---
title: "Deploy Listmonk"
description: "Mailchimp alternative. Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager"
category: "Other"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/listmonk-railway
---

# Deploy Listmonk

Mailchimp alternative. Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager

**[Deploy Listmonk on Railway](https://railway.com/template/listmonk-railway)**

- **Creator:** A3A
- **Category:** Other
- **Total deploys:** 1

## Template content

### listmonk https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/listmonk.svg

- **Source:** https://github.com/gridalpha/listmonk-railway
- **Public domain:** Yes

### mailpit https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/mailpit.svg

- **Image:** axllent/mailpit:latest
- **Health check:** /livez
- **Public domain:** Yes

### Postgres https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/postgresql.svg

- **Image:** ghcr.io/railwayapp-templates/postgres-ssl:18

## Documentation

![Listmonk logo](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1787074806/8703e51f-70db-4a9a-8503-04eeda9dc1d1.png)

# Deploy and Host Listmonk on Railway

Listmonk is a self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager built as a single Go binary on PostgreSQL. It owns the lifecycle a hosted platform normally rents you: subscribers with arbitrary JSON attributes, opt-in lists, segmentation by raw SQL, campaign authoring, bounce processing, analytics, a public archive, and a REST API for all of it. Anyone whose Mailchimp bill scales with a list they already own ends up here — Listmonk's cost does not move when that list grows from five thousand people to half a million.

Self-host Listmonk on Railway and this template gives you the working shape rather than a bare container. Three services deploy together: **Listmonk** on a public URL with a volume for uploaded media, a managed **PostgreSQL** database holding subscribers, campaigns, settings and sessions, and **Mailpit** as the mail service Listmonk relays through privately. The source repository, [gridalpha/listmonk-railway](https://github.com/gridalpha/listmonk-railway), wraps the official `listmonk/listmonk` image with a boot script that installs the schema, gives Listmonk a scoped non-superuser database role, and writes the public URL into the settings table — Listmonk reads those rows *after* the environment, so otherwise every link it mails would point at `localhost`.

![Listmonk Railway architecture](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1787074787/e64f0812-730b-4dfd-b832-39acf6c60523.png)

## Getting Started with Listmonk on Railway

Deploying asks for a username and password for the super admin. They are read once, while the schema is created — with no admin credentials Listmonk serves an open "create the first user" page instead, which on a public URL hands the instance to whoever finds it first. Once the deploy is green, sign in at `/admin`; a sample list, subscriber and draft campaign are waiting.

Create your own list under **Lists → New**, choosing *Public* and *Double opt-in*. Open `/subscription/form` in a private window and subscribe as a reader would. The confirmation email lands in Mailpit within seconds: open the Mailpit URL from your Railway project, sign in with its basic-auth credentials, and click the link inside. That subscriber flipping to *Confirmed* proves the database, the public pages and the mail path all work in one pass. Then write a campaign under **Campaigns → Create new**, point it at the list, and send. Before mailing real people, replace the Mailpit target under **Settings → SMTP** with your own provider — until you do, mail is captured rather than delivered, which is the safe default rather than a bug.

![Listmonk campaign editor holding August release notes](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1787026232/listmonk-campaign-editor.png)
![Listmonk subscribers list showing confirmed and unconfirmed opt-ins](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1787026239/listmonk-subscribers-optin.png)
![Listmonk public archive page for a sent newsletter](https://res.cloudinary.com/rroe4rtk/image/upload/v1787026243/listmonk-published-archive.png)

## About Hosting Listmonk

Listmonk splits the two halves hosted platforms sell as one: it manages *who* you send to and *what* you send, but does not run mail servers. Point it at a relay — SES, Postmark, Resend, Mailgun — and per-message cost becomes that relay's raw rate.

- **Segmentation by SQL** — any expression valid in a `WHERE` clause targets a campaign, including queries against subscriber JSON attributes.
- **Double opt-in with one-click unsubscribe** — confirmation flows, unsubscribe pages, `List-Unsubscribe` headers and blocklisting, on by default.
- **Bounce processing** — webhooks for SES, SendGrid and Postmark, or a POP3 mailbox, with thresholds that blocklist automatically.
- **Archive, API and roles** — publish campaigns to a browsable archive with RSS; per-list permissions, API tokens, optional OIDC, CSV import at scale.

PostgreSQL is the only durable store that matters — subscribers, campaigns, analytics, settings and sessions all live there, which is why a redeploy never signs you out.

## Why Deploy Listmonk on Railway

Railway removes the parts of self-hosting a mailing list that are pure overhead:

- Managed PostgreSQL with backups, no database administration
- Private networking between Listmonk, Mailpit and the database
- HTTPS and a public domain automatically, custom domains supported
- Persistent volumes, health checks and automatic restarts

## Common Use Cases

- **Product and release newsletters** — announce changes to users who opted in, segmented by plan or signup date held in subscriber attributes.
- **Independent publishing** — run a newsletter with a public archive and RSS, with no per-subscriber platform fee.
- **Lifecycle mail via API** — the REST API sends templated one-off messages, so an application can drive onboarding sequences.

## Dependencies for Listmonk

- **Listmonk** — [gridalpha/listmonk-railway](https://github.com/gridalpha/listmonk-railway), a boot script layered on `listmonk/listmonk:latest` (v6.2.0). Serves the dashboard, public pages, archive and API on port 9000, and runs the campaign sender in-process.
- **PostgreSQL** — Railway managed `postgres-ssl` (PostgreSQL 18). Required; `pgcrypto` is created automatically.
- **Mailpit** — `axllent/mailpit:latest` (v1.30.7). Accepts SMTP privately and relays upstream once configured.

### Environment Variables Reference

| Variable | Service | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `LISTMONK_ADMIN_USER` | Listmonk | Super admin username, min 3 characters |
| `LISTMONK_ADMIN_PASSWORD` | Listmonk | Super admin password, min 8 characters |
| `LISTMONK_ROOT_URL` | Listmonk | Override the public URL; unset uses the Railway one |
| `MP_UI_AUTH` | Mailpit | `user:password` protecting the web inbox |
| `MP_SMTP_RELAY_HOST` | Mailpit | Upstream provider to forward mail to |

`LISTMONK_SMTP_*` and `LISTMONK_FROM_EMAIL` reach the settings table only while it holds the shipped default, so later edits under **Settings** survive every redeploy.

### Deployment Dependencies

- Runtime: Go single binary on Alpine, PostgreSQL 12 or newer
- GitHub: [knadh/listmonk](https://github.com/knadh/listmonk) · [axllent/mailpit](https://github.com/axllent/mailpit)
- Docs: [listmonk.app/docs](https://listmonk.app/docs/)

## Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting Listmonk

| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 0.5 vCPU | 2 vCPU |
| RAM | 512 MB | 1–2 GB |
| Storage | 1 GB volume | 5 GB volume plus database growth |
| Runtime | PostgreSQL 12+ | PostgreSQL 18 |

Raise `app.concurrency` and `app.message_rate` under **Settings → Performance**, keeping both under your relay's rate limit.

## Self-Hosting Listmonk

The quickest local run uses Docker Compose:

```
curl -LO https://github.com/knadh/listmonk/raw/master/docker-compose.yml
LISTMONK_ADMIN_USER=admin LISTMONK_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changemeplease docker compose up -d
```

Listmonk is then on `http://localhost:9000`. Configuration is environment-driven when you pass an empty config path — dots become double underscores, so `db.host` is `LISTMONK_db__host`. Against an existing database:

```
docker run -p 9000:9000 -v listmonk-uploads:/listmonk/uploads \
  -e LISTMONK_app__address=0.0.0.0:9000 \
  -e LISTMONK_db__host=postgres.internal -e LISTMONK_db__user=listmonk \
  -e LISTMONK_db__password=secret -e LISTMONK_db__database=listmonk \
  -e LISTMONK_ADMIN_USER=admin -e LISTMONK_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changemeplease \
  listmonk/listmonk:latest \
  sh -c "./listmonk --install --idempotent --yes --config '' && ./listmonk --config ''"
```

## How Much Does Listmonk Cost to Self-Host?

Listmonk is free and open source under AGPL-3.0, with no paid tier, subscriber cap or feature gating. The only bills are Railway usage for the three services and whatever your SMTP relay charges per message — commonly a few cents per thousand. Against per-subscriber pricing the saving grows with the list: a hundred thousand contacts cost the same to host as a thousand.

## FAQ

**What is Listmonk?**

A free, open-source, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager written in Go and backed by PostgreSQL. It handles subscribers, lists, campaigns, opt-in, bounces and analytics, relaying mail through an SMTP provider you supply.

**What does this Railway template deploy?**

Listmonk on a public URL with a media volume, a managed PostgreSQL database, and Mailpit as the SMTP target and web inbox. The schema is installed on first boot and a super admin created from the credentials you supply.

**Why does the template include a database and a mail service?**

PostgreSQL is required — Listmonk stores subscribers, campaigns, settings and sessions there and will not start without it. Mailpit is there because Listmonk cannot complete a double opt-in with nowhere to send the confirmation: with no mail target, the very first public subscription fails.

**How do I send real email instead of capturing it in self-hosted Listmonk?**

Either point **Settings → SMTP** at your provider's credentials, or set `MP_SMTP_RELAY_HOST`, `MP_SMTP_RELAY_USERNAME`, `MP_SMTP_RELAY_PASSWORD` and `MP_SMTP_RELAY_ALL=true` on Mailpit. Railway allows outbound SMTP on Pro and above; on lower plans use a provider reachable over HTTPS. On a custom domain, also update **Settings → General → Root URL** — that value is what goes into unsubscribe and archive links.

**Can I run more than one Listmonk instance on Railway?**

Run one. Listmonk has a passive mode where extra instances serve traffic without processing campaigns, but a settings change reloads only the instance you made it on, so a second keeps stale SMTP settings until redeployed by hand.


## Similar templates

- [Rocky Linux](https://railway.com/deploy/rocky-linux) — Hosted Rocky Linux 9 workspace with SSH and persistent storage. 🚀
- [Foundry Virtual Tabletop](https://railway.com/deploy/X5tR6G) — A Self-Hosted & Modern Roleplaying Platform
- [Letta Code Remote](https://railway.com/deploy/letta-code-remote) — Run a Letta Code agent 24/7. No inbound ports, just deploy.

Open this page in a browser: https://railway.com/deploy/listmonk-railway