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

# Railway / Render

> Deploy MergeWatch to Railway or Render — no CLI required.

Railway and Render are platform-as-a-service providers that deploy containers directly from a GitHub repository. Both offer managed Postgres add-ons, automatic TLS, and dashboard-driven configuration — making them the simplest cloud deployment option for MergeWatch.

## Overview

This guide covers deploying MergeWatch on either Railway or Render. Both platforms follow the same pattern: connect your GitHub repo, configure environment variables, add a Postgres database, and point your GitHub App webhook at the provided URL.

## Prerequisites

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an account">
    Sign up for a free account on [Railway](https://railway.app) or [Render](https://render.com).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Gather your GitHub App credentials">
    | Variable                | Description                                       |
    | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
    | `GITHUB_APP_ID`         | Numeric App ID from the GitHub App settings page  |
    | `GITHUB_PRIVATE_KEY`    | PEM-formatted private key generated for the App   |
    | `GITHUB_WEBHOOK_SECRET` | Secret used to validate incoming webhook payloads |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose an LLM provider">
    Set `LLM_PROVIDER` to your preferred provider. For the default Anthropic provider, you also need `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Deploy on Railway

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a new project">
    1. Go to [railway.app/new](https://railway.app/new)
    2. Select **Deploy from Docker Image**
    3. Enter the image: `ghcr.io/santthosh/mergewatch:latest`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a PostgreSQL plugin">
    1. In your project, click **+ New** and select **Database > PostgreSQL**
    2. Railway provisions a Postgres instance and exposes the `DATABASE_URL` variable automatically

    <Tip>
      Railway injects `DATABASE_URL` into your service environment automatically when you link the PostgreSQL plugin. No manual configuration needed.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set environment variables">
    Go to your service's **Variables** tab and add:

    | Variable                | Value                  |
    | ----------------------- | ---------------------- |
    | `GITHUB_APP_ID`         | Your App ID            |
    | `GITHUB_PRIVATE_KEY`    | Your PEM private key   |
    | `GITHUB_WEBHOOK_SECRET` | Your webhook secret    |
    | `LLM_PROVIDER`          | `anthropic`            |
    | `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`     | Your Anthropic API key |
    | `PORT`                  | `3000`                 |

    <Note>
      Railway sets `DATABASE_URL` automatically from the PostgreSQL plugin. Do not set it manually unless you are using an external database.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy and get the URL">
    Railway deploys automatically when variables are saved. Find your public URL under **Settings > Networking > Public Networking**. Generate a domain if one is not assigned.

    ```text theme={null}
    https://mergewatch-production-abc1.up.railway.app
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Deploy on Render

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a new Web Service">
    1. Go to [dashboard.render.com](https://dashboard.render.com)
    2. Click **New > Web Service**
    3. Select **Deploy an existing image from a registry**
    4. Enter: `ghcr.io/santthosh/mergewatch:latest`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a PostgreSQL service">
    1. Click **New > PostgreSQL**
    2. Choose a name and plan (the free tier works for evaluation)
    3. Copy the **Internal Database URL** from the PostgreSQL service dashboard
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set environment variables">
    In the Web Service settings, go to **Environment** and add:

    | Variable                | Value                                                 |
    | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
    | `GITHUB_APP_ID`         | Your App ID                                           |
    | `GITHUB_PRIVATE_KEY`    | Your PEM private key                                  |
    | `GITHUB_WEBHOOK_SECRET` | Your webhook secret                                   |
    | `LLM_PROVIDER`          | `anthropic`                                           |
    | `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`     | Your Anthropic API key                                |
    | `DATABASE_URL`          | The Internal Database URL from the PostgreSQL service |
    | `PORT`                  | `3000`                                                |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy and get the URL">
    Render deploys automatically. Your service URL is shown at the top of the dashboard:

    ```text theme={null}
    https://mergewatch.onrender.com
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  On Render's free tier, services spin down after 15 minutes of inactivity. The first webhook after a spin-down may time out. Use a paid plan for production workloads.
</Warning>

## Set up Postgres

Both platforms provide managed PostgreSQL as a first-party add-on.

| Platform    | Postgres option    | How `DATABASE_URL` is set               |
| ----------- | ------------------ | --------------------------------------- |
| **Railway** | PostgreSQL plugin  | Injected automatically when linked      |
| **Render**  | PostgreSQL service | Copy the Internal Database URL manually |

<Tip>
  Both platforms handle backups, connection pooling, and TLS for their managed Postgres offerings. No additional database configuration is needed for MergeWatch.
</Tip>

## Configure the webhook URL

Set the webhook URL on your GitHub App to your platform URL followed by `/webhook`:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Railway theme={null}
  https://mergewatch-production-abc1.up.railway.app/webhook
  ```

  ```text Render theme={null}
  https://mergewatch.onrender.com/webhook
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Configure review behavior" icon="sliders" href="/configuration/review-behavior">
    Tune sensitivity, ignored paths, and review focus areas.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Environment variables" icon="key" href="/reference/env-vars">
    Full list of supported environment variables.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="bug" href="/reference/troubleshooting">
    Common issues and how to fix them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Upgrading" icon="arrow-up" href="/self-hosting/upgrading">
    How to update MergeWatch to the latest version.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>