page:migrate:amazon rds for postgresql:durable job state

Migrate Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL: Durable job state

Move PostgreSQL data from Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL to Ample, one component at a time. Destination verified on Ample: a jobs table with a state and attempts counter, processing inside a row-locked transaction, and a second run that is a no-op (job=done attempts=1 idempotent=true).

Source procedure:

Take a logical backup with pg_dump -Fc from a network location that can reach the instance.

Not migrated automatically: Multi-AZ failover, read replicas, IAM authentication, PITR and Performance Insights have no equivalent on the managed database.

Cutover:

Freeze writes at the source with the user's go-ahead,
Take the final dump,
Restore,
Validate,
Redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep RDS until confirmed.

Rollback:

Keep the source untouched until you confirm;
Nothing at the source is changed or deleted by this guide.

Prerequisites

Authorized access to the Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL source and its export tooling
An inventory of every component in scope and out of scope
A validated backup or copy before any cutover
An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read

Workflow Steps

Inventory the source
- List what Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL provides beyond the component you are moving.
  Out of scope here: Multi-AZ failover, read replicas, IAM authentication, PITR and Performance Insights have no equivalent on the managed database.
Source step 1
- Take a logical backup with pg_dump -Fc from a network location that can reach the instance
Source step 2
- Check the engine major version, extensions and parameter-group settings the app depends on
Source step 3
- Restore into a scratch managed database first and compare row counts
Provision and restore
- Deploy the app once so a managed PostgreSQL 16 database exists (or create one with ample database create --engine postgres), then restore the dump with pg_restore using its connection string; keep migrations idempotent.
```
ample database create --name  --engine postgres
```
Validate before cutover
- Run the app's own checks and, for data, compare counts and checksums; the example checks are the pattern self-tests (/p/durable-job-state).
Cut over
- Freeze writes at the source with the user's go-ahead, take the final dump, restore, validate, redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep RDS until confirmed.
Rollback
- Point DNS or configuration back to the source. The source was never modified; deletion is a separate, user-executed step after validation.

Success Checks

Destination app responds on its public URL
- HTTP GET / should expect ample canary express patterns
Durable-job-state check from the destination example
- HTTP GET /p/durable-job-state should see the pattern fixture checks
Data or object counts and checksums match the source
- Manual operator comparison before cutover.

Limitations

Documentation only: nothing is executed automatically and no execution binding is offered.
The source-side procedure is documented from Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL's standard tooling and was not executed in this catalog's evidence; the destination side was verified with the pattern fixture.
No full source-product parity is claimed: Multi-AZ failover, read replicas, IAM authentication, PITR and Performance Insights have no equivalent on the managed database.
Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb; region, compliance and request-duration limits are unknown.
Managed PostgreSQL 16 only; extensions, connection limits and backup or restore procedures on the managed side are not verified beyond the pattern checks.

Cost Estimate

Currency: USD
Monthly Amount: 10.0
Basis: Size prices from pricing.toml (loaded by the API) at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty
- Components:
  - app server: size s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity 1.0, monthly amount 5.0
  - managed PostgreSQL database: size s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity 1.0, monthly amount 5.0
Note: Destination always-on monthly price of the tested sizes; apps auto-pause when idle. Source costs are unknown to Ample.

Example

Express pattern fixture (destination): Verified destination basis: durable job state.

Evidence Summary

Kind: canary_run
Summary: Destination side verified: the Express pattern fixture deployed on Ample (npm install, npm run build --if-present, npm run start on the node-22 template) and its checks passed (a jobs table with a state and attempts counter, processing inside a row-locked transaction, and a second run that is a no-op (job=done attempts=1 idempotent=true)). The source-side export from Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL is documented from the vendor's standard tooling and was not executed by this catalog's evidence.

Last Verified At

2026-09-21T02:34:39Z