---
title: "Deploy Moodle | Open-Source Learning Management System (LMS) on Railway"
description: "Self-host Moodle. Most Popular LMS with courses, grading, 2k+ plugins."
category: "CMS"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/moodle
---

# Deploy Moodle | Open-Source Learning Management System (LMS) on Railway

Self-host Moodle. Most Popular LMS with courses, grading, 2k+ plugins.

**[Deploy Moodle | Open-Source Learning Management System (LMS) on Railway on Railway](https://railway.com/template/moodle)**

- **Creator:** Heimdall
- **Category:** CMS
- **Total deploys:** 33

## Template content

### Moodle https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/moodle-light.svg

- **Image:** bitnamilegacy/moodle:5.0.2-debian-12-r2
- **Public domain:** Yes

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

- **Image:** bitnami/mariadb:latest

## Documentation

![Moodle logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Moodle-logo.svg/960px-Moodle-logo.svg.png)

# Deploy and Host Moodle on Railway

Deploy Moodle, the world's most popular open-source learning management system, on Railway with a single click. Self-host Moodle on Railway to run your own LMS with full control over data, customization, and privacy — no vendor lock-in, no per-user fees.

This Railway template pre-configures Moodle with a MariaDB database, persistent storage for uploaded files and course content, HTTPS via Railway's TLS proxy, and production-ready environment variables so you can start creating courses immediately after deployment.

![Moodle Railway architecture](https://res.cloudinary.com/asset-cloudinary/image/upload/v1777300859/2791d866-2001-4f65-bc03-fcd35f7fb098.png)

## Getting Started with Moodle on Railway

After deploying, open your Railway-provided URL to see the Moodle homepage. Click **Log in** in the top right and enter the admin credentials you configured in `MOODLE_USERNAME` and `MOODLE_PASSWORD`. Navigate to **Site administration** from the left sidebar to configure your instance — set site policies, enable authentication plugins, and adjust the theme. Create your first course from **Site home → Add a new course**, add activities like quizzes, assignments, and forums, then enroll students via manual enrollment or self-enrollment keys.

![Moodle dashboard screenshot](https://res.cloudinary.com/asset-cloudinary/image/upload/v1777300847/8a04a156-f3e2-43f4-97cf-cc7e55f31aa2.png)

## About Hosting Moodle LMS

Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is a free, open-source LMS used by over 400 million users across 240+ countries. Built with PHP and backed by MariaDB or PostgreSQL, it powers e-learning for universities (MIT, Open University), corporations (Shell, Vodafone), and K-12 schools worldwide.

Key features of self-hosted Moodle include:

- **Course management** — create structured courses with modules, activities, quizzes, assignments, SCORM packages, and H5P interactive content
- **Grading and assessment** — rubrics, marking guides, competency frameworks, and a full gradebook with weighted categories
- **Plugin ecosystem** — 2,000+ plugins for video conferencing (BigBlueButton), plagiarism detection (Turnitin), analytics, and more
- **Multi-tenancy** — serve multiple departments or organizations from a single instance using category-based permissions
- **Mobile ready** — official Moodle mobile app connects to any self-hosted instance
- **SCORM and LTI compliance** — integrate with external tools and import standardized courseware

This template deploys two services: the Moodle application server (Bitnami legacy Docker image) and a MariaDB database for persistent storage of courses, users, grades, and configuration.

## Why Deploy Moodle on Railway

- Zero-config database provisioning with MariaDB included
- Persistent volumes for course files and Moodle data
- HTTPS out of the box via Railway's TLS proxy
- Scale vertically as your user base grows
- No per-user licensing fees — unlimited students and instructors

## Common Use Cases for Self-Hosted Moodle

- **University e-learning** — deliver blended or fully online degree programs with assignments, discussion forums, and video lectures
- **Corporate training and compliance** — onboard employees, track mandatory compliance certifications, and generate completion reports
- **K-12 classroom management** — distribute homework, run quizzes, and communicate with parents through the built-in messaging system
- **Professional certification** — create exam-based courses with timed quizzes, certificate generation, and badge awards

## Dependencies for Moodle on Railway

This template deploys two services:

- **Moodle** — `bitnamilegacy/moodle:5.0.2-debian-12-r2` — the LMS application server (PHP + Apache)
- **MariaDB** — `bitnami/mariadb:latest` — relational database for all Moodle data

### Environment Variables Reference for Moodle on Railway

| Variable | Service | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `MOODLE_DATABASE_HOST` | Moodle | MariaDB private domain (Railway reference) |
| `MOODLE_DATABASE_NAME` | Moodle | Target database name |
| `MOODLE_USERNAME` | Moodle | Admin account username |
| `MOODLE_PASSWORD` | Moodle | Admin account password |
| `MOODLE_SSLPROXY` | Moodle | Enable HTTPS URL generation behind proxy |
| `MOODLE_SKIP_BOOTSTRAP` | Moodle | Skip installer on container restarts |
| `MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD` | MariaDB | Database root password |
| `MARIADB_DATABASE` | MariaDB | Database name for Moodle |
| `MARIADB_USER` | MariaDB | Database user for Moodle |

### Deployment Dependencies

- **Runtime:** PHP 8.x, Apache 2.4 (bundled in Bitnami image)
- **Docker Hub:** [bitnamilegacy/moodle](https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnamilegacy/moodle), [bitnami/mariadb](https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnami/mariadb)
- **Official docs:** [docs.moodle.org](https://docs.moodle.org), [download.moodle.org](https://download.moodle.org)
- **GitHub:** [github.com/moodle/moodle](https://github.com/moodle/moodle)

## Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting Moodle

| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1 vCPU | 2+ vCPU |
| RAM | 1 GB | 2–4 GB |
| Storage | 1 GB (app) + 1 GB (DB) | 5+ GB (scales with course content) |
| Runtime | PHP 8.0+, MariaDB 10.6+ | PHP 8.2+, MariaDB 11.x |

Moodle's resource needs scale with concurrent users. For 50–100 concurrent users, 2 vCPU and 2 GB RAM is sufficient. Heavy use of video, SCORM packages, or large file uploads requires more storage.

## Self-Hosting Moodle with Docker

Clone the Bitnami Docker Compose setup for a quick local deployment:

```
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bitnami/containers/main/bitnami/moodle/docker-compose.yml > docker-compose.yml
docker compose up -d
```

Or run Moodle directly with Docker:

```
docker network create moodle-network

docker run -d --name mariadb \
  --network moodle-network \
  -e MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD=rootpass \
  -e MARIADB_DATABASE=bitnami_moodle \
  -e MARIADB_USER=bn_moodle \
  -e MARIADB_PASSWORD=moodlepass \
  -v mariadb_data:/bitnami/mariadb \
  bitnami/mariadb:latest

docker run -d --name moodle \
  --network moodle-network \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -e MOODLE_DATABASE_HOST=mariadb \
  -e MOODLE_DATABASE_NAME=bitnami_moodle \
  -e MOODLE_DATABASE_USER=bn_moodle \
  -e MOODLE_DATABASE_PASSWORD=moodlepass \
  -e MOODLE_USERNAME=admin \
  -e MOODLE_PASSWORD=changeme123 \
  -v moodle_data:/bitnami/moodledata \
  bitnamilegacy/moodle:5.0.2-debian-12-r2
```

Access Moodle at `http://localhost:8080` after the initial installation completes (2–5 minutes).

## Is Moodle Free to Self-Host?

Moodle LMS is 100% free and open-source under the GPL v3 license. There are no per-user fees, no feature gates, and no premium tiers for the core platform. Self-hosting costs are infrastructure only — on Railway, this means you pay only for the compute and storage your instance uses. Moodle also offers **Moodle Workplace** (a commercial product with multi-tenancy and advanced reporting) and **MoodleCloud** (managed hosting starting at ~$250/year), but the self-hosted open-source version includes all core LMS features.

## Moodle vs Canvas LMS vs Open edX

| Feature | Moodle | Canvas LMS | Open edX |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | GPL v3 (free) | AGPL v3 (free) | AGPL v3 (free) |
| Primary audience | K-12, higher ed, corporate | K-12, higher ed | MOOCs, higher ed |
| Plugin ecosystem | 2,000+ plugins | Limited extensions | XBlocks |
| Self-host complexity | Moderate (PHP + DB) | Complex (Ruby + Canvas ecosystem) | High (Django + multiple services) |
| Mobile app | Official app (free) | Official app (free) | Official app (free) |
| SCORM support | Full | Full | Via XBlock |
| Active users | 400M+ | 30M+ | 40M+ |

Moodle offers the deepest customization through its plugin ecosystem and is the easiest of the three to self-host. Canvas excels at collaboration with native Google Docs integration. Open edX is purpose-built for large-scale MOOCs.

## FAQ

**What is Moodle and why self-host it on Railway?**
Moodle is an open-source learning management system for creating online courses, managing enrollments, grading assignments, and tracking learner progress. Self-hosting on Railway gives you full data ownership, unlimited users with no per-seat fees, and the ability to install any of Moodle's 2,000+ plugins.

**What does this Railway template deploy for Moodle?**
This template deploys two services: the Moodle application server using the Bitnami legacy Docker image (`bitnamilegacy/moodle:5.0.2-debian-12-r2`) and a MariaDB database (`bitnami/mariadb`). Both services have persistent volumes for data durability across redeployments.

**Why does Moodle need MariaDB on Railway?**
Moodle stores all course content, user accounts, grades, quiz questions, forum posts, and configuration in a relational database. MariaDB is the recommended database for Moodle and is included in this template with automatic connection configuration via Railway service references.

**How do I install Moodle plugins on Railway?**
Navigate to **Site administration → Plugins → Install plugins** in the Moodle web interface. You can upload plugin ZIP files directly through the browser or install from the Moodle plugins directory. The persistent volume ensures plugins survive redeployments.

**How do I enable HTTPS for self-hosted Moodle on Railway?**
Railway automatically provides HTTPS via its TLS-terminating proxy. The template sets `MOODLE_SSLPROXY=yes` so Moodle generates `https://` URLs correctly. No additional SSL certificate configuration is needed.

**Can I migrate an existing Moodle instance to Railway?**
Yes. Export your existing database using `mysqldump`, import it into the Railway MariaDB service, and upload your `moodledata` directory contents to the Moodle service volume. Update the database connection variables to point to the Railway MariaDB instance.


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