---
title: "Deploy TimescaleDB | Open Source Time-Series Database for PostgreSQL"
description: "Self Host TimescaleDB on Railway: hypertables, compression, full SQL & more"
category: "Starters"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/timescaledb-time-series-db
---

# Deploy TimescaleDB | Open Source Time-Series Database for PostgreSQL

Self Host TimescaleDB on Railway: hypertables, compression, full SQL & more

**[Deploy TimescaleDB | Open Source Time-Series Database for PostgreSQL on Railway](https://railway.com/template/timescaledb-time-series-db)**

- **Creator:** Heimdall
- **Category:** Starters
- **Total deploys:** 9

## Template content

### TimescaleDB https://devicons.railway.com/i/timescale-light.svg

- **Image:** timescale/timescaledb:2.18.0-pg16

## Documentation

![TimescaleDB logo](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2078798/Timescale_Logo.jpg?p=facebook)

# Deploy and Host TimescaleDB on Railway

Deploy TimescaleDB on Railway to get a fully managed, persistent time-series database running in minutes. TimescaleDB is a PostgreSQL extension that transforms Postgres into a high-performance time-series database — hypertables, continuous aggregates, columnar compression, and real-time analytics, all with full SQL support.

Self-host TimescaleDB on Railway with this template and get a production-ready instance backed by persistent volume storage, automatic performance tuning via `timescaledb-tune`, and external TCP proxy access. The template deploys `timescale/timescaledb:2.18.0-pg16` with a single service — no additional dependencies required since TimescaleDB runs as a native PostgreSQL extension.

## Getting Started with TimescaleDB on Railway

After deployment, connect to your TimescaleDB instance using the external TCP proxy endpoint shown in the Railway dashboard (format: `host:port`). Use any PostgreSQL client — `psql`, pgAdmin, DBeaver, or your application's Postgres driver.

The TimescaleDB extension is pre-installed and ready to use. Create your first hypertable by running:

```
CREATE TABLE metrics (
  time TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
  device_id TEXT,
  temperature DOUBLE PRECISION,
  humidity DOUBLE PRECISION
);

SELECT create_hypertable('metrics', 'time');
```

Enable compression for long-term storage efficiency:

```
ALTER TABLE metrics SET (
  timescaledb.compress,
  timescaledb.compress_segmentby = 'device_id'
);

SELECT add_compression_policy('metrics', INTERVAL '7 days');
```

Your database credentials (`POSTGRES_USER`, `POSTGRES_PASSWORD`, `POSTGRES_DB`) are set as environment variables in Railway. Use the internal hostname `timescaledb.railway.internal:5432` for service-to-service connections within the same Railway project.

## About Hosting TimescaleDB

TimescaleDB (by Tiger Data, formerly Timescale) is a PostgreSQL extension with 22,000+ GitHub stars that adds time-series superpowers to the world's most trusted relational database. Unlike purpose-built TSDBs that force you to learn new query languages, TimescaleDB uses standard SQL — your existing Postgres knowledge, tools, and ORMs work immediately.

Key features:

- **Hypertables** — automatic time-based partitioning, transparent to queries
- **Continuous aggregates** — materialized views that refresh incrementally
- **Columnar compression** — 10-15x storage reduction with automatic policies
- **Data retention** — automatic drop policies for aging data
- **Full PostgreSQL** — JOINs, foreign keys, indexes, extensions (PostGIS, pgvector)
- **Automatic tuning** — `timescaledb-tune` optimizes Postgres config for your hardware

## Why Deploy TimescaleDB on Railway

One-click deployment with zero infrastructure management:

- Persistent volume storage — data survives redeploys and restarts
- TCP proxy for secure external connections from any Postgres client
- Auto-tuned performance based on container resources
- Private networking for low-latency service-to-service connections
- Full PostgreSQL ecosystem compatibility out of the box

## Common Use Cases for Self-Hosted TimescaleDB

- **IoT telemetry** — ingest millions of sensor readings per second with compression for historical data
- **DevOps monitoring** — store infrastructure metrics (CPU, memory, network) and power Grafana dashboards
- **Financial analytics** — record trades, pricing trends, and risk metrics with relational JOINs across account data
- **Application observability** — track API response times, error rates, and user activity with real-time aggregation

## Dependencies for TimescaleDB on Railway

- **TimescaleDB** — `timescale/timescaledb:2.18.0-pg16` (PostgreSQL 16 with TimescaleDB 2.18.0 extension)

No additional database or cache service is required — TimescaleDB is self-contained.

### Environment Variables Reference for TimescaleDB

| Variable | Description | Default |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| `POSTGRES_USER` | Database superuser name | `postgres` |
| `POSTGRES_PASSWORD` | Database superuser password | Required |
| `POSTGRES_DB` | Default database name | `postgres` |
| `PGDATA` | Data directory path | `/var/lib/postgresql/data/pgdata` |
| `TIMESCALEDB_TELEMETRY` | Telemetry level (`off` to disable) | `basic` |

### Deployment Dependencies

- **Docker image:** [`timescale/timescaledb`](https://hub.docker.com/r/timescale/timescaledb) (100M+ pulls)
- **Source code:** [github.com/timescale/timescaledb](https://github.com/timescale/timescaledb) (22k+ stars)
- **Documentation:** [tigerdata.com/docs](https://www.tigerdata.com/docs/self-hosted/latest/install/)

## Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting TimescaleDB

| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| CPU | 1 vCPU | 2-4 vCPUs |
| RAM | 2 GB | 4-8 GB |
| Storage | 1 GB SSD | 10+ GB SSD (scales with data) |
| Runtime | Docker | Docker |

TimescaleDB auto-tunes PostgreSQL configuration based on available resources using `timescaledb-tune`. SSD storage is strongly recommended — HDD severely impacts query performance on time-series workloads.

## Self-Hosting TimescaleDB with Docker

Run TimescaleDB locally with Docker:

```
docker run -d --name timescaledb \
  -p 5432:5432 \
  -v timescaledb_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword \
  -e PGDATA=/var/lib/postgresql/data/pgdata \
  timescale/timescaledb:2.18.0-pg16
```

Or with Docker Compose:

```
services:
  timescaledb:
    image: timescale/timescaledb:2.18.0-pg16
    ports:
      - "5432:5432"
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: mysecretpassword
      POSTGRES_DB: timescaledb
      PGDATA: /var/lib/postgresql/data/pgdata
    volumes:
      - timescaledb_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  timescaledb_data:
```

Connect with psql: `psql -h localhost -U postgres -d timescaledb`

## How Much Does TimescaleDB Cost to Self-Host?

TimescaleDB is dual-licensed under Apache 2.0 (core) and Timescale License (advanced features like compression policies and continuous aggregates). Both are free for self-hosting — the TSL only restricts offering TimescaleDB as a managed database service.

Self-hosting on Railway costs only infrastructure. A basic instance runs comfortably on Railway's standard resources. Tiger Data's managed cloud (Tiger Cloud) starts at $30/month for comparison, making self-hosting on Railway significantly more cost-effective.

## TimescaleDB vs InfluxDB

| Feature | TimescaleDB | InfluxDB |
|---------|-------------|----------|
| Query language | Full SQL | InfluxQL / Flux / SQL (v3) |
| Relational JOINs | Yes (native PostgreSQL) | Limited |
| Ecosystem | PostgreSQL (pgAdmin, ORMs, extensions) | Proprietary tooling |
| Compression | 10-15x | Custom columnar |
| Best for | Mixed workloads (time-series + relational) | Pure metrics/monitoring |

TimescaleDB is the better choice when you need to JOIN time-series data with relational tables or want to leverage the PostgreSQL ecosystem.

## FAQ

**What is TimescaleDB and why self-host it?**
TimescaleDB is a PostgreSQL extension that adds time-series capabilities — hypertables, compression, continuous aggregates, and retention policies. Self-hosting gives you full control over data, zero vendor lock-in, and cost savings compared to managed time-series services.

**What does this Railway template deploy?**
This template deploys a single TimescaleDB service using the `timescale/timescaledb:2.18.0-pg16` Docker image with a persistent volume for data storage and a TCP proxy for external access. The TimescaleDB extension comes pre-installed and auto-enabled.

**Why is PGDATA set to a subdirectory of the volume mount?**
Railway volumes contain a `lost+found` directory at the mount root. PostgreSQL's `initdb` refuses to initialize in a non-empty directory. Setting `PGDATA` to a subdirectory (`/var/lib/postgresql/data/pgdata`) avoids this conflict.

**How do I connect Grafana to self-hosted TimescaleDB on Railway?**
Use the PostgreSQL data source in Grafana. For services within the same Railway project, use the internal hostname `timescaledb.railway.internal:5432`. For external Grafana instances, use the TCP proxy endpoint provided by Railway.

**Can I use TimescaleDB with my existing PostgreSQL application?**
Yes — TimescaleDB is a PostgreSQL extension, not a separate database. Your existing tables, queries, indexes, and application code work unchanged. You only use hypertables for the time-series tables that need them.

**How do I enable continuous aggregates on self-hosted TimescaleDB?**
Create a continuous aggregate with `CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW ... WITH (timescaledb.continuous) AS SELECT time_bucket(...) ...`. Then add a refresh policy with `SELECT add_continuous_aggregate_policy(...)`. This works out of the box on the deployed image.


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