Deploy and Host ClickHouse on Railway

ClickHouse is the fastest and most resource efficient open-source database for real-time apps and analytics.

About Hosting ClickHouse

ClickHouse processes analytical queries 100-1000x faster than traditional row-oriented systems with the same available I/O throughput and CPU capacity. Columnar storage format allows fitting more hot data in RAM, which leads to shorter response times.

Common Use Cases

• Real-time Applications: Build applications requiring fast data processing and low-latency query responses
• Analytics Platforms: Process large volumes of analytical data with high performance and efficiency
• Data Warehousing: Store and analyze structured data with columnar storage optimization

Dependencies for ClickHouse Hosting

The Railway template includes the required ClickHouse database engine with pre-configured columnar storage and performance optimizations.

Deployment Dependencies

• ClickHouse Official Website

Implementation Details

ClickHouse Features:

• Blazing fast: High-performance query processing optimized for analytical workloads
• Linearly scalable: Horizontal scaling capabilities for growing data requirements
• Highly reliable: Robust database engine designed for production environments

Docker Configuration:

ClickHouse runs as a Docker container based on the official clickhouse/clickhouse-server image. The container exposes port 8123 for the HTTP interface and port 9000 for the native client.

Default Setup:

By default, ClickHouse will be accessible only via the Docker network and runs as the default user without password. The predefined user default does not have network access unless the password is set.

Data Persistence:

The template mounts the following volumes for data persistence:

• /var/lib/clickhouse/ - main folder where ClickHouse stores the data
• /var/log/clickhouse-server/ - logs

Environment Variables:

• CLICKHOUSE_DB: Create a default database on container start
• CLICKHOUSE_USER: Create a custom user on container start
• CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD: Set password for the user
• CLICKHOUSE_DEFAULT_ACCESS_MANAGEMENT: Enable default access management
• CLICKHOUSE_SKIP_USER_SETUP: Make default user available without password (insecure)
• CLICKHOUSE_RUN_AS_ROOT: Run server from root (useful for user namespace)

Database Initialization:

The container supports initialization scripts by mounting files under /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/. It will run any *.sql files, execute *.sh scripts, and source non-executable shell scripts for additional setup before starting the service.

Client Access:

Connect using the native client or HTTP interface with curl commands. The HTTP interface allows SQL queries via REST API, while the native client provides full ClickHouse functionality.

Configuration:

ClickHouse configuration uses config.xml files. Custom configurations can be mounted to /etc/clickhouse-server/config.d/*.xml for server adjustments and /etc/clickhouse-server/users.d/*.xml for user settings.

Why Deploy ClickHouse 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 ClickHouse 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.