How do I deploy PostgreSQL 18 on Railway?

You can deploy PostgreSQL 18 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: postgre-sql-18-6c5ae413, or join our Discord community for more assistance.

Deploy and Host PostgreSQL 18 on Railway

PostgreSQL 18 is the latest major release of the world's most advanced open-source relational database.

This version introduces performance improvements, enhanced security features, and a new data directory structure for better version management.

This template includes pre-configured SSL/TLS support for secure connections out of the box.

About Hosting PostgreSQL 18

Hosting PostgreSQL 18 on Railway provides a production-ready database with automatic SSL certificate management and secure connections.

This template uses the official PostgreSQL 18 Docker image with custom wrapper scripts that handle SSL certificate generation, renewal, and verification.

The database is configured with the new version-specific data directory structure (/var/lib/postgresql/18/docker), making future upgrades more seamless.

Railway's volume system ensures your data persists across deployments, while the platform handles networking, environment variables, and resource scaling automatically.

Common Use Cases

Web Application Backend - Primary database for full-stack applications, APIs, and SaaS products requiring robust data integrity and ACID compliance
Data Warehousing & Analytics - Store and query large datasets with PostgreSQL's powerful indexing, JSON support, and advanced query optimization
Multi-tenant Applications - Leverage PostgreSQL's schema isolation and row-level security for building secure SaaS platforms with tenant data separation

Dependencies for PostgreSQL 18 Hosting

OpenSSL - Used for generating and managing SSL/TLS certificates for secure database connections
Bash - Required for running the wrapper script that handles SSL certificate lifecycle management
Railway Volume - Persistent storage mounted at /var/lib/postgresql to store database files and SSL certificates

Deployment Dependencies

Implementation Details

This template includes a custom wrapper.sh script that runs before PostgreSQL starts:

# SSL Certificate Management
# - Generates x509v3 certificates with DNS:localhost on first run
# - Automatically renews certificates expiring within 30 days
# - Validates volume mount paths for PostgreSQL 18 compatibility

# Volume Mount Configuration
EXPECTED_VOLUME_MOUNT_PATH="/var/lib/postgresql"
SSL_DIR="$EXPECTED_VOLUME_MOUNT_PATH/certs"

Important Migration Note: PostgreSQL 18 uses a new data directory structure. If upgrading from PostgreSQL 17 or earlier, you must migrate your data using pg_dump/pg_restore rather than reusing existing volumes. See the repository README for detailed migration instructions.

Why Deploy PostgreSQL 18 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 PostgreSQL 18 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.