Sarah BedellRailway Technology Partners: Earn Revenue on Templates You Didn't Build
What if you earned revenue every time someone deployed your technology on Railway, even on templates you didn't create?
That's Technology Partners, the new tier we're introducing today in the Railway Partner Program.
First, some context.
Templates on Railway let you package up services into reusable projects. They bundle configuration, services, databases, and environment setup into something that can be deployed with one click. Some are complex multi-service setups that would take hours to configure manually.
When someone runs a template on Railway, the template creator earns a % of whatever Railway makes. Not a one-time payment for publishing. Recurring revenue, for as long as they keep the template running.
At the time of writing, there are 1,800+ templates on the Railway Template Marketplace and we've paid out almost $1 Million to template creators.
A couple of months ago we launched The Railway Partner Program. The pitch was simple: if you build developer tools or maintain open-source software, we'll help you reach Railway's 2 million developers, get feedback for your project, and get paid when they use your technology.
Since then, the program has grown to 31 partners across databases, frameworks, automation tools, and infrastructure: ActivePieces, Apollo GraphQL, Astro, Bun, Cal.com, ClickHouse, CodeCarrot/LogChimp, ComputeSDK, Datadog, Directus, Drizzle, FalkorDB, Hookdeck, Kernel, Kubiks, Mathesar, Neon, ParadeDB, Plark, PostHog, PowerSync, Prisma, Redis, Resend, Rivet, Steel Browser, Taprefer, Tessera, UseSend, Wasp, Xata.
Today we're introducing Technology Partners, a new tier built for the maintainers behind the technologies themselves. The program now has two levels: Basic Partners and Technology Partners.
Basic Partners are part of Railway's official partner program. They create verified templates: the canonical way to deploy their software on Railway.
Verified templates on Railway
A verified template is created and maintained by the company behind the software itself. They know which environment variables matter, which configurations cause problems, which defaults are safe. When something changes upstream, they're the first to know and the first to update. Users don't have to wonder if a template is still maintained or if it reflects current best practices.
Verified templates are the authoritative source and get prominent placement in the template marketplace with verification badges that signal trust to users browsing for solutions. When someone searches for your technology, your verified template appears first.
Additionally, Basic Partners receive anonymous telemetry on how their templates are being used: deployment patterns, configuration choices, what's working and what isn't. They also get aggregated feedback from users, giving them insight into real-world usage they might not see through their own support channels.
Finally, Basic Partners can earn up 25% of what Railway makes from their template deployments. That 25% is split into two parts:
- 15% comes from template usage directly. Someone deploys your template, runs workloads on it, you get paid.
- 10% comes from answering questions about your template. When users need help configuring, extending, or debugging something, you earn additional revenue for providing that support.
Basic Partners are a good fit if you maintain a technology and want to own the canonical deployment experience on Railway.
Technology Partners are for maintainers whose technology powers an ecosystem. If your database, framework, or SDK shows up in templates built by others, this tier is for you.
Technology Partners get everything Basic Partners do, plus three things.
A single technology often powers many templates. Prisma is used in dozens of starters. Drizzle shows up across different frameworks. When a technology is popular, templates multiply.
Technology Partners get a dedicated page on Railway that aggregates everything built on their software. Every template using their technology appears in one place. Users can browse the ecosystem, see what's possible, and pick the setup that fits their needs. Partners get a bird's eye view of how their technology is being used across the platform.
If users run into issues with any of those templates, partners have visibility into those questions. They can step in and help, even on templates they didn't create.
Example Technology Partner page
A few partner pages just launched, with more coming soon:
This is the big one. Technology partners get commission on all templates using their technology on Railway, even if they didn’t create them. This commission is in addition to the kickback the community template creator receives. Technology Partners receive the same kickback rates as stated above: 15% base, and if template questions are answered, all the way up to 25% commission.
Technology Partners are listed as a "maintainer" on the templates where they receive commission, so users know who stands behind the technology.
The incentives align. Community members are rewarded for building great templates. Technology Partners are rewarded for maintaining great software. Both benefit when users deploy.
If you maintain an open-source database and someone publishes a template that deploys it on Railway, you now have a revenue stream tied to adoption. You didn't have to build the template. You didn't have to market it. Someone in the community did the work, and you both get paid.
Technology Partners see support questions across every template that uses their technology, not just their own. Someone struggling to connect your database to a specific framework, or hitting an edge case in your configuration, becomes visible.
You're not waiting for users to find your support channels. You're seeing problems as they happen on Railway. This feedback loop helps you understand how your technology is actually being used in production, what's causing confusion, and where your documentation might need work.
Railway reaches roughly 2 million developers. A verified template puts your software directly in front of that audience with a deployment experience that just works. No configuration guides. No setup docs. One click.
All partners start as Basic Partners. If your technology powers templates beyond your own, we'll work with you to upgrade to Technology Partner status.
Apply at railway.com/partners.
