Deploy and Host PocketBase on Railway

Published on the Railway marketplace: https://railway.com/deploy/pocketbase-6

PocketBase is an open-source backend in a single executable. It combines an embedded SQLite database, authentication, realtime subscriptions, file storage, a dashboard UI, and REST-style APIs, making it useful for prototypes, mobile apps, SaaS products, and compact production services without a separate database server.

About Hosting PocketBase

Hosting PocketBase requires one public container and one persistent volume. This template pins the Umbrel-tested PocketBase 0.39.9 image and exposes its documented port 8090 through Railway HTTPS. PocketBase binds to 0.0.0.0, stores its SQLite database, uploads, settings, and backups under /pb_data, and reports readiness through /api/health. A generated 32-character key encrypts stored application settings, while a generated superuser password protects the dashboard before the public server starts. The initial email is admin@pocketbase.invalid; change it to an address you control after signing in. No external database or cache is required.

Common Use Cases

Building mobile, web, and SaaS backends with authentication and realtime APIs
Prototyping data models and access rules from a browser dashboard
Hosting compact applications that need SQLite-backed records and file storage

Dependencies for PocketBase Hosting

One Railway persistent volume mounted at /pb_data
One Railway-generated HTTPS service domain targeting port 8090

Deployment Dependencies

Implementation Details

Service	Image	Networking and health	Persistent storage
`PocketBase`	`ghcr.io/muchobien/pocketbase:0.39.9` pinned to Umbrel's digest	Public port `8090`; bind `0.0.0.0`; health check `/api/health`	`/pb_data` for SQLite data, uploads, settings, and local backups

The startup command upserts the generated superuser before starting the public server, so a new deployment is not left with a claimable first-superuser flow. It then runs PocketBase with its documented data, public, hooks, bind, and encryption flags. Retrieve the generated password from the deployed service variables, sign in at /_/, and immediately replace the placeholder superuser email with an address you control. Back up /pb_data; a Railway volume protects against redeploy loss but is not an independent backup.

Why Deploy PocketBase 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 PocketBase 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.