Deploy and Host self hosted SillyTavern Mobile (Open-Source LLM Chat Frontend) on Railway

This template runs the official SillyTavern image with user accounts on, so you open the HTTPS URL in any phone browser and log in as default-user with ADMIN_PASSWORD. It suits Android and iPhone users who would rather not run a server in Termux.

About Hosting SillyTavern Mobile open-source software on Railway (self hosted SillyTavern mobile template)

This template runs one SillyTavern from the official image on port 8000, with a volume at /home/node/app/data. Characters, chats, lorebooks, presets, API keys and the account database live there, so redeploys keep your data and phone and desktop show the same chats.

Railway adds the HTTPS URL, restarts and the ADMIN_PASSWORD applied to default-user each boot. Accounts are on and the IP whitelist is off, since Railway's proxy would block everyone, but every API route needs a session.

Why Deploy SillyTavern Mobile, the Termux alternative on Railway (Railway Free Trial)

Termux is free, but it spends your phone's battery, storage and attention, and iOS can't run it at all. A Railway instance idles near 150 MB and runs about $5/mo at light use; the $5 trial is enough to test the mobile login before you commit.

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 SillyTavern Mobile 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.

Railway vs Other Hosting Providers and VPS for SillyTavern Mobile self hosting

Railway hands you the official image, HTTPS and a volume; a raw VPS makes you run the proxy, TLS and restarts.

Provider	What You Get with Railway	What You Get with the Other Provider
DigitalOcean	Managed HTTPS, a volume for data and no OS patching.	A Droplet where you install Docker, Nginx and certificates yourself.
AWS	One service, a public domain and health checks.	EC2 with security groups, EBS volumes and an ALB to wire up.
Hetzner	Same image, phone-ready HTTPS on deploy.	Cheap VPS power, but you own hardening and backups.

Common Use Cases for hosted SillyTavern Mobile

Chat from an iPhone: iOS can't run the server locally, so a hosted URL is the only way to get the full UI in Safari. Log in as default-user with the ADMIN_PASSWORD.
Switch between phone and desktop: Start a scene on the train, finish it at your desk. Chats and characters sit on the volume, so both browsers show the same state.
Skip the Termux drain: No Android terminal, no Node.js install, no wake locks eating battery or storage. Your phone just renders the frontend.
Share one instance: With accounts mode on and the whitelist off, add users in the Admin Panel. Each gets their own characters, chats and API keys.
Keep character cards on the server: Import once and they're on every device, plus any backups you take. No re-importing after a phone reset.

Dependencies for SillyTavern Mobile Docker hosted on Railway

One service from ghcr.io/sillytavern/sillytavern:1.19.0, pinned by tag and digest. No custom build: config only through upstream SILLYTAVERN_* overrides of config.yaml keys.

Deployment Dependencies for Managed SillyTavern Mobile Service (AI Chat)

A Railway account on the $5 trial, a phone browser, and a provider key such as OpenAI, Claude or OpenRouter.

Implementation Details for SillyTavern Mobile (Using SillyTavern official docker image)

Boot chowns the volume to node (uid 1000) on first run, symlinks config/ and plugins/ into data/_railway, seeds config.yaml if missing, then applies ADMIN_PASSWORD to default-user via recover.js every boot, so a UI password change resets next time unless you delete the variable. tini drops to node through PUID and PGID, never root.

How does SillyTavern Mobile compare against other ways to run SillyTavern on a phone

Hosted SillyTavern vs Termux (Termux Alternative)

Setup: Termux needs Node.js and a start command; this is a login over HTTPS.
Battery: the server runs on Railway, not on the phone, but mobile data is now needed.
iOS: Termux is Android only. iPhone users cannot run the server locally at all.
Where Termux wins: privacy. Everything stays on the device, a real advantage if chats must not leave the phone.

Hosted SillyTavern vs a home PC with a tunnel (Home PC Tunnel Alternative)

Uptime: a PC with a tunnel sleeps and reboots; Railway keeps the instance up.
Effort: tunnels mean DNS and a second machine to patch; this is one service.
Where it wins: the home PC is free at the margin and can run local models on your GPU.

SillyTavern vs Janitor AI (Janitor AI Alternative)

Model choice: you bring an OpenAI, Claude or OpenRouter key; Janitor AI bundles the model.
Rules: SillyTavern has no built-in filter and imports cards; Janitor AI sets its own rules.
Where Janitor wins: no key, no server, a working chat on day one.
Data: your chats live on the Railway volume; Janitor AI keeps them on its platform.

SillyTavern vs hosted character chat apps (Hosted Character Chat Alternative)

Backend: closed apps pick the model; SillyTavern connects to OpenAI-compatible endpoints or KoboldCpp.
Ownership: chats, cards and extra accounts stay on your volume and admin panel.
Where they win: they ship native apps and need no API key, which matters if you just want to chat.

How to use SillyTavern Mobile (the OSS LLM chat and roleplay frontend)?

First login takes a few minutes; do it on the phone you'll actually use.

Copy ADMIN_PASSWORD from the Railway Variables tab. It is re-applied on every boot, so edit the variable rather than the UI.
Open your Railway domain over HTTPS in the phone browser.
Log in as default-user with that password. Accounts mode is on and the IP whitelist is off, which is what makes a public URL workable.
Click the plug icon, choose a provider in API Connections, paste your key, connect.
Import a character card, or start with Seraphina.
Open the browser menu and Add to Home Screen.
Log in on desktop and open the same chat; data lives on the volume.
Create separate accounts for family in User Settings, Admin Panel.

How to self host SillyTavern Mobile on other VPS Services (SillyTavern self hosting guide)

You can run the same SillyTavern server on any VPS with Docker or Node.js. These steps mirror what Railway does for you.

Clone the Repository

Pull the source, or skip cloning and use the official image.

git clone https://github.com/SillyTavern/SillyTavern.git

Install Dependencies

Node.js 20 or newer, then npm install. The Docker route is shorter: pull ghcr.io/sillytavern/sillytavern:1.19.0 with volumes for data, config and plugins.

Configure Environment Variables

Set listen to true and port 8000, then either enable user accounts or add your IPs to the whitelist. Leaving protection off hands your chats and keys to anyone who finds the URL.

Start the SillyTavern Mobile Application

Run node server.js behind HTTPS with a reverse proxy, open your-domain on your phone, log in as default-user, connect a provider in API Connections, then add the page to your home screen.

On Railway, the image pin, volume, HTTPS domain, password reset and health checks are handled for you.

Official Pricing of SillyTavern Mobile (SillyTavern pricing)

SillyTavern is free and open source under AGPL-3.0. There is no license fee, no per-seat charge and no paid tier for the app itself. Adding users doesn't change that. The template ships no model, so nothing is marked up here.

SillyTavern Mobile cloud vs self hosted comparison (Pricing, features, costs, and more)

Both paths run the same open-source app and the same chats. The difference is who patches the OS, renews the TLS certificate and keeps the volume mounted.

Monthly cost of self hosting SillyTavern Mobile on Railway

Railway bills by usage. One always-on instance at light use idles near 150 MB and lands around $5/mo, roughly the same scale as the $5 trial credit. A VPS bills a flat monthly fee whether you chat or not, and either way your LLM provider bills per token.

System Requirements for Hosting SillyTavern Mobile on a VPS

You need a 64-bit Linux host with Docker, or Node.js 20 or newer on the git clone path. You also own the firewall, the certificate and the backups.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does it work on an iPhone?

Yes. iOS can't run the SillyTavern server locally, but a hosted instance only needs Safari. Log in at the Railway domain and the full frontend loads.

Is there an app?

There is no official app-store app, so be wary of anything claiming to be one. Add the site to the home screen for an icon and a fullscreen window.

Why does it ask me to log in?

Accounts are on and the IP whitelist is off, since the whitelist would block everyone behind Railway's proxy. A session is what keeps characters, chats and API keys private.

Will chats sync between phone and desktop?

Yes, for the same user. Characters, chats, personas and keys live on the service volume, so you can start on the phone and pick it up on the desktop.

Is it safe on a public URL?

With accounts on and a long ADMIN_PASSWORD, yes. Logins are rate-limited to 5 attempts a minute per client IP. Set the password as a Railway variable so it survives redeploys.

Why is it slow on mobile data?

Usually your connection, not the interface. The page is static once loaded, but your provider streams replies over the network and local extension models download into the cache.