CI/CD

Preview environments, GitHub Actions, monorepos, config as code and safe rollbacks.

Get started

3 guides, in order
  1. Step 1Deploy on Merge with PR Environments as CanariesSet up a trunk-based promotion workflow on Railway. Every pull request gets a canary environment; every merge to main deploys production automatically.
  2. Step 2Deploy from a Private Container RegistryDeploy Docker images from private registries (GHCR, Docker Hub, GitLab, ECR, Google Artifact Registry) on Railway, from credential setup to CI-driven redeploys.
  3. Step 3Running Agents on RailwayLearn how to deploy always-on, autonomous AI agents on Railway by building a Claude-powered GitHub DevBot that opens pull requests in response to new issues.

Build and deploy

2 guides
Deploying a Monorepo to RailwayLearn how to deploy a monorepo to Railway.Deploying Monorepo ApplicationsMake use of Railway's custom root directory and run command features to deploy monorepo applications

Run in production

3 guides
Rotate API Keys and Database Credentials Without DowntimeUse the dual-key overlap pattern, staged redeploys, and reference variables to rotate secrets on Railway with zero downtime.Lock Down a Production Railway ProjectHarden a production Railway project with Under Attack Mode, private networking, scoped API tokens, sealed variables, and workspace-level access controls.Manually Optimize Deployments on RailwayUnderstand the different methods of deploying to Railway and learn how to speed things up

Compare and decide

4 guides
Handle Build-Time vs Runtime Secrets in Docker BuildsWhen Docker builds on Railway can see your variables, how to pass build secrets with ARG, and why runtime secrets should never be baked into the image.The Best Preview Environment Platforms in 2026Why preview environments are the most underrated PaaS feature in 2026, the collaboration flywheel they unlock, and which platforms make them one-click vs a project.The Best CI/CD Tools for 2026What CI/CD actually does in 2026, why most teams don't need a separate tool anymore, and an honest ranking of the platforms that handle it for you alongside the standalone tools for teams that still need them.Serverless functions vs containers: CI/CD, database connections, cron jobs, and long-running tasksComparing serverless and container deployments about auto-deploy workflows, secure database connections, scheduled jobs, rollbacks, and resource-intensive tasks. Each section explains both approaches honestly, with guidance on when serverless constraints matter and when containers make more sense.

More guides

14 guides
Manage Environment Variables in Frontend BuildsUnderstand build-time vs runtime environment variables in frontend frameworks. Covers Vite, Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, and Angular prefix conventions and how Railway handles each.Roll Back a Bad Deploy FastHow to revert a broken deployment on Railway in under a minute. Covers rollback vs redeploy vs restart, image retention limits, and healthcheck-gated deploys that stop bad code before it goes live.Isolate Staging from Production for ComplianceSeparate staging and production on Railway with per-environment networks, per-environment bucket instances, and environment-scoped credentials.Sync Secrets from an External Secrets ManagerKeep Doppler, Infisical, or Vault as your source of truth and push secrets into Railway variables with the Public API, a sync script, or a vendor integration.Managing Secrets on RailwayHow to store API keys, database URLs, and other secrets on Railway using service, shared, reference, and sealed variables, with no separate secrets manager.Preview Deployments with PR EnvironmentsLearn how to use Railway PR Environments to spin up isolated, ephemeral preview deployments for every pull request, including Focused and Bot PR Environments.GitHub Actions Self Hosted RunnersLearn how to deploy your own scalable self hosted GitHub Actions Runners on Railway. Build your own fleet of runners for your Enterprise and then scale your self-hosted runners with Railway replicas for blazing fast builds.GitHub Actions PR EnvironmentLearn how to use the CLI in a GitHub Action to create environments for PRsGitHub Actions Post-DeployLearn how to use GitHub Actions to run post-deployment commands.CI/CD for Modern Deployment: From Manual Deploys to PR EnvironmentsDeploy isolated preview environments for every pull request—services, databases, and config that match production, created and cleaned up automatically.Implement a GitHub Actions Testing SuiteLearn how to build a testing suite in GitHub actions and integrate it into your Railway deployment pipelineWorking with NX, Railway and CI/CDA brief guide on managing CI/CD for your NX projects using GitHub Actions with Railway.Using GitLab CI/CD with RailwayGitLab CI/CD is a powerful continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) system. In this post, we talk about how you can use GitLab CI/CD to automate your deployments on Railway.Using Github Actions with RailwayGithub Actions come with a pretty neat set of features to automate your workflows. In this post, we talk about using Github Actions to automate your deployments on Railway.