Deploy and Host Hi.Events on Railway

Deploy Hi.Events on Railway to run a complete event management and ticketing platform you own entirely. Self-host Hi.Events to eliminate per-ticket platform fees, process payments through your own Stripe account, and keep full control of attendee data. This template pre-configures the all-in-one container with PostgreSQL and Redis.

Hi.Events is an open-source Eventbrite alternative built with Laravel and React. Run Hi.Events on Railway and get conversion-optimized checkout, QR check-in, promo codes, analytics, and webhooks — all behind your own domain with automatic HTTPS.

Getting Started with Hi.Events on Railway

After deployment completes, visit your Railway-provided URL to reach the registration page. The first user to register becomes the organizer with full administrative access. Create your account, then click "Create Event" to set up your first event with a title, date, venue, and description.

Navigate to "Tickets" to create ticket types — free, paid, or donation-based. Connect your Stripe account under Settings for paid ticket sales with instant payouts. Use the drag-and-drop homepage builder to customize your event page, then share the URL or embed the ticket widget on your existing website.

About Hosting Hi.Events

Hi.Events is an open-source event management platform (AGPL-3.0) for organizers who want full control over events and revenue.

• Stripe Connect payments — instant payouts to your bank account
• Flexible ticket types — paid, free, donation, tiered pricing, capacity limits
• QR code check-in — mobile scanning with real-time attendance tracking
• Drag-and-drop event pages — branded homepages without coding
• Embeddable widget — ticket widget for WordPress, Wix, or any HTML page
• Real-time analytics — sales dashboards, affiliate tracking, webhooks
• Multi-language — 12+ languages with full localization

The all-in-one image bundles nginx, PHP-FPM, Node.js SSR, queue worker, and scheduler under supervisord.

Why Deploy Hi.Events on Railway

One-click deployment with managed infrastructure:

• Railway handles TLS, DNS, and container orchestration
• PostgreSQL and Redis provisioned automatically with internal networking
• Persistent volume preserves uploads across redeploys
• Scale vertically as ticket volume grows

Common Use Cases for Self-Hosted Hi.Events

• Conferences and workshops — tiered pricing, promo codes, and capacity management
• Nightlife and festivals — high-volume ticket sales with QR check-in at the door
• Charity fundraisers — donation-based tickets with zero platform fees
• Community meetups — free registration with attendee tracking and email messaging

Dependencies for Self-Hosted Hi.Events

• Hi-Events — daveearley/hi.events-all-in-one:v1.9.0-beta (all-in-one)
• Postgres — Railway-managed PostgreSQL
• Redis — Railway-managed Redis

Environment Variables Reference for Hi.Events on Railway

Deployment Dependencies for Hi.Events

• Docker Hub: daveearley/hi.events-all-in-one
• GitHub: HiEventsDev/Hi.Events
• Docs: hi.events/docs

Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting Hi.Events

The all-in-one image runs five processes under supervisord. A Railway Pro plan with 1 GB RAM handles most workloads.

Self-Hosting Hi.Events with Docker

Run the full stack with docker-compose:

services:
  hi-events:
    image: daveearley/hi.events-all-in-one:v1.9.0-beta
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    volumes:
      - storage:/app/backend/storage
    environment:
      APP_KEY: "base64:your-generated-key"
      DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://user:pass@postgres:5432/hievents"
      REDIS_HOST: "redis"
      VITE_FRONTEND_URL: "https://events.example.com"
      VITE_API_URL_CLIENT: "https://events.example.com/api"
      VITE_API_URL_SERVER: "http://localhost:80/api"
    depends_on: [postgres, redis]
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: hievents
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: changeme
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
volumes:
  storage:
  pgdata:

Generate the Laravel APP_KEY before first boot:

docker run --rm daveearley/hi.events-all-in-one:v1.9.0-beta \
  php /app/backend/artisan key:generate --show

How Much Does Hi.Events Cost to Self-Host?

Hi.Events is free and open source (AGPL-3.0) with no limits on events, tickets, or attendees. On Railway, a typical deployment runs under $10/month. The managed cloud charges 0.75% + $0.40 per ticket, passable to buyers.

Hi.Events vs Eventbrite

Hi.Events suits organizers who want zero platform fees and full data ownership.

FAQ

What is Hi.Events and why should you self-host it? Hi.Events is an open-source event management and ticketing platform — a self-hosted Eventbrite alternative. Self-hosting eliminates per-ticket platform fees and gives you full data ownership.

What does this Railway template deploy for Hi.Events? Three services: the Hi.Events all-in-one container (nginx, PHP-FPM, Node.js SSR, queue worker, scheduler), PostgreSQL for storage, and Redis for queues and caching. A persistent volume stores uploads.

Why does Hi.Events on Railway need both PostgreSQL and Redis? PostgreSQL stores persistent data (events, tickets, orders, attendees). Redis handles async job processing, caching, and session storage. Both are required.

How do I connect Stripe for paid ticket sales on self-hosted Hi.Events? Set VITE_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY to your Stripe publishable key in Railway, then connect your Stripe account in the dashboard settings. Payouts go directly to your bank via Stripe Connect.

Can I embed Hi.Events ticket sales on my existing website? Yes. Copy the embed code from your event dashboard and paste it into any website — WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or plain HTML. The widget handles the full checkout flow.

How do I send real emails from self-hosted Hi.Events on Railway? Change MAIL_MAILER from log to smtp and add MAIL_HOST, MAIL_PORT, MAIL_USERNAME, MAIL_PASSWORD with your SMTP provider credentials. Redeploy for changes to take effect.