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Step-by-step: deploy your FastAPI AI backend to Railway, Render, or Fly.io.

Getting a FastAPI backend running on localhost is easy. Getting it deployed to production with a managed database, environment variables, HTTPS, and proper process management is where most developers get stuck. This guide covers deploying to the three most developer-friendly platforms.

Prepare your Dockerfile

Create a production Dockerfile with multi-stage builds, proper Python path setup, and a non-root user for security.

step-1.py

FROM python:3.12-slim AS base
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

FROM base AS production
COPY . .
RUN adduser --disabled-password --no-create-home appuser
USER appuser
EXPOSE 8000
CMD ["uvicorn", "app.main:app", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000", "--workers", "2"]

Deploy to Railway

Railway auto-detects your Dockerfile, provisions a PostgreSQL database, and gives you a public URL. Set environment variables in the Railway dashboard.

step-2.py

# Install Railway CLI
npm install -g @railway/cli

# Login and initialize
railway login
railway init

# Add PostgreSQL
railway add --plugin postgresql

# Deploy
railway up

# Set environment variables
railway variables set OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
railway variables set JWT_SECRET=your-secret-here
railway variables set STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_...

Deploy to Render

Create a render.yaml blueprint that defines your web service and database together. Render handles builds, deploys, and managed PostgreSQL.

step-3.py

# render.yaml
services:
  - type: web
    name: fastapi-ai-api
    runtime: docker
    envVars:
      - key: DATABASE_URL
        fromDatabase:
          name: api-db
          property: connectionString
      - key: OPENAI_API_KEY
        sync: false
    healthCheckPath: /health

databases:
  - name: api-db
    plan: starter
    databaseName: api_db

Deploy to Fly.io

Fly.io deploys your Docker container to edge locations worldwide. Create a fly.toml config and deploy with a single command.

step-4.py

# Install Fly CLI and launch
fly launch --name my-ai-api --region iad

# Create a PostgreSQL cluster
fly postgres create --name my-ai-db

# Attach the database
fly postgres attach my-ai-db

# Set secrets
fly secrets set OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
fly secrets set JWT_SECRET=your-secret-here

# Deploy
fly deploy

Run database migrations on deploy

Use Alembic to run migrations automatically during deployment. Add a release command or pre-start script that applies pending migrations.

step-5.py

# In your Dockerfile or deploy hook
CMD alembic upgrade head && uvicorn app.main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

# Or as a Railway/Render release command:
# alembic upgrade head

Docs: deployment Docs: configuration Use case: saas-api-backend

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Skip the setup, start building

Everything in this guide is already implemented and configured in FastAPI AI Kit. Clone the repo and start building your product features immediately.

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