4 hours ago
Hello,
One of our services builds with Railpack and today uses a railway.json file. Your docs say Config as Code files (railway.json and railway.toml) stop being read on 2026-12-01. We plan to move the build and start commands into a railpack.json file at the repository root instead.
Please answer three questions in writing:
- Will Railpack keep reading railpack.json (including deploy.startCommand and steps.build.commands) after 2026-12-01?
- If a start command or build command is also set in the service's dashboard settings, which one wins: the dashboard or railpack.json?
- After 2026-12-01, if railway.json is still in the repository, is it ignored completely, or can any of its settings still apply?
Thank you.
1 Replies
4 hours ago
The 2026-12-01 Config as Code cutoff applies to railway.json and railway.toml. A Railpack config file is a separate, supported way to customize Railpack builds, alongside service variables.
When a build or start command is set in the service's settings, we build and start the service with those commands instead of the ones that would otherwise be used.
After 2026-12-01, railway.json is no longer read, even if it is still in the repository, and deploys do not fail because of it. The service settings take over. Anything set only in that file, such as a healthcheck path, watch patterns or a pre-deploy command, stops applying unless it is also set on the service in the dashboard or through the serviceInstanceUpdate API mutation.
Status changed to Awaiting User Response Railway • about 4 hours ago