How to Host a Website on Railway (Beginner-Friendly Tutorial)

Introduction

Railway is a simple platform that lets you deploy web apps, APIs, and static websites. It’s beginner-friendly and offers a free tier that’s perfect for testing and small projects. In this guide, you’ll learn how to host a template on Railway step by step.

Why Use Railway?

Free tier with credits for hobby projects
Works for static sites and backend apps (Node, Python, etc.)
Automatic HTTPS for all projects
GitHub integration with continuous deployment

Step 1: Sign up for Railway

Go to Railway.app.
Sign up using your GitHub account.

Step 2: Create a New Project

Click New Project.
Choose:
- Deploy from GitHub repo (best for React, Next.js, etc.)
- Static site option (for HTML/CSS/JS)
- Or create from a template

Step 3: Configure Deployment

Static HTML site: Railway automatically serves it.
React / Next.js app: Make sure your repo has:

Code · json

"scripts": {
  "build": "next build",
  "start": "next start"
}

Railway builds your app automatically.

Step 4: Access Your Website

When the build finishes, Railway gives you a public URL like:

https://your-project.up.railway.app

Step 5: Add a Custom Domain (Optional)

Go to Settings → Domains.
Add your custom domain (e.g., mywebsite.com).
Update your DNS records as instructed.

Troubleshooting

Build failed? Double-check your package.json build/start scripts.
Not enough credits? Railway free tier has limits — upgrade if needed.
Environment variables missing? Add them to the Railway dashboard under Variables.

Conclusion

Railway is an easy option for beginners who want to host either static sites or backend apps. With GitHub integration and free SSL, you can go live in just minutes.

Next up: we’ll explore GitLab Pages, another free static hosting option.