Railway Security Checklist: 15-Item Guide Before Deploying

TL;DR

This 15-item checklist covers critical Railway security configurations: environment variables, database security, service exposure, and access control. 5 critical items must be fixed before launch, 6 important items within the first week, and 4 recommended items when you can.

Quick Checklist (5 Critical Items)

Store all secrets in Railway VariablesNever hardcode secrets in your code or Dockerfile

Use private networking for databasesAccess databases via internal URLs, not public internet

Review which services are publicOnly generate public domains for services that need external access

Implement API authenticationEvery public API endpoint should verify user identity

Use strong database passwordsVerify passwords are long and random

Environment Variables 4

Store all secrets in Railway VariablesService > Variables tab. Never hardcode secrets in your code or Dockerfile. How to configure env variables

Use shared variables for multi-service secretsProject Settings > Shared Variables for secrets used across services. How to use Railway shared variables

Verify no secrets in railway.jsonThe railway.json config file is committed to git. Keep it secret-free. How to secure config files

Use different values per environmentCreate separate environments for staging and production with unique secrets. How to set up Railway environments

Database Security 4

Use private networking for databasesAccess databases via internal URLs, not public internet. Disable public access. How to use private networking

Use strong database passwordsRailway generates passwords, but verify they are long and random. How to secure Railway database

Enable connection pooling with authIf using connection pooling, ensure authentication is required. How to configure connection pooling

Set up automated backupsEnable Railway's backup feature or implement your own backup strategy. How to set up backups

Service Exposure 4

Review which services are publicOnly generate public domains for services that need external access. How to manage service exposure

Keep internal services privateBackground workers, cron jobs, and internal APIs should not have public domains. How to use private networking

Use custom domains with HTTPSRailway provides automatic HTTPS. Use custom domains for production. How to set up custom domains

Review exposed portsOnly expose necessary ports. Close debug ports (like 5555 for Prisma Studio). How to secure exposed ports

Access Control 3

Review team member permissionsAudit who has access to your Railway project and their permission levels. How to audit team access

Protect deployment triggersIf using deploy hooks or GitHub Actions, secure those credentials. How to secure deploy triggers

Implement API authenticationEvery public API endpoint should verify user identity. How to implement auth checks

Railway Security Features

Railway provides secure infrastructure with automatic HTTPS, private networking between services, and encrypted environment variables. The platform is SOC 2 compliant and handles infrastructure security. Your responsibility is configuring your services correctly.

The most important Railway-specific security feature is private networking. Services in the same project can communicate internally without exposing endpoints to the public internet. Use this for databases and internal APIs.

Is Railway secure for production?

Railway provides secure infrastructure with encrypted connections, private networking, and SOC 2 compliance. Configure environment variables properly, use private networking for databases, implement authentication in your services, and follow this checklist for production readiness.

How do I secure a Railway database?

Use Railway's private networking so databases are not exposed to the internet. Access them via internal URLs (ending in .railway.internal). Use strong, unique passwords. Enable connection pooling with authentication. Regularly backup your data using Railway's backup feature.

Should I use public or private networking?

Use private networking for all internal communication: databases, background workers, internal APIs. Only expose services publicly that need external access, like your main API or web server. This reduces attack surface significantly.

TL;DR

Quick Checklist (5 Critical Items)

Environment Variables 4

Database Security 4

Service Exposure 4

Access Control 3

Railway Security Features

Is Railway secure for production?

How do I secure a Railway database?

Should I use public or private networking?

Related Articles

Railway Security Guide

How to Set Up Railway Variables

API Security Checklist

Check Your Railway Deployment

Railway Security Checklist: 15-Item Guide Before Deploying