# Railway Deployment Guide for Chhart MCP Server
Step-by-step guide to deploy the Chhart MCP server to Railway for remote access.
---
## Prerequisites
- Railway account (sign up at https://railway.app)
- Railway CLI installed (or use web interface)
- GitHub repository with the code (already done: https://github.com/alwank/chhart_MCP)
---
## Deployment Steps
### Option 1: Deploy via Railway Web Interface (Recommended)
1. **Go to Railway Dashboard**
- Visit https://railway.app/dashboard
- Click "New Project"
2. **Deploy from GitHub**
- Select "Deploy from GitHub repo"
- Choose `lozijak/chhart_MCP`
- Railway will auto-detect the Dockerfile
- Ensure the start command runs StreamableHTTP (`node dist/server-streamable.js`) as in `railway.json`
3. **Configure Environment Variables**
- Click on your deployed service
- Go to "Variables" tab
- Add:
```
PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=production
```
4. **Generate Domain**
- Go to "Settings" tab
- Click "Generate Domain" under "Networking"
- Copy the generated URL (e.g., `chhart-mcp-production.up.railway.app`)
5. **Wait for Deployment**
- Railway will build and deploy automatically
- Check "Deployments" tab for status
- Should complete in 2-3 minutes
### Option 2: Deploy via Railway CLI
```bash
# Install Railway CLI (if not already installed)
npm i -g @railway/cli
# Login to Railway
railway login
# Initialize project
cd /Users/alwanalkautsar/chhart_MCP
railway init
# Link to your Railway project
railway link
# Deploy
railway up
# Generate domain
railway domain
```
---
## Verify Deployment
### 1. Check Health Endpoint
Once deployed, test the health endpoint:
```bash
curl https://your-app.railway.app/health
```
Expected response:
```json
{
"status": "ok",
"service": "chhart-mcp-server",
"version": "1.0.2",
"transport": "streamable-http",
"timestamp": "2026-01-20T08:16:35.000Z"
}
```
### 2. Test MCP Endpoint
The MCP endpoint should be available at:
```
https://your-app.railway.app/mcp
```
---
## Configure MCP Clients
### For Claude Desktop (Remote)
Update `claude_desktop_config.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"chhart": {
"url": "https://your-app.railway.app/mcp"
}
}
}
```
### For ChatGPT or Other Clients
Provide the StreamableHTTP endpoint URL:
```
https://your-app.railway.app/mcp
```
---
## Monitoring & Logs
### View Logs
**Via Web Interface:**
1. Go to your Railway project
2. Click on the service
3. Click "Logs" tab
**Via CLI:**
```bash
railway logs
```
### Monitor Performance
Railway provides:
- CPU usage
- Memory usage
- Network traffic
- Request metrics
Access via the "Metrics" tab in your service dashboard.
---
## Troubleshooting
### Deployment Failed
**Check build logs:**
1. Go to "Deployments" tab
2. Click on the failed deployment
3. Review build logs for errors
**Common issues:**
- Missing dependencies: Run `npm install` locally first
- TypeScript errors: Run `npm run build` to check
- Port conflicts: Ensure `PORT` env var is set
### Server Not Responding
**Check if service is running:**
```bash
curl https://your-app.railway.app/health
```
**If 404 or timeout:**
- Check Railway logs for startup errors
- Verify Dockerfile is correct
- Ensure `PORT` env variable is set
### Connection Issues
**CORS errors:**
- The server already has CORS enabled
- Check browser console for specific errors
**406 Not Acceptable:**
- Ensure your client sends `Accept: application/json` and `Content-Type: application/json`.
---
## Cost Estimation
Railway pricing (as of 2026):
- **Free tier:** $5 credit/month
- **Pro plan:** $20/month
**Estimated usage for MCP server:**
- Very low traffic: ~$0-2/month (within free tier)
- Moderate traffic: ~$5-10/month
The MCP server is lightweight and should stay within free tier for personal use.
---
## Security Considerations
### Current Setup
- ✅ CORS enabled for all origins
- ✅ No authentication required
- ✅ HTTPS by default (Railway)
### Recommendations for Production
1. **Add Authentication** (if needed):
```typescript
// Add API key validation
app.use((req, res, next) => {
const apiKey = req.headers['x-api-key'];
if (apiKey !== process.env.API_KEY) {
return res.status(401).json({ error: 'Unauthorized' });
}
next();
});
```
2. **Rate Limiting**:
```bash
npm install express-rate-limit
```
3. **Restrict CORS** (optional):
```typescript
// Only allow specific origins
res.header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin', 'https://chhart.app');
```
---
## Updating the Deployment
### Via GitHub (Automatic)
Railway auto-deploys on git push:
```bash
# Make changes
git add .
git commit -m "Update MCP server"
git push origin main
# Railway will automatically redeploy
```
### Via CLI (Manual)
```bash
railway up
```
---
## Next Steps
After deployment:
1. ✅ Test the health endpoint
2. ✅ Configure Claude Desktop with the MCP URL (/mcp)
3. ✅ Test creating a flowchart via Claude
4. ✅ Verify the generated URL works on chhart.app
5. 📊 Monitor usage and logs
---
## Support
**Railway Documentation:**
- https://docs.railway.app
**Railway Discord:**
- https://discord.gg/railway
**MCP Documentation:**
- https://modelcontextprotocol.io
---
Ready to deploy! 🚀
