formbricks dashboard screenshot](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/de5f75f144bbea149a9810ddc180cae60089fc0f9b70fd1b2cab49c949795114/68747470733a2f2f6769746875622d70726f64756374696f6e2d757365722d61737365742d3632313064662e73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f3637353036352f3234393434313936372d63636238396561332d383262342d346266322d386432632d3532383732316563333133622e706e67) ## About Hosting Formbricks Formbricks is an open-source experience management suite built on Next.js, designed for product teams that need granular control over user feedback collection. It handles the full survey lifecycle — creation, targeting, distribution, and analytics — in a single self-hosted platform. - **In-app surveys** with precise user targeting based on attributes, events, and segments - **Website surveys** embeddable via a lightweight JavaScript snippet - **Link surveys** with custom branding and shareable URLs - **20+ question types** including NPS, CES, CSAT, matrix, ranking, and file upload - **Skip logic and conditional branching** for dynamic survey flows - **Built-in analytics** with response summaries, charts, and CSV/JSON export - **Webhooks and integrations** with Slack, Notion, Google Sheets, Airtable, and Zapier - **Multi-language support** for international survey distribution The template deploys three services: Formbricks (Next.js app), PostgreSQL with pgvector for vector-enabled data storage, and Redis for caching and rate limiting. ## Why Deploy Formbricks on Railway - Unlimited survey responses with no per-response fees - Full data ownership — survey data never leaves your infrastructure - One-click deploy with PostgreSQL and Redis pre-configured - Automatic HTTPS and custom domain support - Scale resources independently per service ## Common Use Cases for Self-Hosted Formbricks - **Product feedback loops** — embed in-app NPS and feature satisfaction surveys triggered by specific user actions - **Customer research** — distribute branded link surveys for user interviews, market research, and beta testing programs - **Employee engagement** — run anonymous pulse surveys and eNPS tracking across distributed teams - **GDPR-compliant data collection** — self-host in your own region to meet data residency and privacy requirements ## Dependencies for Self-Hosted Formbricks - **Formbricks** — `ghcr.io/formbricks/formbricks:latest` — Next.js survey application - **PostgreSQL** — `pgvector/pgvector:pg17` — database with vector extension support - **Redis** — `redis:8.2.1` (Railway-managed) — caching and rate limiting ### Environment Variables Reference for Formbricks on Railway | Variable | Description | Example | |----------|-------------|---------| | `WEBAPP_URL` | Public-facing app URL | `https://${{RAILWAY_PUBLIC_DOMAIN}}` | | `NEXTAUTH_URL` | NextAuth callback URL (same as WEBAPP_URL) | `https://${{RAILWAY_PUBLIC_DOMAIN}}` | | `DATABASE_URL` | PostgreSQL connection string | `postgresql://postgres:...@Postgres:5432/formbricks` | | `NEXTAUTH_SECRET` | Session signing and encryption key | `${{secret(32)}}` | | `ENCRYPTION_KEY` | 2FA and link survey URL encryption | `${{secret(64)}}` | | `CRON_SECRET` | API secret for cron job endpoints | `${{secret(32)}}` | | `REDIS_URL` | Redis connection string | `redis://default:...@Redis:6379` | ### Deployment Dependencies - **Runtime:** Node.js 18+, Next.js 16 - **Docker Hub:** [formbricks/formbricks](https://hub.docker.com/r/formbricks/formbricks) (archived — now on GHCR) - **GitHub:** [formbricks/formbricks](https://github.com/formbricks/formbricks) — 13k+ stars - **Docs:** [formbricks.com/docs/self-hosting](https://formbricks.com/docs/self-hosting/overview) ## Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting Formbricks | Resource | Minimum | Recommended | |----------|---------|-------------| | CPU | 1 vCPU | 2 vCPU | | RAM | 2 GB | 4 GB | | Storage | 8 GB SSD | 20 GB SSD | | Runtime | Docker | Docker Compose | ## Self-Hosting Formbricks with Docker Pull the official image from GitHub Container Registry: ``` docker pull ghcr.io/formbricks/formbricks:latest ``` Run Formbricks with Docker Compose using the official configuration: ``` services: postgres: image: pgvector/pgvector:pg17 volumes: - postgres:/var/lib/postgresql/data environment: POSTGRES_PASSWORD: your-secure-password POSTGRES_DB: formbricks redis: image: valkey/valkey:latest command: valkey-server --appendonly yes volumes: - redis:/data formbricks: image: ghcr.io/formbricks/formbricks:latest ports: - "3000:3000" environment: WEBAPP_URL: https://your-domain.com NEXTAUTH_URL: https://your-domain.com DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:your-secure-password@postgres:5432/formbricks?schema=public NEXTAUTH_SECRET: your-nextauth-secret ENCRYPTION_KEY: your-encryption-key CRON_SECRET: your-cron-secret REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379 depends_on: - postgres - redis volumes: postgres: redis: ``` Generate secrets with `openssl rand -hex 32` for `NEXTAUTH_SECRET`, `ENCRYPTION_KEY`, and `CRON_SECRET`. ## How Much Does Formbricks Cost to Self-Host? Formbricks is open-source under AGPLv3 with unlimited responses when self-hosted — no per-response fees or usage caps. The cloud version offers a free tier with 250 responses/month and paid plans starting at $30/month. Enterprise features (SSO, role management, advanced targeting) require a separate license key. On Railway, your only cost is infrastructure — typically $5–15/month for a small to medium survey deployment. ## Formbricks vs Typeform | Feature | Formbricks | Typeform | |---------|-----------|----------| | Open Source | Yes (AGPLv3) | No | | Self-Hosting | Full Docker support | Not available | | Pricing | Free (self-hosted) | From $25/mo | | In-App Surveys | Native SDK | Limited | | Response Limits | Unlimited | 10/mo (free) | | Data Ownership | Full control | Cloud only | | Skip Logic | Yes | Yes | | Integrations | Slack, Notion, Sheets, Zapier | 120+ native | Formbricks is purpose-built for product teams needing in-app feedback with precise user targeting. Typeform excels at standalone conversational forms with high completion rates but lacks self-hosting and charges per response. ## FAQ **What is Formbricks and why should you self-host it?** Formbricks is an open-source experience management platform for creating surveys, collecting feedback, and analyzing responses. Self-hosting gives you unlimited responses, full data ownership, and compliance with data residency requirements like GDPR — all without per-response fees. **What does this Railway template deploy for Formbricks?** This template deploys three services: the Formbricks Next.js application (`ghcr.io/formbricks/formbricks:latest`), PostgreSQL with pgvector extension (`pgvector/pgvector:pg17`) for data storage, and Railway-managed Redis for caching and rate limiting. All services are pre-configured to communicate over Railway's private network. **Why does Formbricks need PostgreSQL with pgvector on Railway?** Formbricks requires the pgvector extension for vector similarity search, which powers upcoming AI-driven features including intelligent survey analysis and response clustering. Standard PostgreSQL without pgvector will fail during database migrations. **How do I embed Formbricks surveys in my website or app?** After creating a survey in the dashboard, go to the survey settings and choose your distribution channel. For website surveys, copy the JavaScript snippet and add it to your site's `` tag. For in-app surveys, install the Formbricks SDK (`@formbricks/js`) and initialize it with your environment ID and API host URL pointing to your Railway deployment. **Can I use Formbricks for NPS and customer satisfaction surveys?** Yes. Formbricks includes dedicated NPS (Net Promoter Score), CSAT (Customer Satisfaction), and CES (Customer Effort Score) question types with built-in analytics dashboards that calculate scores automatically and track trends over time. **How do I enable email notifications in self-hosted Formbricks on Railway?** Set the SMTP environment variables (`SMTP_HOST`, `SMTP_PORT`, `SMTP_USER`, `SMTP_PASSWORD`, `MAIL_FROM`) in the Formbricks service on Railway. Without SMTP configured, email verification and password reset are disabled by default — the template ships with `EMAIL_VERIFICATION_DISABLED=1` and `PASSWORD_RESET_DISABLED=1`. ## Similar templates - [Matomo Analytics + MariaDB](https://railway.com/deploy/matomo-analytics-mariadb) — Privacy-friendly analytics with MariaDB and persistent volumes. - [Bugsink](https://railway.com/deploy/bugsink) — Self-hosted Error Tracking. Sentry-SDK compatible - [SubTrackr](https://railway.com/deploy/bscottsubtrackr) — Self-hosted Subscription Tracker Open this page in a browser: https://railway.com/deploy/formbricks-survey-platform