--- title: "Deploy Node-RED" description: "Node-RED deployment with 80+ popular contrib nodes pre-installed." category: "Automation" url: https://railway.com/deploy/node-red --- # Deploy Node-RED Node-RED deployment with 80+ popular contrib nodes pre-installed. **[Deploy Node-RED on Railway](https://railway.com/template/node-red)** - **Creator:** OpenSource Templates - **Category:** Automation - **Total deploys:** 89 ## Template content ### Node-RED https://nodered.org/about/resources/media/node-red-icon.png - **Source:** OpenSource-Templates/Node-RED - **Public domain:** Yes ## Documentation # Node-RED on Railway (All Nodes Pre-installed) A comprehensive Node-RED deployment on Railway with 80+ popular contrib nodes pre-installed. [![Deploy on Railway](https://railway.app/button.svg)](https://railway.com/new/template/node-red) ## What's Included This template comes with a massive collection of pre-installed nodes: ### 🎨 Dashboard & UI - @flowfuse/node-red-dashboard (modern dashboard replacement) - node-red-contrib-uibuilder - node-red-node-ui-table - node-red-node-ui-list ### 🗄️ Databases - MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite - MongoDB, InfluxDB, MSSQL - Redis ### 💬 Messaging & Communication - Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp - Email, Twilio, Slack ### 🤖 AI & Machine Learning - OpenAI/ChatGPT integration - TensorFlow - Python function execution ### 🏠 IoT & Smart Home - Home Assistant - Zigbee2MQTT - Tasmota, Shelly, Tuya - Sonos ### 🌐 Web & APIs - HTTP advanced requests - OAuth2, JWT authentication - Google, GitHub, Trello, Airtable, Notion ### 🔍 Web Scraping & Automation - Playwright - Puppeteer ### 📊 Data & Analytics - Charts and visualizations - Data manipulation tools - Prometheus monitoring ### ⏰ Time & Scheduling - Advanced cron - Date/Time utilities with Moment.js - Big Timer ### 💳 Payments - Stripe - PayPal ### 🛠️ Utilities - QR code generator - Image tools - Crypto utilities - Boolean logic - File operations ## About Hosting Node-RED is a flow-based development tool for visual programming, originally developed by IBM. When deployed on Railway, it provides a persistent, always-on automation platform that can handle complex workflows, integrations, and data processing tasks 24/7. ## Why Deploy on Railway Railway makes Node-RED deployment exceptionally straightforward compared to traditional hosting methods. Here's why Railway is an ideal platform for Node-RED: - **Zero Infrastructure Management**: No need to configure servers, manage SSL certificates, or handle networking. Railway handles all infrastructure concerns automatically. - **Instant HTTPS**: Your Node-RED instance gets secure HTTPS access immediately upon deployment. - **Persistent Storage**: Built-in volume support ensures your flows and data persist across deployments. - **Automatic Deployments**: Connect your Git repository for continuous deployment whenever you update your configuration. - **Generous Free Tier**: Railway's free tier is sufficient for many Node-RED use cases, with easy scaling options as your needs grow. - **No Docker Knowledge Required**: While this template uses Docker, Railway abstracts away the complexity. # Deploy and Host ## Quick Deployment Steps 1. **Click the Deploy Button**: Use the "Deploy on Railway" button at the top of this README 2. **Configure Environment Variables**: - Set `NODE_RED_CREDENTIAL_SECRET` to a secure random string (at least 32 characters) - Optionally set `NODE_RED_USERNAME` and `NODE_RED_PASSWORD` for authentication 3. **Wait for Build**: Initial deployment takes 5-10 minutes due to installing 80+ nodes 4. **Access Your Instance**: Railway will provide a public URL (e.g., `your-app.railway.app`) 5. **Secure Your Installation**: Immediately set up authentication if you haven't already ## Common Use Cases This Node-RED deployment is perfect for a wide range of automation and integration scenarios: ### Home Automation & IoT - Centralized smart home control dashboard integrating devices from multiple platforms (Home Assistant, Tuya, Shelly) - Custom automation rules that work across different smart home ecosystems - Real-time monitoring and alerts for sensors and devices - Voice assistant integrations through various APIs ### Business Automation - Automated data synchronization between SaaS platforms (Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets) - Custom webhook handlers for triggering workflows from external services - Report generation and scheduled data exports - Invoice processing and payment tracking with Stripe/PayPal integration ### Communication & Notifications - Multi-channel notification systems (Email, Telegram, Discord, Slack) - Chatbot creation for customer support or internal tools - Social media monitoring and automated responses - Emergency alert systems with conditional routing ### Data Processing & Analytics - IoT sensor data collection and time-series analysis - Web scraping for price monitoring or content aggregation - ETL pipelines for moving data between databases - Real-time dashboard creation with custom visualizations ### AI & Machine Learning Workflows - ChatGPT integration for conversational interfaces - Automated content generation and processing - Image recognition and analysis pipelines - Sentiment analysis for customer feedback ### DevOps & Monitoring - Infrastructure monitoring with Prometheus integration - Custom alerting based on complex conditions - Log aggregation and analysis - Deployment automation and CI/CD integration ### E-commerce & Payments - Order processing automation - Inventory management across multiple platforms - Payment processing and reconciliation - Customer journey automation ## Environment Variables Set these in Railway: ### Required - `NODE_RED_CREDENTIAL_SECRET` - Secret for encrypting credentials (generate a random string) ### Optional Security - `NODE_RED_USERNAME` - Username for admin interface - `NODE_RED_PASSWORD` - Password for admin interface (hashed with bcrypt) ### Example Password Hash Generation To generate a password hash for Node-RED: ```bash node -e "console.log(require('bcryptjs').hashSync('your-password', 8));" ``` ## Dependencies for **Node.js Runtime**: Node-RED requires Node.js version 18 or higher. This template uses the official Node.js 18 Alpine Linux image for optimal performance and security. ### Deployment Dependencies This template requires several components to run successfully on Railway: **Railway Volume**: A persistent storage volume mounted at `/data` is essential for storing flows, credentials, and settings across deployments. Configure this in your Railway service settings before deployment. **Environment Variables**: At minimum, `NODE_RED_CREDENTIAL_SECRET` must be set for Node-RED to encrypt sensitive credential data. **Network Configuration**: Railway automatically handles port exposure and HTTPS. The container exposes port 1880, which Railway maps to your public domain. ### Runtime Dependencies The following npm packages are installed automatically during deployment: **Core Node-RED**: - `node-red` - The core Node-RED runtime **Dashboard & Visualization**: - `@flowfuse/node-red-dashboard` - Modern dashboard framework - `node-red-contrib-uibuilder` - Advanced UI builder - `node-red-node-ui-table` - Data table widgets - `node-red-node-ui-list` - List display components **Database Connectors**: - `node-red-node-mysql` - MySQL/MariaDB - `node-red-contrib-postgresql` - PostgreSQL - `node-red-node-sqlite` - SQLite - `node-red-contrib-mongodb4` - MongoDB - `node-red-contrib-influxdb` - InfluxDB - `node-red-contrib-mssql-plus` - Microsoft SQL Server - `node-red-contrib-redis` - Redis **Communication & Messaging**: - `node-red-contrib-telegrambot` - Telegram bot API - `node-red-contrib-discord-advanced` - Discord integration - `node-red-node-email` - Email sending/receiving - `node-red-contrib-twilio` - Twilio SMS/Voice - `node-red-contrib-slack` - Slack messaging **AI & Machine Learning**: - `node-red-contrib-openai-ubos` - OpenAI/ChatGPT - `node-red-contrib-tensorflow` - TensorFlow - `node-red-contrib-python-function` - Python execution **IoT & Smart Home**: - `node-red-contrib-home-assistant-websocket` - Home Assistant - `node-red-contrib-zigbee2mqtt` - Zigbee2MQTT - `node-red-contrib-tasmota` - Tasmota devices - `node-red-contrib-shelly` - Shelly devices - `node-red-contrib-tuya-smart` - Tuya/Smart Life **Web Scraping & Automation**: - `node-red-contrib-playwright-new` - Playwright browser automation - `node-red-contrib-puppeteer` - Puppeteer scraping **Additional 50+ nodes** for payments, authentication, time scheduling, utilities, and more. All dependencies are installed during the Docker build process, ensuring a consistent and reproducible deployment environment. ## Features - ✅ 80+ pre-installed contrib nodes - ✅ Persistent storage with Railway volumes - ✅ Project support enabled - ✅ Modern dashboard (FlowFuse) - ✅ Database connectors ready - ✅ AI/ML integrations - ✅ Smart home & IoT ready - ✅ Web scraping tools - ✅ Payment gateway integrations ## Volume Configuration Railway will automatically mount a volume to `/data` for persistent storage of: - Your flows - Node-RED settings - Credentials - Custom nodes you install later ## Quick Start 1. Click "Deploy on Railway" 2. Set `NODE_RED_CREDENTIAL_SECRET` to a random string 3. (Optional) Set username/password for security 4. Wait for deployment to complete (~5-10 minutes due to node installations) 5. Access your Node-RED instance at the Railway-provided URL ## Post-Deployment ### Secure Your Instance After deployment, it's **highly recommended** to set up authentication: 1. Add these environment variables: - `NODE_RED_USERNAME=admin` - `NODE_RED_PASSWORD=` 2. Restart the service ### Installing Additional Nodes While this template includes 80+ nodes, you can always install more: - Use the Palette Manager in Node-RED UI - Or add them to the Dockerfile and redeploy ## Performance Notes - Initial startup may take 2-3 minutes as Node-RED loads all nodes - Memory usage: ~300-500MB depending on active flows - Recommended: Railway Hobby plan or higher ## 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/node-red