Competitive multiplayer Wordle — the host sets the word and category, players race to solve it. Scoring is based on speed and guess efficiency. Built with Node.js, Express, and Socket.io.
- Node.js 20+
- Git
- GitHub CLI — https://cli.github.com
- Railway CLI — npm install -g @railway/cli
- Railway account — https://railway.app
chmod +x setup.sh ./setup.sh
Push to main → GitHub Actions: syntax check + health check (~30s) → Railway: Nixpacks build + deploy (~2 min) → Zero-downtime rollover via healthcheck Total: ~2-3 minutes from git push to live
npm install cp .env.example .env # then fill in real values node server.js
PORT → Injected by Railway automatically. Do not set. ALLOWED_ORIGIN → Default: * (dev only). In production set it to your Railway domain; if unset it falls back to RAILWAY_PUBLIC_DOMAIN. MW_API_KEY → Required in production (server exits if unset). Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary API key. Get a free key at https://dictionaryapi.com/register/index Set in Railway Dashboard → Service → Variables REDIS_URL → Optional but recommended. When set, active games AND user accounts/sessions are stored in Redis and survive a redeploy/restart. Unset = in-memory only (accounts reset on restart). Add a Railway Redis service and reference its REDIS_URL. Email delivery → Passwordless sign-in (magic links) needs an email provider. Joining a room never needs sign-in. Pick ONE provider: • RESEND_API_KEY (+ MAIL_FROM) → preferred; Resend HTTP API. • SMTP_HOST/PORT/SECURE/USER/PASS/SMTP_FROM → SMTP fallback. Full step-by-step: docs/AUTH_SETUP.md REQUIRE_HOST_AUTH → Whether hosting a room requires sign-in. Unset (default) = required only once email is configured, so hosting stays OPEN while you set email up. true = always; false = never. PUBLIC_BASE_URL→ Optional. Base URL used to build magic-link URLs. Defaults to the request host (correct behind Railway's proxy).
railway logs # tail live logs railway domain # get your public URL railway rollback # revert to previous deploy npm test # run smoke tests (health, socket handshake, env checks)
Set REDIS_URL (e.g. a Railway Redis service) and active games survive a redeploy/restart: room state is snapshotted to Redis every few seconds and on shutdown, and restored on boot — players auto-reconnect into their round. On SIGTERM the server also broadcasts a "server is updating" notice so players get a clear heads-up during the brief swap.
Without REDIS_URL the server runs in-memory only: a redeploy/restart clears all active games (players are dropped to a fresh game). Brief client/network drops are always recovered via socket reconnection regardless of Redis.
~$5-10/month on Railway Hobby plan