Deploy and Host Postiz on Railway

Postiz is the open-source social media scheduler with 29k+ GitHub stars — built by the founder of Novu — that publishes to 30+ platforms from one dashboard: X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, Pinterest, Discord, and more. AI-assisted content generation, a visual calendar, team collaboration, analytics, a public REST API, and an MCP endpoint for AI-agent workflows — all self-hosted with zero per-channel fees.

This template pins Postiz v2.11.3 — the last release before Temporal became a required dependency — so you run a lean 3-service stack (app, PostgreSQL, Redis) instead of the heavier 4-service Temporal setup. Self-host for ~$5–10/month versus Buffer at $6/channel/month or Hootsuite at $99+/month.

What This Template Deploys

All three services connect over Railway's private network. Database and Redis ports are never exposed publicly. JWT_SECRET and connection strings are generated and wired automatically.

About Hosting Postiz

Postiz (GitHub: gitroomhq/postiz-app) is an open-source, AGPL-3.0 social media scheduling and automation platform — a self-hosted alternative to Buffer, Hypefury, Hootsuite, and Later. The self-hosted version has no feature limitations versus the cloud version.

Recent versions (v2.12+) require a Temporal workflow engine — a fourth service that adds overhead. This template pins v2.11.3, the last release before Temporal, keeping your stack lean and cheaper while preserving full scheduling functionality.

Railway provisions all three services with private networking, persistent volumes for uploads and data, and automatic HTTPS. Typical cost: ~$5–10/month on Railway's Hobby plan. Buffer charges $6/channel/month — managing 8 channels is $48/month. Hootsuite starts at $99/month. Postiz self-hosted is free across all 30+ platforms; you pay only Railway compute.

Deploy in Under 5 Minutes

1. Click Deploy on Railway — Postiz, PostgreSQL, and Redis build automatically (~2–3 minutes)
2. JWT_SECRET, DATABASE_URL, and REDIS_URL are auto-generated and wired between services
3. Set MAIN_URL, FRONTEND_URL, and NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL to your Railway public domain (backend URL adds /api)
4. Open your Railway URL and create your admin account
5. Set DISABLE_REGISTRATION=true after your account is created, then connect your social channels

No SSH. No Docker Compose. No reverse proxy or SSL setup.

Common Use Cases

• Self-hosted alternative to Buffer — schedule across 30+ platforms with no $6/channel/month fee; one flat Railway cost regardless of how many accounts you manage
• Self-hosted alternative to Hootsuite — get team collaboration, analytics, and a content calendar without Hootsuite's $99+/month entry price
• Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads scheduling — Postiz supports the platforms most schedulers skip; rare coverage for creators active on decentralised and emerging networks
• AI-agent social posting via MCP — the MCP endpoint (/api/mcp/{API_KEY}) lets Claude, Cursor, or any AI agent draft and schedule posts programmatically
• Marketing agency client management — multi-user mode (IS_GENERAL=true) enables teams to collaborate, comment, and manage multiple client accounts from one instance
• Developer automation pipelines — publish posts from CI, n8n, Make, or Zapier via the public REST API; automate content distribution without manual scheduling

Configuration

Each social platform requires its own API credentials for OAuth — add them in the Postiz settings UI after deploy. Postiz authenticates users directly with each platform; it never stores or proxies your social access tokens.

Postiz vs. Social Media Schedulers

Dependencies for Postiz Hosting

• Railway account — Hobby plan (~$5–10/month) covers all three services
• OAuth API credentials for each social platform you connect (created in each platform's dev portal)
• Optional: OpenAI API key for AI content generation features

Deployment Dependencies

• Postiz GitHub Repository — source and releases
• Postiz Documentation — setup and platform connection guides
• Postiz Docker Image — v2.11.3 pinned in this template
• Railway Volumes Documentation — persistent storage

Implementation Details

This template deploys ghcr.io/gitroomhq/postiz-app:v2.11.3 alongside PostgreSQL 17 SSL and Redis 8.2.1 over Railway's private network. Postiz runs as a unified Next.js + Node.js app. Uploads persist on the /uploads volume, database on /var/lib/postgresql/data, and Redis on /data — all surviving redeploys.

The v2.11.3 pin is deliberate: from v2.12 onward Postiz requires a Temporal workflow engine as a fourth service. v2.11.3 handles scheduling through Redis-backed cron (RUN_CRON=true) with no Temporal dependency, keeping the stack at three services and lower cost while retaining full scheduling and publishing functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this template pin v2.11.3 instead of the latest Postiz? From v2.12 onward, Postiz requires a Temporal workflow engine — a fourth service that adds memory, cost, and operational complexity. v2.11.3 is the last release that handles scheduling through Redis-backed cron, so you get full functionality on a lean 3-service stack. It's a deliberate stability-and-cost choice, not an outdated build.

How much does Postiz cost compared to Buffer or Hootsuite? Self-hosted Postiz is free — you pay only ~$5–10/month for Railway compute regardless of channel count. Buffer charges $6/channel/month ($48/month for 8 channels). Hootsuite starts at $99/month. For anyone managing more than a couple of channels, self-hosting pays for itself immediately.

Which platforms does Postiz support? 30+ including X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, Pinterest, Discord, Slack, Telegram, Dribbble, Medium, Dev.to, and WordPress. Bluesky and Mastodon support is rare among schedulers and a key reason creators choose Postiz in 2026.

Do I lose my scheduled posts and connections if Railway redeploys? No. All posts, schedules, channel connections, and analytics are stored in the PostgreSQL database; uploads persist on the /uploads volume. Redeploys and updates don't affect your data.

Can AI agents post through Postiz? Yes. Postiz exposes an MCP endpoint at /api/mcp/{API_KEY} plus a public REST API. Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible agent can draft and schedule posts programmatically, as can n8n, Make, and Zapier workflows.

How do I update Postiz later? Update the image tag in Railway service settings. Note that moving to v2.12+ will require adding a Temporal service — staying on v2.11.x keeps the 3-service stack. Database and volumes are unaffected by version changes within the v2.11.x line.

Why Deploy and Host Postiz 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 Postiz on Railway, you get an open-source social media scheduler for 30+ platforms — AI content tools, team collaboration, analytics, REST API, and MCP — on a lean 3-service stack at ~$5–10/month flat, with no per-channel fees and full ownership of your content.