--- title: "Deploy MuleSoft ESB | (Just Updated) Mule 4 Runtime With Deploy API, Apps Survive Redeploys" description: "MuleSoft ESB Mule 4 runtime with REST deploy API, apps persist on a volume" category: "Automation" url: https://railway.com/deploy/mulesoft-esb-or-just-updated-mule-4-runt --- # Deploy MuleSoft ESB | (Just Updated) Mule 4 Runtime With Deploy API, Apps Survive Redeploys MuleSoft ESB Mule 4 runtime with REST deploy API, apps persist on a volume **[Deploy MuleSoft ESB | (Just Updated) Mule 4 Runtime With Deploy API, Apps Survive Redeploys on Railway](https://railway.com/template/mulesoft-esb-or-just-updated-mule-4-runt)** Machine-readable deploy manifest (JSON, validated by TemplateCI): https://railway.com/deploy/mulesoft-esb-or-just-updated-mule-4-runt/manifest.json - **Creator:** SuperSlowSloth - **Category:** Automation ## Template content ### mule - **Image:** ghcr.io/bon5co/mule-railway:latest@sha256:7c6cee5fdb256002188731ad53b4a046004aac489c2c0b96327599845d4ec583 - **Health check:** /health - **Public domain:** Yes ## Documentation # Deploy and Host MuleSoft ESB on Railway **Built for an LLM agent to deploy and use.** The deploy form has no fields. The Mule 4 runtime comes up with an authenticated REST API for deploying and removing integration applications, a volume that keeps them across redeploys, and a public gateway to their HTTP endpoints. The contract below lists every address, variable name and one script that deploys a sample application and calls it. MuleSoft ESB here is Mule Runtime Community Edition 4.12.0, the open-source Mule 4 engine for building integration flows between APIs, databases, queues and files. The Community Edition ships no deployment API (that is Anypoint Runtime Manager, an Enterprise product), so this template adds a small authenticated admin front beside the runtime. ## About Hosting MuleSoft ESB This template runs one service from a wrapper image pinned by digest. It starts the Mule runtime and a small admin server on Railway's port. Applications are Mule archives built with `mule-maven-plugin` (the `-mule-application.jar` file); you send one with a single `PUT` and the runtime hot-deploys it, and a `DELETE` undeploys it. Applications are stored on the volume at `/data/apps`, so they come back after every redeploy. Applications declare their HTTP listener on port 8081 and are reachable through the public gateway at `/gateway/` followed by the listener path. The admin token `MULE_ADMIN_TOKEN` is generated for you at deploy time. The runtime keeps about 1.2 GB of memory in use when idle, so size the service for at least 2 GB. ### Agent contract - Public URL: `MULE_PUBLIC_URL` (`https://` plus the service's `RAILWAY_PUBLIC_DOMAIN`). Applications are served at `/gateway/` followed by the application's listener path. - Private URL: `http://mule.railway.internal:8080` (also `MULE_PRIVATE_URL`) for the admin API and gateway; applications listen on `http://mule.railway.internal:8081` directly for other services in the project. - Credentials: `MULE_ADMIN_TOKEN` (generated, 48 characters). - Auth: send `Authorization: Bearer $MULE_ADMIN_TOKEN` on every `/admin/apps` call. `/health` and `/gateway/*` need no credentials (an application can add its own). - Health: `GET /health` returns 200 with `{"status":"UP","runtime":"4.12.0"}`. - Admin API: `GET /admin/apps` lists deployed application names, `PUT /admin/apps/{name}` deploys the request body as application `{name}` (name matches `[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,64}`; a second `PUT` of the same name redeploys it), `DELETE /admin/apps/{name}` undeploys it. ```bash # needs: MULE_PUBLIC_URL and MULE_ADMIN_TOKEN from the mule service variables curl -s -o /dev/null -w "health: %{http_code}\n" "$MULE_PUBLIC_URL/health" curl -s -o /dev/null -w "no token: %{http_code}\n" "$MULE_PUBLIC_URL/admin/apps" curl -sL -o hello-esb.jar https://github.com/bon5co/mule-railway/releases/download/v4.12.0/hello-esb.jar curl -s -X PUT -H "Authorization: Bearer $MULE_ADMIN_TOKEN" --data-binary @hello-esb.jar "$MULE_PUBLIC_URL/admin/apps/hello-esb"; echo until [ "$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' "$MULE_PUBLIC_URL/gateway/hello")" = 200 ]; do sleep 5; done curl -s "$MULE_PUBLIC_URL/gateway/hello?name=agent" curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $MULE_ADMIN_TOKEN" "$MULE_PUBLIC_URL/admin/apps"; echo curl -s -X DELETE -H "Authorization: Bearer $MULE_ADMIN_TOKEN" "$MULE_PUBLIC_URL/admin/apps/hello-esb"; echo ``` A fresh deploy prints `health: 200`, then `no token: 401`, then `{"deployed":"hello-esb"}`, waits while the application starts (about 15 seconds), then prints `{"message":"hello from Mule","echo":{"name":"agent"}}`, then `{"apps":["hello-esb"]}`, and finally `{"removing":"hello-esb"}`. The sample application's source is `samples/hello-esb.xml` in the image repository; build your own with Maven and `mule-maven-plugin`, and a `mule-artifact.json` that sets `"javaSpecificationVersions": ["17"]`. ## Why Deploy MuleSoft ESB on Railway? Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it. By deploying MuleSoft ESB on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway. - **Agent-ready** - no deployer fields, a contract block and one working deploy-and-call script. - **A deploy API the Community Edition lacks** - push and remove Mule applications over authenticated HTTP instead of copying files into a server. - **Persistent** - a volume holds the applications, and the image is pinned by digest. - **Public gateway** - the applications' HTTP endpoints are reachable at `/gateway/*` without any extra networking setup. ## Common Use Cases - **API integration layer** - route, transform and orchestrate calls between SaaS APIs, databases and queues with Mule flows. - **Agent-driven integration deploys** - an agent builds a Mule application, `PUT`s it, tests it through `/gateway`, and removes it. - **Mule application test bench** - run a Mule 4 runtime on demand for CI or for trying a flow before it goes to an Enterprise environment. ## Dependencies for MuleSoft ESB Hosting - None. Applications may reach any database or queue you deploy alongside them in the same Railway project. ### Deployment Dependencies - [Mule runtime documentation](https://docs.mulesoft.com/mule-runtime/latest/) - [Mule Maven Plugin](https://docs.mulesoft.com/mule-runtime/latest/mmp-concept) - [Wrapper image source](https://github.com/bon5co/mule-railway) ### Implementation Details | Variable | Purpose | | --- | --- | | `MULE_ADMIN_TOKEN` | Generated bearer token for the admin API. | | `MULE_PUBLIC_URL` | HTTPS address of the admin API and gateway. | | `MULE_PRIVATE_URL` | Address other services in the project use. | The image runs the Mule 4.12.0 standalone runtime (download verified by SHA-1) on Java 17. The admin server listens on Railway's `PORT` (8080); Mule applications listen on 8081, which is forwarded under `/gateway`. Set `MULE_APP_URLS` (comma separated archive URLs) to fetch applications on first boot. ## Similar templates - [N8N Main + Worker](https://railway.com/deploy/n8n-main-worker) — Deploy and Host N8N with Inactive worker. - [Evolution API with n8n](https://railway.com/deploy/evolution-api-with-n8n) — Automate WhatsApp workflows with Evolution API, n8n, and Postgres. - [Postgres Backup](https://railway.com/deploy/postgres-s3-backups) — Cron-based PostgreSQL backup to bucket storage Open this page in a browser: https://railway.com/deploy/mulesoft-esb-or-just-updated-mule-4-runt