TL;DR
Railway provides automatic SSL and managed infrastructure. Your focus should be on environment variables (stored securely but accessible to services), database security (use private networking when possible), and protecting your services with authentication. Railway's private networking keeps database traffic off the public internet.
What Railway Handles for You
Railway's managed platform provides several security features automatically:
- Automatic SSL: All services get HTTPS by default
- Isolated containers: Each service runs in its own container
- Private networking: Services can communicate internally
- Managed databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis with backups
- Encrypted secrets: Environment variables are encrypted at rest
Environment Variables on Railway
Railway stores environment variables securely and injects them at runtime:
Setting Variables
- Project variables: Shared across all services in a project
- Service variables: Specific to one service
- Reference variables: Automatically connect services (like database URLs)
// Node.js
const databaseUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
const apiSecret = process.env.API_SECRET;
// Python
import os
database_url = os.environ.get('DATABASE_URL')
api_secret = os.environ.get('API_SECRET')
Never hardcode secrets: Even though your Railway code is private, always use environment variables. This makes rotation easier and prevents accidental exposure in logs or version control.
Database Security on Railway
Use Private Networking
Railway can provision databases that are only accessible via private networking:
# Public URL (accessible from internet)
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@roundhouse.proxy.rlwy.net:5432/railway
# Private URL (internal only, more secure)
DATABASE_PRIVATE_URL=postgres://user:pass@postgres.railway.internal:5432/railway
Use the private URL when your app and database are both on Railway. This keeps database traffic off the public internet.
Database Security Checklist
PostgreSQL Security on Railway
Use private networking URL if possible
Strong, unique password (Railway generates these)
Don't expose database port publicly unless needed
Enable SSL for external connections
Regular backups (Railway does this automatically)
Consider row-level security for multi-tenant apps
Service Security
Protecting API Endpoints
// Express.js example with authentication
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
// Rate limiting
const rateLimit = require('express-rate-limit');
const limiter = rateLimit({
windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
max: 100 // limit each IP to 100 requests per window
});
app.use(limiter);
// Authentication middleware
const authenticate = async (req, res, next) => {
const token = req.headers.authorization?.split(' ')[1];
if (!token) {
return res.status(401).json({ error: 'No token provided' });
}
try {
const user = await verifyToken(token);
req.user = user;
next();
} catch (error) {
return res.status(401).json({ error: 'Invalid token' });
}
};
// Protected routes
app.get('/api/user', authenticate, (req, res) => {
res.json({ user: req.user });
});
// Health check (no auth needed)
app.get('/health', (req, res) => {
res.json({ status: 'ok' });
});
Internal Service Communication
When services communicate within Railway's private network:
// Use private networking for internal calls
const INTERNAL_API = process.env.API_PRIVATE_URL || 'http://api.railway.internal';
// Still authenticate internal requests
const response = await fetch(`${INTERNAL_API}/internal/process`, {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.INTERNAL_SERVICE_TOKEN}`,
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify(data)
});
Deployment Security
Preview Environments
Railway can create preview environments for PRs. Security considerations:
- Preview environments use the same environment variables by default
- Consider using different database instances for previews
- Don't connect preview environments to production data
Deploy Configurations
[build]
builder = "NIXPACKS"
[deploy]
startCommand = "node server.js"
healthcheckPath = "/health"
healthcheckTimeout = 300
# Useful for security
restartPolicyType = "ON_FAILURE"
restartPolicyMaxRetries = 3
Logging and Monitoring
Secure Logging Practices
// DON'T log sensitive data
console.log('User login:', { email, password }); // BAD!
// DO log safely
console.log('User login:', { email, passwordProvided: !!password }); // OK
// Use a logger that can redact sensitive fields
const logger = createLogger({
redact: ['password', 'token', 'secret', 'authorization']
});
logger.info('Request received', {
path: req.path,
headers: req.headers // Authorization will be redacted
});
Railway Security Checklist
Before Going to Production
All secrets in environment variables
Database using private networking
API endpoints have authentication
Rate limiting configured
Health check endpoint exists
Logs don't contain sensitive data
Preview environments don't use production data
CORS configured appropriately
Are my environment variables secure on Railway?
Yes, Railway encrypts environment variables at rest and injects them securely at runtime. They're not visible in logs or to other users. However, any code running in your service can access them, so be careful about what code you deploy.
Should I use private or public database URLs?
Use private networking URLs when your app and database are both on Railway. This is more secure because traffic stays within Railway's network. Only use public URLs when you need external access (like from a local development machine).
How do I rotate secrets on Railway?
Update the environment variable in Railway's dashboard, then redeploy your service. The new value will be available immediately after the deploy completes. Also update the credential with the original provider.
Can other Railway users access my services?
No, your services are isolated. Other Railway users cannot access your private networking, databases, or environment variables. Public endpoints are accessible to anyone unless you add authentication.