diff --git a/.env.production.example b/.env.production.example
index 691fbf4c2..1968bfdaa 100644
--- a/.env.production.example
+++ b/.env.production.example
@@ -21,5 +21,5 @@ NODE_ENV=production
 PORT=3000
 
 # AGENT (OpenRouter)
-OPENROUTER_API_KEY=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
+OPENROUTER_API_KEY=<your-openrouter-key-from-openrouter.ai>
 OPENROUTER_MODEL=openai/gpt-4o-mini
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index e73cd73e6..c9c15c957 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ RUN npm run database:generate-typings
 FROM node:22-slim
 LABEL org.opencontainers.image.source="https://github.com/ghostfolio/ghostfolio"
 ENV NODE_ENV=production
+# Railway and most PaaS route to 3000; app default is 3333. Set here so healthcheck passes even if PORT isn't in Variables.
+ENV PORT=3000
 
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-suggests \
   curl \
@@ -61,6 +63,6 @@ RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-suggests \
 COPY --chown=node:node --from=builder /ghostfolio/dist/apps /ghostfolio/apps/
 COPY --chown=node:node ./docker/entrypoint.sh /ghostfolio/
 WORKDIR /ghostfolio/apps/api
-EXPOSE ${PORT:-3333}
+EXPOSE 3000
 USER node
 CMD [ "/ghostfolio/entrypoint.sh" ]
diff --git a/ENV_KEYS.md b/ENV_KEYS.md
index 3744edf1b..fbc0d1cef 100644
--- a/ENV_KEYS.md
+++ b/ENV_KEYS.md
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ Here, **Postgres and Redis are provided by Railway**; you only generate the two
 | **OPENROUTER_API_KEY** | Your key from [openrouter.ai](https://openrouter.ai). |
 | **OPENROUTER_MODEL** | Your choice; e.g. `openai/gpt-4o-mini`. |
 | **NODE_ENV** | Set to `production`. |
-| **PORT** | Railway usually sets this (e.g. `3333`); only set if your app expects a specific port. |
+| **PORT** | **Required on Railway.** Set to `3000` so the app listens on the same port Railway routes to (target port 3000). The app default is 3333, so without this you get "Application failed to respond". |
 
 **Setup:** In your Railway project, open the **Ghostfolio** service (the one from GitHub) → **Variables** → add each variable. For Postgres and Redis, copy from the addon services. For `ACCESS_TOKEN_SALT` and `JWT_SECRET_KEY`, generate once and paste.
 
diff --git a/apps/api/src/main.ts b/apps/api/src/main.ts
index a8de3dc5e..01e82f58c 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/main.ts
+++ b/apps/api/src/main.ts
@@ -86,7 +86,11 @@ async function bootstrap() {
   }
 
   const HOST = configService.get<string>('HOST') || DEFAULT_HOST;
-  const PORT = configService.get<number>('PORT') || DEFAULT_PORT;
+  // Prefer process.env.PORT so Railway/Heroku etc. work (they inject PORT; app default is 3333)
+  const PORT =
+    Number(process.env.PORT) ||
+    configService.get<number>('PORT') ||
+    DEFAULT_PORT;
 
   await app.listen(PORT, HOST, () => {
     logLogo();
diff --git a/railway.toml b/railway.toml
index 8473d43d6..df3178eb7 100644
--- a/railway.toml
+++ b/railway.toml
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ dockerfilePath = "Dockerfile"
 
 [deploy]
 healthcheckPath = "/api/v1/health"
-healthcheckTimeout = 120
+# Migrate + seed run before server start; allow 3 min for first deploy or slow DB
+healthcheckTimeout = 180
 restartPolicyType = "ON_FAILURE"
 restartPolicyMaxRetries = 3