Deploy and Host Isso on Railway

Isso is a commenting server that gives a static site the discussion thread a site generator can't provide. Drop one `

```

Add that page's origin to ISSO_HOST first, or the browser blocks the request.

Running Isso elsewhere means the same image plus a configuration file. This starts it with Docker, mounting a config directory and a database directory:

mkdir -p config db
curl -o config/isso.cfg \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/isso-comments/isso/master/contrib/isso.sample.cfg
# set dbpath = /db/comments.db and host = https://yourblog.example
docker run -d --name isso -p 8080:8080 \
  -v "$PWD/config:/config" -v "$PWD/db:/db" \
  ghcr.io/isso-comments/isso:0

The [general] host key is mandatory — Isso refuses to start when it is empty, because that list doubles as the CORS allow-list.

How Much Does Isso Cost to Self-Host?

Isso is free and open source under the MIT licence — no paid tier, no hosted plan, no per-comment pricing, which is why people move to it from Disqus or Hyvor Talk. On Railway you pay only for the compute, memory and storage the two services use.

Isso vs Other Comment Systems

	Isso	Disqus	Commento
Self-hosted	Yes	No	Yes
Reader account required	No	Yes	Optional
Database	SQLite	Hosted	PostgreSQL
Tracking / ads	None	Yes	None
Licence	MIT	Proprietary	MIT

FAQ

What is Isso? An open-source commenting server that embeds a comment thread in any web page with one script tag. It is a self-hosted replacement for Disqus and stores comments in SQLite.

What does this Railway template deploy? Two services: isso, the commenting server with a volume for its SQLite database, and mailpit, a capture-only SMTP server for its moderation and reply notifications.

Why does the template include a mail server? Moderation and reply notifications are both e-mail, and without SMTP they fail silently. Mailpit captures the mail so both work immediately; point ISSO_SMTP_HOST at a real relay to have it delivered.

How do I log in to the Isso admin panel? Go to /admin/ on the isso service's domain. There is no username — Isso authenticates with one password, generated into the ISSO_ADMIN_PASSWORD variable, which you can read or change in the Railway dashboard.

How do I add comments to my Hugo or Jekyll blog? Set ISSO_HOST to your blog's URL, then put the `