tool: schema_version: 1.0 id: railway-cli type: cli name: Railway CLI version: 1.0.0 description: Official Railway command-line interface for deploying and managing cloud applications, databases, and services knowledge_strategy: declarative capabilities: - Deploy applications from CLI - Manage Railway projects and services - Configure environment variables - View logs and metrics - Manage databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis) - Link services together - Run commands in Railway environment - Handle deployments and rollbacks use_cases: - rapid_deployment: "Deploy applications with zero configuration" - environment_management: "Manage environment variables across environments" - log_monitoring: "Stream and view application logs" - database_provisioning: "Create and manage databases" - service_linking: "Connect services via private networking" - ci_cd: "Integrate with CI/CD pipelines" installation: npm: "npm install -g @railway/cli" brew: "brew install railway" shell: "bash <(curl -fsSL cli.new)" cli_specific: executable: "railway" configuration: auth_file: "~/.railway/config.json" project_file: ".railway/project.json" command_groups: initialization: - command: "railway login" description: "Authenticate with Railway" method: "Opens browser for OAuth" - command: "railway init" description: "Initialize Railway project in current directory" creates: ".railway directory with project.json" options: - "Create new project" - "Link to existing project" - command: "railway link" description: "Link current directory to Railway project" usage: "railway link [PROJECT_ID]" deployment: - command: "railway up" description: "Deploy current directory" common_flags: - "--detach (deploy without attaching to logs)" - "--service SERVICE_NAME (deploy specific service)" notes: - "Automatically detects framework" - "Uses Nixpacks for building" - "Supports Dockerfile if present" - command: "railway deploy" description: "Alias for railway up" - command: "railway status" description: "Show deployment status" shows: - "Active deployments" - "Service status" - "URLs" environment: - command: "railway variables" description: "List environment variables" common_flags: - "--service SERVICE_NAME" - "--environment ENVIRONMENT_NAME" - command: "railway variables set" description: "Set environment variable" usage: "railway variables set KEY=VALUE" common_flags: - "--service SERVICE_NAME" - command: "railway variables delete" description: "Delete environment variable" usage: "railway variables delete KEY" services: - command: "railway service" description: "Manage services in project" subcommands: - "railway service create" - "railway service list" - "railway service delete" - command: "railway add" description: "Add a database or service" options: - "PostgreSQL" - "MySQL" - "MongoDB" - "Redis" notes: - "Automatically provisions and configures" - "Sets environment variables" logs_and_monitoring: - command: "railway logs" description: "Stream application logs" common_flags: - "--service SERVICE_NAME" - "--deployment DEPLOYMENT_ID" - "--tail N (show last N lines)" - command: "railway run" description: "Run command with Railway environment" usage: "railway run COMMAND" examples: - "railway run npm start" - "railway run node migrate.js" notes: - "Injects environment variables from Railway" - "Useful for running migrations" project_management: - command: "railway list" description: "List all Railway projects" - command: "railway open" description: "Open project in Railway dashboard" - command: "railway whoami" description: "Show current authenticated user" - command: "railway domain" description: "Manage custom domains" subcommands: - "railway domain add DOMAIN" - "railway domain list" - "railway domain remove DOMAIN" environments: - command: "railway environment" description: "Manage environments (production, staging, etc.)" subcommands: - "railway environment create NAME" - "railway environment list" - "railway environment delete NAME" workflow_patterns: new_project: - step: 1 action: "railway login" purpose: "Authenticate" - step: 2 action: "railway init" purpose: "Create/link project" - step: 3 action: "railway add (select database if needed)" purpose: "Provision resources" - step: 4 action: "railway variables set KEY=VALUE" purpose: "Configure environment" - step: 5 action: "railway up" purpose: "Deploy application" continuous_deployment: - step: 1 action: "railway login --browserless (in CI)" purpose: "Authenticate in CI" - step: 2 action: "railway up --detach" purpose: "Deploy without logs" - step: 3 action: "railway status" purpose: "Verify deployment" database_migration: - step: 1 action: "railway run node migrations/run.js" purpose: "Run migrations with Railway env" best_practices: - "Use railway run for migrations to access production environment" - "Separate environments for staging and production" - "Use service names to manage multiple services" - "Store secrets in Railway variables, not in code" - "Use --detach flag in CI/CD pipelines" - "Monitor logs during deployment with railway logs" - "Use private networking for service-to-service communication" authentication: browser_login: command: "railway login" method: "OAuth via browser" ci_login: command: "railway login --browserless" requires: "RAILWAY_TOKEN environment variable" obtain: "From Railway Dashboard > Account > Tokens" private_networking: description: "Services can communicate via private URLs" format: "SERVICE_NAME.railway.internal" port: "Default service port" example: "postgres.railway.internal:5432" benefits: - "No public exposure required" - "Lower latency" - "Free internal traffic" deployment_features: auto_detection: - "Detects framework automatically" - "Generates optimal build configuration" - "Supports: Node.js, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP, etc." build_systems: - "Nixpacks (default)" - "Dockerfile (if present)" - "Buildpacks (legacy)" zero_config: - "No railway.json required" - "Smart defaults for popular frameworks" - "Automatic port detection" common_issues: not_logged_in: error: "Not authenticated" solution: "Run 'railway login' to authenticate" no_project_linked: error: "No project linked" solution: "Run 'railway init' or 'railway link PROJECT_ID'" build_failures: error: "Build failed" troubleshooting: - "Check logs with railway logs" - "Verify dependencies in package.json" - "Check Nixpacks compatibility" - "Add custom Dockerfile if needed" environment_issues: error: "Missing environment variables" solution: "Use 'railway variables set' or configure in dashboard" limitations: - "Requires Railway account" - "Billing based on resource usage" - "Some regions may have limited availability" - "Build time limits on free tier"