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Migrate from Railway to Nife

This guide moves a service from Railway to Nife. You deploy the same code on Nife, copy your environment variables, test it on its Nife URL, then switch your domain when you are ready. Your Railway app keeps running the whole time.

Before you start​

  • A Nife account and an organization.
  • Your app's code in a Git repository (GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket), or a Dockerfile.
  • Access to your Railway project and, if you like, the Railway command line.

How Railway terms map to Nife​

  • Service: Application deployed from Git
  • Variables: Environment variables and secrets
  • Start command: Dockerfile command or the runtime's start command
  • railway logs: nifectl logs

Step 1: Collect your settings from Railway​

  1. Run railway variables in your project folder to list the variables for the service, or open the service's Variables tab in the Railway dashboard. Note each name and value.
  2. Note the service's start command, build settings and the port it listens on.
  3. Note which variables Railway created for you, such as database connection variables or references to other services. These do not carry over.

Keep the values somewhere private. Do not paste them into tickets or chat.

Step 2: Deploy your code on Nife​

  1. In the Nife dashboard, go to Applications and select Deploy Application.
  2. Choose your organization and enter an application name.
  3. Select Git Repository, choose your Git provider, enter the repository URL and select the branch. For a private repository, add a Personal Access Token as a secret.
  4. Under Ports, set the internal port to the port your app listens on.
  5. Under Build Configuration, choose Auto Dockerize with Runtime and select your language, or choose Add Custom Dockerfile if your repository has a Dockerfile. If it is not in the root, give its path.
  6. Add your environment variables (see Step 3), then continue and start the build.

You can also deploy from the terminal with nifectl auth login, nifectl init and nifectl deploy. Full walkthrough: Deploy Application from Git.

Step 3: Set your environment variables​

Copy each variable into Nife. Replace any reference to another Railway service with the real value for the service you use now. Keep the same names your code already reads.

You can add them in the dashboard while deploying, or with the command line: nifectl secrets create, nifectl secrets list, nifectl secrets update, nifectl secrets delete. Secrets reach your app at runtime as environment variables. Names are case sensitive. Run nifectl secrets list to confirm each name is set.

Variables that point to services run by your old platform, such as a database address, need new values. Replace them with the service you use now.

Step 4: Test on your Nife URL​

  1. Open the URL shown after deploy (or run nifectl open).
  2. Check the pages and API calls your users rely on.
  3. Check the logs with nifectl logs and the status with nifectl status.

Fix anything here before you change where your users go. Your Railway app is still live, so nothing is at risk.

Step 5: Move your custom domain​

Do this after the app works on its Nife URL.

  1. Go to your domain provider's DNS settings.
  2. Add a CNAME record for your domain. Use the value Nife gives you for your app, which the deploy command shows.
  3. Wait for DNS to update. It can take up to 24 hours.
  4. Open your domain and check the app.

If your domain currently points to Railway, you will replace that record. Full walkthrough: Custom Domains.

Step 6: Clean up​

Keep the Railway app for a few days in case you need to go back. When you are sure, remove the domain from Railway and delete the app there.

What this guide does not cover​

This guide does not cover Railway databases, volumes, cron schedules, templates, and shared variables between services. If you depend on any of these, contact Nife support at support@nife.io before you migrate, and we will help you plan it.

Troubleshooting​

  • Build fails: check the build output in the dashboard. Confirm your language runtime or Dockerfile is correct and that the Dockerfile path is right.
  • App starts but is not reachable: confirm the internal port matches the port your app listens on.
  • A variable is missing: run nifectl secrets list and compare names with Step 1. Names are case sensitive.
  • Private repository will not connect: check that the Personal Access Token can read the repository.

Need help? Email support@nife.io.