6 months ago
Next.js Service Fails on Startup (SIGTERM) - Even Clean Next.js App Affected (Project ID: c4eafd4b-5423-4a6f-93c6-a3e9da4a69d9)
Dear Railway Support Team,
We are facing a critical issue with our Next.js services within Project "SEO Performance Analyzer" (Project ID: c4eafd4b-5423-4a6f-93c6-a3e9da4a69d9). The core problem is that Next.js services are crashing with a SIGTERM signal just seconds after their logs indicate they are ready (✓ Ready in ...ms).
Our primary goal is to achieve stable startup for our main Next.js application (service nextjs-frontend, ID: de99147b-4bc9-4306-ac21-d36fb73e50a1 - please verify this ID if it's the old problematic one). However, our diagnostic efforts have revealed a more fundamental issue.
Key Diagnostic Steps Taken & Findings:
Initial Problem: Our main Next.js application (
nextjs-frontend) started crashing consistently on startup.Code Simplification on Main App: We attempted to stabilize it by deploying maximally simplified versions of
page.tsx,layout.tsx, andnext.config.js, and by correctingmiddleware.ts. These measures did not consistently resolve the immediate startup crash for thenextjs-frontendservice.Test with a Clean, New Railway Service and Clean Next.js App:
We created a brand new Railway service named
railway-test(Service ID:8c22a1c1-d2a9-4773-98b2-cbaef831df04).We deployed a fresh, unmodified Next.js application (from
npx create-next-app@latest, Git repo:https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-test.git) to this newrailway-testservice.Initial Result: This clean Next.js app on the new
railway-testservice ran stably.
Test: Pointing the (Previously Stable) Clean Service to Main Project's Repo (Simplified Code):
We then changed the source repository of the stable
railway-testservice to our main project's repository (company-b2bspace/nextjs-frontend), which contained the aforementioned maximally simplified code.Result: The
railway-testservice, now deploying our main project's simplified code, also began to crash withSIGTERM.
Critical Finding: Reverting Clean Service to Clean Repo NOW ALSO FAILS:
We then reverted the source repository for the
railway-testservice back to the clean Next.js repository (https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-test.git).Current Problem: Now, even this clean, unmodified Next.js application is crashing on the
railway-testservice (ID:8c22a1c1-d2a9-4773-98b2-cbaef831df04), which previously ran it stably. It appears the service environment may have been affected by the deployment of our main project's code.
Example crash log for the clean Next.js app on the now-failingrailway-test service (ID: 8c22a1c1-d2a9-4773-98b2-cbaef831df04):
May 26 01:14:48 railway-test > railway-test@0.1.0 start
May 26 01:14:48 railway-test > next start
May 26 01:14:48 railway-test ▲ Next.js 15.3.2 // Note: This version appears in logs
May 26 01:14:48 railway-test - Local: http://localhost:8080
May 26 01:14:48 railway-test ✓ Starting...
May 26 01:14:48 railway-test ✓ Ready in 440ms
May 26 01:14:51 railway-test Stopping Container
May 26 01:14:56 railway-test npm error path /app
... (rest of SIGTERM log) ...
No custom environment variables were set for the clean project deployment on railway-test, and Healthcheck Path was /.
This sequence of events leads us to believe there might be a persistent issue with the service slots or the build/runtime environment provided by Railway for Next.js within our project, possibly triggered or exacerbated by deploying our main application's codebase.
Could you please investigate our Project (ID: c4eafd4b-5423-4a6f-93c6-a3e9da4a69d9) and specifically the railway-test service (ID: 8c22a1c1-d2a9-4773-98b2-cbaef831df04)? We need to understand why a standard Next.js application can become unstable on your platform under these circumstances. Access to more detailed system-level logs would be invaluable.
Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter.
Sincerely, Oleksii Predachenko
13 Replies
6 months ago
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Status changed to Open brody • 6 months ago
6 months ago
Please share rest of the SIGTERM log along with a screenshot of your past 1d memory metrics. I think you might be going over your memory limit.
6 months ago
Most likely what @opqr said, in case it isn't, please check if the app is listening on the required port and if previous deploys didn't leave corrupted build caches or volumes.
Could also be some version mismatches or incompatible dependencies, but probably not, just my last idea.
6 months ago
cleaning storage unit
finished cleaning storage units
Starting Container
npm warn config production Use --omit=dev instead.
> railway-test@0.1.0 start
> next start
▲ Next.js 15.3.2
- Local: http://localhost:8080
- Network: http://10.250.17.212:8080
✓ Starting...
✓ Ready in 371ms
Stopping Container
npm error path /app
npm error command failed
npm error signal SIGTERM
npm error command sh -c next start
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /root/.npm/_logs/2025-05-25T19_18_33_612Z-debug-0.log
Starting Container
npm warn config production Use --omit=dev instead.
> railway-test@0.1.0 start
> next start
▲ Next.js 15.3.2
- Local: http://localhost:8080
- Network: http://10.250.16.24:8080
✓ Starting...
✓ Ready in 461ms
Stopping Container
npm error path /app
npm error command failed
npm error signal SIGTERM
npm error command sh -c next start
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /root/.npm/_logs/2025-05-25T21_41_39_497Z-debug-0.log
Starting Container
npm warn config production Use --omit=dev instead.
> railway-test@0.1.0 start
> next start
▲ Next.js 15.3.2
Attachments
6 months ago
Hi, I think I know the problem because i ran into a very similar problem at the start of my current project. Are you using default nixpacks builder used by railway or dockerfile ?
If you are using dockerfile then please post the entire dockerfile so i could have a look at it.
Nextjs by default doesn't do well in a containerized environment as that's not it's default output.
You need to change the output to "standalone" in next config like this and also have a production dockerfile which they highly recommend
```
// next.config.js
module.exports = {
// ... rest of the configuration.
output: "standalone",
};
```
smolpaw
Hi, I think I know the problem because i ran into a very similar problem at the start of my current project. Are you using default nixpacks builder used by railway or dockerfile ?If you are using dockerfile then please post the entire dockerfile so i could have a look at it.Nextjs by default doesn't do well in a containerized environment as that's not it's default output.You need to change the output to "standalone" in next config like this and also have a production dockerfile which they highly recommend```// next.config.jsmodule.exports = {// ... rest of the configuration.output: "standalone",};```
6 months ago
Hi, thanks for the suggestions.
Following up on the output: "standalone" advice for Next.js:
I created a brand new, clean Next.js project (npx create-next-app@latest).
In this clean project:
Updated next.config.js to include output: "standalone" and removed experimental.instrumentationHook (as instrumentation.ts is not part of a default clean project).
Updated package.json "start" script to node .next/standalone/server.js.
Ensured dependencies are stable (Next.js 14.2.3, React 18).
Simplified app/layout.js to remove custom fonts (Geist) that caused a build error.
Regenerated package-lock.json after dependency changes.
This correctly configured clean Next.js project (using output: "standalone") was deployed to a newly created service on Railway.
Result: Unfortunately, this clean and correctly configured Next.js project still crashes with SIGTERM a few seconds after the logs show
Ready in ...ms.
Latest crash log for this clean, standalone-configured Next.js app on a new service:
Starting Container
npm warn config production Use --omit=dev instead.
> railway-test@0.1.0 start
> node .next/standalone/server.js
▲ Next.js 14.2.3
- Local: http://653a19c0a118:8080
- Network: http://[fd12:a249:21ad:0:1000:6:7aa4:4bb3]:8080
✓ Starting...
✓ Ready in 54ms
Stopping Container
npm error path /app
npm error command failed
npm error signal SIGTERM
npm error command sh -c next start
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /root/.npm/_logs/2025-05-27T12_46_51_739Z-debug-0.log
No custom environment variables were used, and Healthcheck Path was /. Memory usage is minimal before the crash.
Given that a default Next.js application, configured for standalone output as recommended for containerized environments, still fails on a fresh Railway service, this points to an issue beyond typical application code errors.
6 months ago
You didn't answer my other question about build type. are you using nixpacks or dockerfile ?
Can you put this dockerfile and dockerignore at the root of the project ?
https://github.com/vercel/next.js/blob/canary/examples/with-docker/Dockerfile
https://github.com/vercel/next.js/blob/canary/examples/with-docker/.dockerignore
If your build environment requires environment variables which it shouldn't be since you said it's a clean project, i advise adding them to your service variables and specifying them during builder stage of the dockerfile i gave right before npm run build
Here's more info on it: https://docs.railway.com/guides/dockerfiles#using-variables-at-build-time
6 months ago
Since it is a starter project please put it on github repo and make it public. I will fix it by successfully deploying to railway and open up a pull request with the necessary changes
smolpaw
Since it is a starter project please put it on github repo and make it public. I will fix it by successfully deploying to railway and open up a pull request with the necessary changes
6 months ago
Thanks! My clean Next.js test repository is public: https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-test
This is a stock create-next-app project where I've configured output: "standalone" in next.config.js, updated the package.json "start" script to node .next/standalone/server.js, set dependencies to Next.js 14.2.3 / React 18, and removed custom fonts from app/layout.js (which were causing a build error).
Looking forward to your PR or any insights.
b2bspace-ee
Thanks! My clean Next.js test repository is public: https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-testThis is a stock create-next-app project where I've configured output: "standalone" in next.config.js, updated the package.json "start" script to node .next/standalone/server.js, set dependencies to Next.js 14.2.3 / React 18, and removed custom fonts from app/layout.js (which were causing a build error).Looking forward to your PR or any insights.
6 months ago
Hi, I have opened a pull request with the changes : https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-test/pull/1
I was able to successfully deploy the application on railway. You can test it here : https://nextjs-bounty-production.up.railway.app
I have also included a railway config file so you could replicate the same deployment behavior.
The Dockerfile i added is production ready. I wouldn't recommend touching it unless you know how to work with them.
smolpaw
Hi, I have opened a pull request with the changes : https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-test/pull/1I was able to successfully deploy the application on railway. You can test it here : https://nextjs-bounty-production.up.railway.appI have also included a railway config file so you could replicate the same deployment behavior.The Dockerfile i added is production ready. I wouldn't recommend touching it unless you know how to work with them.
6 months ago
Thank you so much for providing the Dockerfile, .dockerignore, and railway.json examples, and for merging them into my railway-test repository (https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-test) via PR #1! I really appreciate you taking the time to set that up.
I've deployed these changes to the railway-test service. The build process now uses the Dockerfile as expected.
Unfortunately, despite these changes and using the Dockerfile build, the clean Next.js application on the railway-test servicestill crashes with a SIGTERM error a few seconds after startup.
Here are the latest logs from the railway-test service after deploying with the Dockerfile:
You reached the start of the range → May 27, 2025 6:56 PM
May 27 19:10:41railway-test Starting Container
May 27 19:10:42railway-test ▲ Next.js 14.2.3
May 27 19:10:42railway-test - Local: http://localhost:8080
May 27 19:10:42railway-test - Network: http://0.0.0.0:8080
May 27 19:10:42railway-test ✓ Starting...
May 27 19:10:42railway-test ✓ Ready in 52ms
May 27 19:10:48railway-test Stopping Container
May 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error path /app
May 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error command failed
May 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error signal SIGTERM
May 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error command sh -c node .next/standalone/server.js
May 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /root/.npm/_logs/2025-05-27T13_55_55_963Z-debug-0.log
It seems the issue might be more deeply rooted in how services are handled or configured within my specific project on Railway, as even a Dockerized clean Next.js app (which should be very stable) is failing.
I've also confirmed that deploying the same clean Next.js app (from the railway-test repo) to Vercel works perfectly fine.
Any further guidance or investigation from the Railway team's side would be greatly appreciated.
b2bspace-ee
Thank you so much for providing the Dockerfile, .dockerignore, and railway.json examples, and for merging them into my railway-test repository (https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-test) via PR #1! I really appreciate you taking the time to set that up.I've deployed these changes to the railway-test service. The build process now uses the Dockerfile as expected.Unfortunately, despite these changes and using the Dockerfile build, the clean Next.js application on the railway-test servicestill crashes with a SIGTERM error a few seconds after startup.Here are the latest logs from the railway-test service after deploying with the Dockerfile:You reached the start of the range → May 27, 2025 6:56 PMMay 27 19:10:41railway-test Starting ContainerMay 27 19:10:42railway-test ▲ Next.js 14.2.3May 27 19:10:42railway-test - Local: http://localhost:8080May 27 19:10:42railway-test - Network: http://0.0.0.0:8080May 27 19:10:42railway-testMay 27 19:10:42railway-test ✓ Starting...May 27 19:10:42railway-test ✓ Ready in 52msMay 27 19:10:48railway-test Stopping ContainerMay 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error path /appMay 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error command failedMay 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error signal SIGTERMMay 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error command sh -c node .next/standalone/server.jsMay 27 19:10:57railway-test npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /root/.npm/_logs/2025-05-27T13_55_55_963Z-debug-0.logIt seems the issue might be more deeply rooted in how services are handled or configured within my specific project on Railway, as even a Dockerized clean Next.js app (which should be very stable) is failing.I've also confirmed that deploying the same clean Next.js app (from the railway-test repo) to Vercel works perfectly fine.Any further guidance or investigation from the Railway team's side would be greatly appreciated.
6 months ago
The log you posted is wrong.
One of the log line you posted says "node .next/standalone/server.js"
This is incorrect. It should say "node server.js" for my dockerfile deployment.
.next/standalone/server.js was the previous command you used before my pr
I recommend deleting the service and redeploying again.
Also to check logs for a service go to Deployments -> View Logs -> Deploy Logs
If you are checking the logs in Observability tab then you are likely looking at old logs.
6 months ago
Also do not change the start command. leave it empty.
smolpaw
The log you posted is wrong.One of the log line you posted says "node .next/standalone/server.js"This is incorrect. It should say "node server.js" for my dockerfile deployment..next/standalone/server.js was the previous command you used before my prI recommend deleting the service and redeploying again.Also to check logs for a service go to Deployments -> View Logs -> Deploy LogsIf you are checking the logs in Observability tab then you are likely looking at old logs.
6 months ago
Thank you @smolpaw so much for your help!
After deleting the old problematic railway-test service and creating a brand new service on Railway, I deployed the clean Next.js project from https://github.com/company-b2bspace/railway-test (which includes your Dockerfile setup from PR #1).
Starting Container
May 27 20:39:52 railway-test-2 ▲ Next.js 14.2.3
May 27 20:39:52 railway-test-2 - Local: http://localhost:8080
May 27 20:39:52 railway-test-2 - Network: http://0.0.0.0:8080
May 27 20:39:52 railway-test-2
May 27 20:39:52 railway-test-2 ✓ Starting...
May 27 20:39:52 railway-test-2 ✓ Ready in 52ms
Status changed to Solved chandrika • 6 months ago