Model the estate
Arrange the spaces you actually operate, place real hardware in the rack and keep names consistent from campus to cabinet.
Custom hierarchies · 7,000+ device types · naming rules
RailyardInfrastructure design workspace
Not a DCIM — the design step before one
Design the data centre before you build it.
Lay out racks, map network topologies, trace a cable from server port to switch through the patch panel and check rack power feeds, all in one model. When the design is ready, export it to NetBox or Nautobot with a paid plan.
- Free forever plan
- No card required
- Editable example included
Sign in with Google, GitHub or an email code to open an editable example data centre.
- 7,000+
- device types built in
- 4
- export formats, DCIM-ready
- £0
- Community plan, forever
- 0
- third-party trackers
Why Railyard
One design, not four files that disagree
Most builds are still planned across a drawing, a few spreadsheets and someone's memory. Railyard keeps the physical design in one model, so everything you hand over agrees with it.
| The usual way | With Railyard |
|---|---|
| Rack elevations in a drawing, cable runs in one spreadsheet, power in another | Racks, cabling, power and topology in one model, so every view reads the same data |
| Port names retyped from the drawing into the cable schedule | Cable schedules and labels exported straight from the design |
| Power headroom worked out late, by hand | Planned draw against each rack's budget as you place devices |
| Design reviews over emailed files and screenshots | Branches, merge requests and approvals on Team |
| Installer handover pieced together from screenshots and exports | A printable build pack: elevations, cable schedule and power for each rack |
| NetBox or Nautobot populated by hand after the build | A bulk-import bundle your DCIM can load when the design is ready |
One model, every physical layer
Move from intent to something an engineer can install
Map the network
Create named topologies with user-defined layers. Arrange devices already in your racks, connect their real ports, and see each network fabric as a whole.
Named topologies · custom layers · real connections
Wire and validate
Use Device wiring for exact ports and optics. Follow physical cables and patch-panel mappings in Complete path, check PDU feeds, and catch power and cabling issues before installation.
Structured cabling · patch panels · PDU feeds
Review changes and hand off
Every plan keeps version history. On the Team plan contributors work on branches and open merge requests for review before changes reach main. Then export the design to NetBox or Nautobot and print a build pack for the installers.
Version control · DCIM export · printable build pack
AI ASSISTANTS · MCP
Design with your AI assistant
Connect an assistant to read your hosted projects and make changes within your Railyard permissions. Works with Claude, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and VS Code.
Add two leaf switches to the top of rack DC1-F01
add_rack_devicesConnect each web server's NIC1 to its leaf switch
connect_portsFeed both PSUs from the rack's A and B PDUs
connect_powerValidate the design and tell me what to fix
validate_project
Connect Claude to hosted Railyard
In Claude, choose Add custom connector and paste this URL. Sign in to Railyard, review the permissions, then allow the connection.
https://railyard.sh/mcp
Projects stored only in your browser are unavailable through MCP. Review or revoke hosted access in User settings → Connected AI apps.
Run a local MCP serverFor stdio clients and self-hosted Railyard servers
Run npx -y railyard-mcp auth, then create a token under User settings → API tokens. Add it to your client's protected configuration.
codex mcp add railyard --env RAILYARD_TOKEN=ry_your_token_here -- npx -y railyard-mcp
This local command uses your personal access token.
Replace ry_your_token_here with your token. It authenticates as you, so treat it like a password.
What comes out
Data for your DCIM, a build pack for your installers
Every design exports as files your tools already read, and as printable build documentation for the people racking and cabling it. These samples come from the shipped example estate.
They are the deliverables: a Project Pass unlocks them for one estate, and a Pro, Team or Partner plan for every estate. Community previews the build pack for one rack, and the raw project file is free on every plan.
cable,kind,media,a_rack,a_device,a_port,b_rack,b_device,b_port,length_m
DC1-F01-LEAF -> SPINE-01,patch,OM4 LC-LC,DC1-F01,DC1-F01-LEAF-01,Ethernet1/53,DC1-C01,SPINE-01,Ethernet1/1,3.981
DC1-F01-LEAF -> SPINE-02,patch,OM4 LC-LC,DC1-F01,DC1-F01-LEAF-01,Ethernet1/54,DC1-C01,SPINE-02,Ethernet1/1,4.025
ACCESS-003,patch,DAC,DC1-F01,DC1-F01-WEB-01,NIC1,DC1-F01,DC1-F01-LEAF-01,Ethernet1/1,2.422Build pack (PDF)
One printable handover for a rack, row, site or the whole estate: outstanding review findings, front and rear elevations, the cable schedule, power connections and topology diagrams, with numbered pages.
Power schedule
One row per device inlet: which PDU outlet feeds each power supply, ready for whoever wires the rack.
NetBox 4.x bulk import
A dependency-ordered CSV bundle covering locations, racks, device types, devices, cables and power. Unresolved references are reported, not silently dropped.
Nautobot 2.x bulk import
The same estate mapped onto Nautobot's nested locations and location types, with aliases applied where the destination's naming rules require them.
Cable schedule and labels
A per-run working sheet for whoever pulls the cable: both endpoints, port names, media type and an estimated length.
Example cable schedule (CSV)Power report
Per-rack estimated draw against budget, remaining headroom, PDU count, and the devices whose demand is still unknown.
Example power report (CSV)
Judge it on a real design
Signing in opens an example data centre with racks, cabling, power and a network topology already modelled. Move things, break things, export it.
Version control
Review a design before it becomes the design.
In a Team organisation project, work on a branch while the current design stays available, then open a merge request to compare the proposed changes, discuss them and collect approvals before merging into main. Every plan keeps version history.
- Keep work separateExplore a change on a branch without editing main.
- Review togetherSee the design changes and request feedback in one place.
- Know what shippedBrowse merged designs and earlier versions in history.
Project administrators can opt in to protected main. It blocks direct edits and can require reviewer approvals, and can let administrators bypass approvals on their own requests (off unless they turn it on).
See what Team includesAdd a redundant core uplink
core-uplink main
2 switches placed in racksPhysical
2 connections mappedTopology
Approved for this submission1 of 1 required approvals
Merge into main version history
Design free. Pay for the deliverables.
Every plan designs without limits on estates or devices, keeps version history, and lets you download the raw project file. Pay when you need to hand the design over: a Project Pass for one estate, or a Pro, Team or Partner plan for every estate.
Paid plans open soon — checkout is not live on this deployment yet. Community is free today.
Prices are in GBP and exclude VAT. Any VAT or sales tax that applies is calculated and shown at checkout before you pay; if you are buying as a consumer, the VAT-inclusive total is shown before you confirm. Terms §5 and §6 cover billing, renewal and cancellation.
Community
£0free forever
Design anything, free for good.
- 1 editor
- Unlimited estates and devices, up to 25 racks per estate
- Full rack, topology, cabling and power design
- Version history and restore
- The raw project file (JSON), free to download and import
- Build pack preview: one rack, watermarked
Project Pass
£149one-off, 6 months
Every deliverable for one estate, no subscription.
- Valid for 6 months from purchase
- Up to 100 racks in that estate
- 1 editor, in your personal space
- One payment: nothing renews
Pro
£49per month
For the independent designer.
- Everything in Community
- Every deliverable, for every estate
- Up to 100 racks per estate
- 1 editor, in your personal space
Team
£199per month
For teams designing together.
- Everything in Pro, for a shared organisation
- 5 editors included
- £35/month per additional editor
- Unlimited viewers and reviewers
- Up to 500 racks per estate
- Branches, merge requests, approvals and live collaboration
Partner
Partner programme, priced with you
No online checkout: talk to us and we will set Partner up with you.
For consultancies and integrators delivering for clients.
- Everything in Team
- 10 editors
- Up to 1,000 racks per estate
- Separate client workspacesComing soon
- Branded build packsComing soon
- Transfer a project to a client organisationComing soon
Self-hosted
from£3,900per year
No online checkout: priced for your deployment and support needs.
Run Railyard on your own infrastructure.
- Deployed on servers you control
- Every feature and deliverable unlocked
- Priced from 5 editors and 500 racks per estate; larger by quote
- Support and terms agreed with you
What counts as a deliverable
The files you hand to someone else, each generated from the design you have saved:
- Build pack PDF
- Cable schedule
- Cable and rack labels
- Power schedule
- Power report
- NetBox bulk-import bundle
- Nautobot bulk-import bundle
The raw project file (Railyard JSON) is not a deliverable: downloading, importing and exporting it is free on every plan. Rack limits are per estate and only stop an estate growing. Nothing is ever deleted, and a plan that ends never makes a design read-only.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need NetBox or Nautobot?
Yes, and that is the point. Railyard is the design step before your source of truth, not a replacement for it. Model racks, topologies, cabling and power while the build is still being decided, then export a bulk-import bundle your DCIM can load. Railyard does not discover, monitor or operate a live estate.
How can I sign in, and is enterprise SSO available?
Sign in with a one-time 6-digit email code, Google, or GitHub. Owner, editor, and viewer roles are available. SAML/OIDC federation to your own identity provider (such as Okta or Entra ID) is planned for Enterprise; it is not available on the hosted service yet.
Can I create network topologies?
Yes. Create named topologies with your own layers, place devices from your rack inventory, and connect their real ports. A device can appear in more than one topology without duplicating the inventory item.
What is version control, and who can use it?
Every plan keeps version history, so you can look back at earlier versions and restore one. Team and above add branches and merge requests for organisation projects: contributors try a change on a branch without touching main, and an approver reviews and merges it.
What is a deliverable?
Deliverables are the files you hand to someone else: the build pack PDF, cable schedule, cable and rack labels, power schedule, power report, NetBox bulk-import bundle and Nautobot bulk-import bundle. Nautobot Design Builder YAML counts as part of the Nautobot bundle. They come with a Project Pass for one estate, or with a Pro, Team or Partner plan for every estate. Community can preview the build pack for one rack, watermarked. The raw project file (Railyard JSON) is not a deliverable: downloading, importing and exporting it is free on every plan.
Can I export my designs to my DCIM?
Yes. Plan and validate the physical layer in Railyard, then produce structured bulk-import bundles for Nautobot or NetBox — real data, not screenshots — ready for your operational source of truth. The bundles are deliverables, so they need a Project Pass or a paid plan.
Is the Community plan really free?
Yes. Community is free forever and needs no credit card. It includes 1 editor, unlimited estates and devices, up to 25 racks per estate, the full rack, topology, cabling and power design tools, version history and the raw project file. You pay only when you need the deliverables.
What is a Project Pass?
A one-off payment of £149 that unlocks every deliverable for one estate in your personal space for 6 months, and raises that estate's limit to 100 racks. Nothing renews. When the pass ends the estate stays fully editable and its project file stays free to download; only its deliverables stop.
How do rack limits work?
Rack limits are per estate: 25 on Community, 100 with a Project Pass, 100 on Pro, 500 on Team and 1,000 on Partner. Estates and devices are unlimited on every plan. A limit only stops an estate growing past it: nothing is ever deleted or hidden, and an estate already over its limit stays editable and can shrink. To export an estate's deliverables, its rack count must be within the limit.
What happens when a paid plan or pass ends?
Your designs stay exactly where they are and stay editable. Nothing is deleted, hidden or made read-only. You keep full design access and the raw project file; only deliverables, and creating new branches and merge requests, stop until you renew, upgrade or buy a Project Pass. Community's rack limit then applies to growth.
How does Team pricing work?
Team is £199 a month or £1,990 a year, including 5 editors and unlimited viewers and reviewers. Each additional editor is £35 a month or £350 a year. Only people who can edit count towards billing. Partner is a partner programme for consultancies and integrators delivering for clients, with 10 editors; talk to us to set it up.
Can I run Railyard on my own servers?
Yes. Self-hosted starts from £3,900 a year for up to 5 editors and 500 racks per estate, larger by quote, agreed with our sales team rather than bought online. A self-hosted server runs without billing, so every feature and deliverable is unlocked and there are no plan limits.
How is my data kept secure?
Passwordless authentication with hashed credentials, role-based access control, and tenant isolation between organisations — with no third-party trackers. See our Security page for the full detail.
What can Railyard model?
Your whole estate — custom spaces such as sites, rooms and cages, racks at any level, and the devices inside them — with named network topologies, structured cabling and circuit tracing, power and thermal budgets, and a built-in library of 7,000+ real hardware models.
Security and access, explained
Read our Security page →Passwordless sign-in, role-based access and tenant isolation for shared projects. Your designs stay yours: download the project file whenever you like, on every plan.
Passwordless sign-in
A one-time 6-digit code sent by email, or your Google or GitHub identity. No Railyard password to remember.
Social sign-in and roles
Sign in with Google or GitHub, with owner / editor / viewer access control. SAML/OIDC federation to your own identity provider is planned for Enterprise.
Tenant isolation
Organisation access and plan limits are enforced server-side, with owner, editor and viewer roles.
No third-party trackers
No third-party analytics or ad scripts. Anonymous first-party counts use no tracking cookies.
Explore by task
Guides for each part of the design
See how racks, network topologies, connections and handoff come together in the same design.
Design your next build before the first cable is pulled
Start on the free Community plan with an editable example data centre. No card, no install, and your design is always yours to download.