> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bytebot.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Deploying Bytebot on Railway

> Comprehensive guide to deploying the full Bytebot stack on Railway using the official 1-click template

> **TL;DR –** Click the button below, add your AI API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google), and your personal Bytebot instance will be live in \~2 minutes.

[![Deploy on Railway](https://railway.com/button.svg)](https://railway.com/deploy/bytebot?referralCode=L9lKXQ)

***

## Why Railway?

Railway provides a zero-ops PaaS experience with private networking and per-service logs that perfectly fits Bytebot’s multi-container architecture. The official template wires every service together using the latest container images pushed to the `edge` branch.

***

## What Gets Deployed

| Service             | Container Image (edge)                    | Port | Exposed? | Purpose                              |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ---- | -------- | ------------------------------------ |
| **bytebot-ui**      | `ghcr.io/bytebot-ai/bytebot-ui:edge`      | 9992 | **Yes**  | Next.js web UI rendered to the world |
| **bytebot-agent**   | `ghcr.io/bytebot-ai/bytebot-agent:edge`   | 9991 | No       | Task orchestration & LLM calls       |
| **bytebot-desktop** | `ghcr.io/bytebot-ai/bytebot-desktop:edge` | 9990 | No       | Containerised Ubuntu + XFCE desktop  |
| **postgres**        | `postgres:14-alpine`                      | 5432 | No       | Persistence layer                    |

All internal traffic flows through Railway’s [private networking](https://docs.railway.com/guides/private-networking). Only `bytebot-ui` is assigned a public domain.

***

## Step-by-Step Walk-through

<Steps>
  <Step title="1. Open the Template">
    Click the **Deploy on Railway** button above or visit [https://railway.com/deploy/bytebot?referralCode=L9lKXQ](https://railway.com/deploy/bytebot?referralCode=L9lKXQ).
  </Step>

  <Step title="2. Configure Environment">
    For the bytebot-agent resource, add your AI API key (choose at least one):

    * **Anthropic**: Paste into `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` for Claude models
    * **OpenAI**: Paste into `OPENAI_API_KEY` for GPT models
    * **Google**: Paste into `GEMINI_API_KEY` for Gemini models

    Keep other defaults as is.
  </Step>

  <Step title="3. Kick off the Deployment">
    Press **Deploy**. Railway will pull the pre-built images, create the Postgres database and link all services on a private network.
  </Step>

  <Step title="4. Launch Bytebot">
    When the build logs show *"bytebot-ui: ready"*, click the generated URL (e.g. `https://bytebot-ui-prod.up.railway.app`). You should see the task interface. Create a task and watch the desktop stream!\
    *Tip: You can tail logs for each service from the Railway dashboard.*
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The first deploy downloads several container layers – expect \~2 minutes. Subsequent redeploys are much faster.
</Note>

***

## Private Networking & Security

• **Private networking** ensures that the agent, desktop and database can communicate securely without exposing their ports to the internet.\
• **Public exposure** is limited to the UI which serves static assets and proxies WebSocket traffic.\
• **Add authentication** by placing the UI behind Railway’s built-in password protection or an external provider (e.g. Cloudflare Access, Auth0, OAuth proxy).\
• You can also point a custom domain to the UI from the Railway dashboard and enable Cloudflare for WAF/CDN protection.

***

## Customisation & Scaling

1. **Change images** – Fork the repo, push your own images and edit the template’s `Dockerfile` references.
2. **Increase resources** – Each service has an independent CPU/RAM slider in Railway. Bump up the desktop or agent if you plan heavy automations.

***

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom                     | Likely Cause                                       | Fix                                                                         |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Web UI shows “connecting…”  | Desktop not ready or private networking mis-config | Wait for `bytebot-desktop` container to finish starting, or restart service |
| Agent errors `401` or `403` | Missing/invalid API key                            | Re-enter your AI provider's API key in Railway variables                    |
| Slow desktop video          | Free Railway plan throttling                       | Upgrade plan or reduce screen resolution in desktop settings                |

***

## Next Steps

• Explore the [REST APIs](/api-reference/introduction) to script tasks programmatically.\
• Join our [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/d9ewZkWPTP) community for support and showcase your automations!