Deploy and Host OpenCloning DNA Workspace on Railway

Plan and document molecular cloning in a private web workspace.

Draft status: Configuration and upstream documentation reviewed. Container startup, Railway application workflows, restart behavior, backup restoration and costs remain unverified.

About Hosting

Plan and document molecular cloning in a private web workspace.

Service	Role	Persistent path
`core`	Private application or dependency	`None`
`opencloning`	Public owner gateway	`None`

Why Deploy

Run this application in your own Railway project, with explicit configuration and storage under your control.

Common Use Cases

Plan cloning steps and review sequence designs.
Exchange exported design files within a small research group.

Dependencies for OpenCloning DNA Workspace

Deployment Dependencies

The application images are pinned by registry digest. Database services, when included, stay on the private network. One replica is supported for each volume-backed service.

First use

Open the opencloning service's HTTPS domain. Sign in to the owner gateway with username admin and its generated ACCESS_PASSWORD. Complete the application's own setup afterward.

API calls must also send X-Template-Key with that owner password. The gateway forwards native Bearer tokens, strips Basic Authorization, and limits requests to 32 MiB. Browser sessions receive a secure owner cookie. Native clients, webhooks and public sharing require specific compatibility checks before use. Gateway /healthz only checks the proxy, not application readiness.

Import a sequence or start a small design in the browser. Export designs before ending your session; no shared project database is included.

Scope and limitations

Unpublished draft; container startup, application workflows and recovery are not runtime-verified.
Draft provides the core design application. Plannotate and experimental assembly service are not included.
Export designs to files; this standalone app has no server-side project database in the selected configuration.

Acceptance checks before use

Confirm the public endpoint rejects unauthenticated requests.
Import a test sequence, make a simple design and export/re-import it.
Back up all persistent storage; restart and restore a copy before production use.
Confirm generated credentials are distinct on a second fresh deployment.
Back up every listed persistent path and database, then restore into a separate test project.
Measure Railway usage with representative data and workload before estimating operating costs.

Backups and upgrades

Back up databases, file volumes, encryption keys and configuration together. Keep a copy outside the running project. Review upstream migration notes before changing a digest; rollback can require restoring a compatible database and files, not just selecting an older image.

Sources and selection evidence

Upstream deployment documentation: Official single container includes frontend and backend8000.
Upstream deployment documentation: Current environment controls and optional tools.
Upstream project

Product and alias searches found no matching public Railway listing during this research. This is a bounded search result; private, unindexed or differently named listings may exist. It is not evidence of demand or revenue.

Upstream software retains its own license and edition restrictions. This deployment draft does not imply upstream endorsement.