Deploy and Host OpenReel Video on Railway

OpenReel Video is an open source, browser-based video editor that delivers professional editing capabilities without requiring software installation or cloud processing. Built with React, TypeScript, WebCodecs, and WebGPU, it enables multi-track editing, GPU-accelerated rendering, advanced effects, and high-quality exports while keeping all media processing entirely on the user's device.

About Hosting OpenReel Video

OpenReel Video is an open source, browser-based video editor that runs entirely on the client using modern web technologies such as React, TypeScript, WebCodecs, and WebGPU. It provides professional video editing capabilities without requiring software installation, cloud rendering, or file uploads. The application is ideal for creators, educators, developers, and anyone who wants a privacy-focused, high-performance video editor that runs directly in the browser.

About Hosting OpenReel Video

Railway hosts OpenReel Video as a static web application served through an NGINX container. During deployment, Railway automatically builds the application from the included Dockerfile, compiles the production assets, and serves the generated files using NGINX.

Since all video editing, rendering, exports, and project management occur entirely inside the user's browser, the deployed service has very low server resource requirements. The server simply delivers static assets over HTTPS while users perform processing locally using their own hardware.

OpenReel Video does not require a backend server, database, or persistent storage for normal operation. User projects are automatically stored locally in the browser using IndexedDB. Railway also provides automatic HTTPS, public networking, and straightforward redeployments whenever the application is updated.

Common Use Cases

Browser-based professional video editing
Privacy-focused media production without cloud uploads
Educational labs, classrooms, and creative workstations

Dependencies for OpenReel Video Hosting

Runtime dependencies are not required.

Deployment Dependencies

Resource	Link
Official Documentation	https://openreel.video
GitHub Repository	https://github.com/Augani/openreel-video
Docker Image Source	https://github.com/helmforgedev/openreel-video

Implementation Details

Docker

This template includes a Dockerfile.

Railway automatically builds the application during deployment. The build process:

Clones the OpenReel Video repository
Installs dependencies using pnpm
Builds the production frontend
Serves the generated static files using the nginxinc/nginx-unprivileged:1.29-alpine image

No additional Docker configuration is required.

Public Networking

Setting	Value
Proxy Type	HTTP Proxy
Target Port	8080

After deployment:

Open your Railway service.
Navigate to Settings → Networking.
Generate a Railway Domain.
Access OpenReel Video from the generated HTTPS URL.

Environment Variables

No runtime environment variables are documented or required.

Variable	Required	Description
None	No	OpenReel Video operates as a static client-side application.

Raw Editor example:

# No environment variables required

Persistent Storage

Persistent storage is not required.

OpenReel Video stores projects locally in the user's browser using IndexedDB. No Railway Volume is necessary.

Database

No database is required.

The application performs all editing and project management within the browser and does not require PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, or any other external database service.

Build & Start

No custom build or start commands are required.

Railway automatically builds the Dockerfile and starts the NGINX container.

Accessing the Application

After deployment:

Open your Railway service.
Navigate to Settings → Networking.
Generate a Railway Domain.
Open the generated HTTPS URL in a supported browser.

OpenReel Video does not include default administrator credentials or account setup. Users can begin editing immediately after loading the application.

Features

Video Editing

Multi-track timeline - Unlimited video, audio, image, text, and graphics tracks
Real-time preview - Smooth playback with GPU acceleration
Precision editing - Frame-accurate scrubbing, cut, trim, split, ripple delete
Transitions - Crossfade, dip to black/white, wipe, slide effects
Video effects - Brightness, contrast, saturation, blur, sharpen, glow, vignette, chroma key
Blend modes - Multiply, screen, overlay, add, subtract, and more
Speed control - 0.25x to 4x with audio pitch preservation
Crop & transform - Position, scale, rotation with 3D perspective

Graphics & Text

Professional text editor - Rich styling, shadows, outlines, gradients
20+ text animations - Typewriter, fade, slide, bounce, pop, elastic, glitch
Karaoke-style subtitles - Word-by-word highlighting synced to audio
Shape tools - Rectangle, circle, arrow, polygon, star with fill/stroke
SVG support - Import SVGs with color tinting and animations
Stickers & emoji - Built-in library
Background generator - Solid colors, gradients, mesh gradients, patterns
Keyframe animations - Animate any property over time with 20+ easing curves

Audio

Multi-track mixing - Unlimited audio tracks with real-time mixing
Waveform visualization - Visual audio editing
Audio effects - EQ, compressor, reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, distortion
Volume & panning - Per-clip controls with fade in/out
Beat detection - Auto-generate markers synced to music
Audio ducking - Auto-reduce music when dialog plays
Noise reduction - 3-pass noise removal (tonal, broadband, rumble)

Color Grading

Color wheels - Lift, gamma, gain controls
HSL adjustments - Hue, saturation, lightness fine-tuning
Curves editor - RGB and individual channel curves
LUT support - Import and apply 3D LUTs
Built-in presets - One-click color grading

Export

MP4 (H.264/H.265) - Universal compatibility
WebM (VP8/VP9/AV1) - Web-optimized format
ProRes - Professional intermediate format (Proxy, LT, Standard, HQ, 4444)
Quality presets - 4K @ 60fps, 1080p, 720p, 480p
Custom settings - Bitrate, frame rate, codec options, color depth
Hardware encoding - WebCodecs for fast exports
AI upscaling - Enhance resolution with WebGPU shaders
Audio export - MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG
Image sequences - JPG, PNG, WebP frame export
Progress tracking - Real-time progress with cancel support

Professional Tools

Unlimited undo/redo - Full history with recovery
Auto-save - Never lose work (IndexedDB storage)
Keyboard shortcuts - Professional workflow
Snap to grid - Magnetic alignment
Track management - Show/hide, lock/unlock, reorder
Subtitle support - SRT import with customizable styling
Screen recording - Record screen, camera, or both
Project sharing - Export/import project files

Performance

WebGPU rendering - GPU-accelerated compositing
WebCodecs API - Hardware video decoding/encoding
Frame caching - LRU cache for smooth playback
Web Workers - Background processing
4K support - Edit and export in 4K resolution

Why Deploy OpenReel Video on Railway?

Railway makes deploying containerized applications simple by automatically building your project from its Dockerfile, provisioning secure HTTPS networking, and managing infrastructure without manual server administration. Automatic deployments, integrated logging, and scalable infrastructure allow you to focus on your application while Railway handles the operational complexity.