---
title: "Deploy Open Notebook"
description: "Self-hosted NotebookLM alternative. Your own password, AI keys encrypted."
category: "AI/ML"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/open-notebook-3
---

# Deploy Open Notebook

Self-hosted NotebookLM alternative. Your own password, AI keys encrypted.

**[Deploy Open Notebook on Railway](https://railway.com/template/open-notebook-3)**

Machine-readable deploy manifest (JSON, validated by TemplateCI): https://railway.com/deploy/open-notebook-3/manifest.json

- **Creator:** AvgSoft
- **Category:** AI/ML

## Template content

### Open Notebook https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/mikedepo/railway-template-assets@6c978868d881ce324d5c5a848666bff70445e353/service-icons/open-notebook.svg

- **Image:** lfnovo/open_notebook:1.15.1
- **Health check:** /api/auth/status
- **Public domain:** Yes

### SurrealDB https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/mikedepo/railway-template-assets@6c978868d881ce324d5c5a848666bff70445e353/service-icons/surrealdb.svg

- **Image:** surrealdb/surrealdb:v2.7.0
- **Start command:** `/surreal start`
- **Health check:** /health

## Documentation

# Deploy and Host Open Notebook on Railway

Open Notebook is a self-hosted NotebookLM alternative: collect sources, chat with them, take notes, make podcasts. This template adds a password and an encryption key, so strangers cannot use your instance and your AI provider keys actually save.

![Open Notebook on Railway](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/mikedepo/railway-template-assets@8f66071/open-notebook/banner.png)

## About Hosting Open Notebook

Two services: Open Notebook and a private SurrealDB, both pinned to an exact version and health-checked. Deploy with the password you want, then open the URL and sign in with it. Add an AI provider key under Manage, Models.

## Common Use Cases

- Research notes over your own sources
- Chat with papers and reports
- Turn reading into a podcast

## Dependencies for Open Notebook Hosting

- SurrealDB

### Deployment Dependencies

- [Open Notebook documentation](https://www.open-notebook.ai/)
- [Security configuration](https://github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook/blob/main/docs/5-CONFIGURATION/security.md)

### Implementation Details

![Open Notebook architecture](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/mikedepo/railway-template-assets@8f66071/open-notebook/architecture.png)

Keep a copy of `OPEN_NOTEBOOK_ENCRYPTION_KEY`: it encrypts your provider keys, and changing it makes them unreadable. Turn on volume backups. The app needs about 0.9 GB at first start, so use Trial or Hobby, not Free.

## Why Deploy Open Notebook 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 Open Notebook 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.

**Updated 2026-11-04:** first release, Open Notebook 1.15.1, SurrealDB 2.7.0.


## Similar templates

- [Chat Chat](https://railway.com/deploy/-WWW5r) — Chat Chat, your own unified chat and search to AI platform.
- [Weaviate](https://railway.com/deploy/weaviate-1) — Vector database with hybrid search and an API key-protected API
- [Möbius v0.1 Personal AI OS](https://railway.com/deploy/mobius-v01-personal-ai-os) — Self-hosted AI agent that builds and runs apps for you, with memory.

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