Migrate Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL: Transactional workflows

Move PostgreSQL data from Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL to Ample, one component at a time. Destination verified on Ample: an optimistic version check and an event row written in the same transaction, a stale update rejected, and a history query over the application-owned events (history=2 conflict=rejected). 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.

Representative Queries

• Migrate Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL: Transactional workflows
• Where can I host Transactional workflows?
• I need a component-scoped export/import or reconfiguration procedure for Transactional workflows, with compatibility checks, verification and rollback.

Workflow Steps

1. 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.

2. Source step 1
   Take a logical backup with pg_dump -Fc from a network location that can reach the instance.

3. Source step 2
   Check the engine major version, extensions and parameter-group settings the app depends on.

4. Source step 3
   Restore into a scratch managed database first and compare row counts.

5. 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.
   Command: ample database create --name --engine postgres

6. 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/transactional-workflows).

7. 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.

8. Rollback
   Point DNS or configuration back to the source. The source was never modified; deletion is a separate, user-executed step after validation.

Cost Estimate

• Currency: USD
• Monthly Amount: $10.00
• Components:
  • App server: size s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthly amount: $5.00
  • Managed PostgreSQL database: size s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthly amount: $5.00

Examples

• Express pattern fixture (destination)
  Verified destination basis: transactional workflows. Source Reference: tests/deploy-canaries/express-patterns

Success Checks

• Destination app responds on its public URL
• Transactional-workflows check from the destination example
• Data or object counts and checksums match the source

Limitations

• Documentation only: nothing is executed automatically and no execution binding is offered.
• 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.

Last Verified At

2026-09-21T02:34:39Z

Next Actions

• Browse the catalog index
• Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints
• Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project
• Read the existing agent authentication setup