TL;DR
Railway is a secure modern deployment platform with strong defaults. It provides private networking between services, encrypted environment variables, and isolated containers. The platform handles infrastructure security well, making it a safe choice for deploying backends, databases, and full-stack applications.
What is Railway?
Railway is a deployment platform for applications and databases with a focus on developer experience. It supports any language/framework via Docker, offers one-click database deployments, and provides private networking between services. Popular for startups and side projects.
Our Verdict
What's Good
- Private networking by default
- Encrypted environment variables
- Isolated container execution
- Automatic HTTPS
- Database backups included
What to Watch
- Public endpoints if enabled
- Shared database credentials
- Build logs may contain secrets
Private Networking
Secure by Default: Services within a Railway project communicate over a private network. Databases aren't exposed to the internet unless you explicitly enable it.
Network Architecture
| Connection Type | Security | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Private (internal) | Not internet accessible | Service-to-database |
| Public domain | HTTPS with TLS | User-facing endpoints |
| TCP proxy | Proxied connection | External database access |
Best Practice: Keep databases on private networking. Use a service as an API layer rather than exposing databases directly.
Environment Variables
Railway handles environment variables securely:
- Encrypted at rest: Variables stored encrypted
- Service scoping: Variables can be service-specific
- Shared variables: Share across services in a project
- Reference variables: Reference other services (e.g., DATABASE_URL)
Database Security
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Private networking | Default |
| Automatic backups | Included |
| Point-in-time recovery | Available |
| Encryption at rest | Enabled |
| Connection pooling | Configurable |
Deployment Security
- Git integration: Deploy from GitHub with branch protection
- PR previews: Test changes before production
- Rollbacks: Instant rollback to previous deployments
- Health checks: Automatic health monitoring
Is Railway safe for production?
Yes, Railway is designed for production workloads. It provides private networking, encrypted secrets, automatic backups, and isolated container execution. Many startups run production on Railway.
Are my databases exposed to the internet?
Not by default. Railway databases are only accessible via private networking. You can enable TCP proxy for external access (like database GUI tools), but this should be used carefully.
How does Railway compare to Heroku?
Railway offers similar ease of use with better defaults (private networking, included databases). It's often faster and more cost-effective. Both are secure when configured properly.