Comparisons

DenkOps vs Railway.

Railway is a well-liked PaaS with a big ecosystem of managed databases and one-click add-ons. DenkOps is a narrower, MCP-first slot host built for AI agents and long-running backends. Here's an honest, spec-level comparison, including where Railway is genuinely ahead.

Start on DenkOps →
01 · The spec, side by side

Read the table.
Then pick.

SpecDenkOpsRailway
Max run timeUnlimitedUnlimited (per service)
Persistent diskDurable /persist on every slotVolumes (opt-in, per service)
Cold startNone (always-on slot)None on paid plans
Egress defaultBlocked by default, whitelist to allowOpen by default
Pricing modelFlat per slotUsage-based (CPU/RAM/egress)
Agent / MCP focusMCP-first, deploy from Claude CodeGeneral-purpose PaaS
EU hostingEU regionsUS + EU regions available
Managed databases & add-onsDurable disk only, no add-on marketplaceLarge catalog: Postgres, Redis, MySQL, one-click templates

That last row is a deliberate trade-off: DenkOps keeps the surface small, one always-on slot, done well, instead of a broad add-on catalog. Need a managed Postgres and Redis provisioned in the same dashboard? Railway has that. Want a simple, flat-priced, always-on slot for your API or agent, durable disk, unlimited run time, no invocation math? That's exactly what DenkOps is built for.

02 · Honest fit

Neither platform
is right for everything.

When DenkOps is the right choice
  • → You're deploying an AI agent or MCP server and want a deploy flow built for that ("deploy on DenkOps" from Claude Code)
  • → Your workload runs long or continuously, a worker, a queue consumer, an agent loop, and you don't want to think about run-time limits
  • → You want outbound traffic locked down by default rather than open and audited after the fact
  • → You'd rather have one flat number on the invoice than forecast CPU-seconds and egress GB
When Railway is the right choice
  • → You want a managed Postgres, Redis or MySQL instance provisioned in the same platform as your app, one click away
  • → You're building on a broader catalog of templates and community add-ons
  • → Your traffic is spiky or low-volume and usage-based billing works out cheaper than a flat slot
  • → You want a large existing community and template library to start from
03 · FAQ

Questions people
actually ask.

Is DenkOps a good Railway alternative?

Yes, if your workload is a long-running API, background worker, cron job or AI agent that benefits from a durable disk, unlimited run time and flat per-slot pricing. Railway remains the stronger pick if you want a large catalog of one-click managed databases and add-ons alongside your app.

Does DenkOps have managed databases like Railway?

No. Every slot gets a durable disk at /persist, which covers local databases, file caches and small embedded stores well, but DenkOps doesn't offer one-click Postgres/Redis/MySQL provisioning or Railway's wider add-on marketplace.

Does DenkOps or Railway have lower cold start for AI agents?

DenkOps has no cold start by design, a slot is always-on. Railway services are typically kept warm on paid plans too, so the practical difference is usually small; the bigger gap is DenkOps's unlimited run time and MCP-first deploy flow.

Which is cheaper for a small MCP server?

DenkOps prices by slot, 5 slots for €39/month, €5 per extra slot, with no usage-based line items. Railway bills by actual usage, which can be cheaper at very low traffic and pricier as it climbs. It depends on your traffic shape.

04 · Next step

Try it on your own service.

Push what you already have and see how it runs on an always-on slot with a durable disk and zero-trust egress. If you're deploying an API or backend rather than an agent, start with API & backend hosting. Deploying an agent or MCP server instead? See deploy AI agents on DenkOps.

Start on DenkOps →
# any language, any framework
$ ls
main.py requirements.txt
 
› deploy on DenkOps
→ live at https://my-service.denkops.app
slot: always-on · /persist mounted · egress: blocked by default