Deploy a Node/TypeScript API to Railway in 15 minutes (with a worker-friendly setup)

This walkthrough deploys a simple Express API to Railway, sets env vars, and notes how to add a second service later for a queue worker. Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. What you'll end up with A deployed Node/TS HTTP service HTTPS URL on Railway Env-based config (PORT, DATABASE_URL, etc.) A clear path to add a worker process (BullMQ etc.) as a second service Companion repo Clone or fork the starter and deploy it as-is: github.com/ivanpetrus/railway-node-ts-api Prerequisites Node 20+ locally A GitHub repo (or Railway CLI) ~15 minutes Step 1 — Minimal API // src/index.ts import express from "express"; const app = express(); const port = process.env.PORT || 3000; app.get("/health", (_req, res) => { res.json({ ok: true }); }); app.listen(port, () => { console.log(`listening on ${port}`); }); package.json scripts: { "scripts": { "build": "tsc", "start": "node dist/index.js", "dev": "tsx src/index.ts" } } Tip: Railway sets PORT for you — don't hardcode 3000 in production. Step 2 — Create the Railway project Sign up / log in via this link (includes starter credits when eligible): Railway New Project → Deploy from GitHub (connect the repo) Or deploy the companion repo above. Pick the repo + root directory if monorepo Step 3 — Build & start settings Step 4 — Environment variables Add at least: NODE_ENV=production any secrets your app needs (DATABASE_URL, JWT_SECRET, …) Never commit .env. Rotate anything you pasted into chat. Step 5 — Public URL & health check Generate a Railway domain (or custom domain). Hit /health — you should see { "ok": true }. Optional: add a worker later For BullMQ / background jobs: Create a second Railway service from the same repo Same build, different start command (e.g. node dist/worker.js) Share env vars; put Redis as a plugin/add-on or external Redis Cap concurrency so one spike doesn't OOM the service That's where a lot of solo apps get burned — happy to write a follow-up. Cost mindset (solo) Start tiny; watch the usage dashboard after 24h Separate web vs worker so a stuck job doesn't take down HTTP Set memory limits / restart policy before you "optimize code" When Railway is a fit Solo/small team, Node/TS API + optional worker Want GitHub → deploy without babysitting VMs Not a fit if you need multi-region edge at Google scale on day one Wrap-up Ship the healthcheck first. Add the worker second. Keep env vars boring. Deploy link (affiliate): Railway If you want the same app on a classic VPS/PaaS instead, next post compares Railway vs DigitalOcean for a solo Node API. Questions / stuck on build commands? Drop an error log snippet in the comments. In the service settings: Build command: npm run build (or pnpm/yarn) Start command: npm run start Watch the first deploy logs for listening on … If the build fails on TypeScript, ensure typescript is in dependencies/devDependencies and tsconfig emits to dist/.