How do I deploy Pigeon Pod on Railway?

You can deploy Pigeon Pod on Railway by clicking the "Deploy Now" button on this page. Railway will automatically set up all the necessary services and configurations for you.

What are the system requirements?

Railway handles all the infrastructure requirements. You only need a web browser to deploy and manage your application.

Is this template free to use?

Yes, this template is free to use within your existing Railway account.

Can I customize this template?

Yes, you can fully customize this template. After deployment, you will have full control of what you've deployed in your Railway project.

How do I get support for this template?

You can get support through our community forum: pigeon-pod-b6e476ae, or click "Get template help" for this template for more assistance.

Deploy and Host PigeonPod on Railway

PigeonPod is a self-hosted YouTube-to-podcast application that converts YouTube channels or playlists into podcast feeds. It supports automatic syncing of new uploads, backfilling historical content, media downloads, and secure RSS feeds compatible with standard podcast players.

About Hosting PigeonPod

Hosting PigeonPod on Railway involves deploying a single container and attaching a persistent volume to store the SQLite database, downloaded media files, and cover images. After deployment, users must log in to the web UI, change the default credentials, and configure required application settings. A YouTube Data API v3 key is mandatory for the application to function and must be created and added manually by the user in the settings page. Proper base URL configuration is also required to ensure generated podcast feeds work correctly.

Common Use Cases

Convert YouTube channels or playlists into private or public podcast feeds
Automatically track and download new YouTube uploads as audio or video
Self-host a personal media archive with RSS access

Dependencies for PigeonPod Hosting

Persistent storage (Railway Volume) for database and media files
YouTube Data API v3 key (user-provided)

Deployment Dependencies

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/aizhimou/pigeon-pod
YouTube API Key setup guide (linked in repository documentation)

Implementation Details

Container configuration

Image: ghcr.io/aizhimou/pigeon-pod:latest
Port: 8080
Volume mount: /data

Recommended environment variables

PIGEON_BASE_URL=https://
PIGEON_AUDIO_FILE_PATH=/data/audio/
PIGEON_VIDEO_FILE_PATH=/data/video/
PIGEON_COVER_FILE_PATH=/data/cover/
SPRING_DATASOURCE_URL=jdbc:sqlite:/data/pigeon-pod.db

Default login credentials (change immediately after first login):

Username: root
Password: Root@123

Required post-deploy steps

Log in using the default credentials
Change the default username/password
Add your own YouTube Data API v3 key in the application settings

Why Deploy PigeonPod 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 PigeonPod 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.