# Migrate Railway app: Laravel

## Summary
Move Laravel compute from Railway app to Ample, one component at a time. Destination verified on Ample: the app built, started and answered on its public HTTPS URL with encrypted configuration delivered. Source procedure: Export variables from the Railway service (Variables tab or `railway variables`) into an env file kept out of the repository. Not migrated automatically: Railway cron schedules, volumes and private networking are not migrated; persistent data belongs in a managed database, a bucket or an Ample volume. Cutover: Add the custom domain with `ample domain add`, update DNS from the Railway target, keep the Railway service until verified, then remove it. Rollback: keep the source untouched until you confirm; nothing at the source is changed or deleted by this guide.

## Prerequisites
- Authorized access to the Railway app 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
1. **Inventory the source**  
   List what Railway app provides beyond the component you are moving. Out of scope here: Railway cron schedules, volumes and private networking are not migrated; persistent data belongs in a managed database, a bucket or an Ample volume.
2. **Source step 1**  
   Export variables from the Railway service (Variables tab or `railway variables`) into an env file kept out of the repository.
3. **Source step 2**  
   Translate `railway.json`/Nixpacks settings into the repository's build and start commands; Ample detects Node and Python builds itself.
4. **Source step 3**  
   Note Railway-only features in use: cron schedules, volumes, private networking, templates.
5. **Deploy on Ample in parallel**  
   `composer install --no-dev from composer.lock`, then FrankenPHP serving public/ (php-server with the index.php fallback) reading PORT on the php-8.5 template. Pass the exported variables with --env; keep the source running.
   ```bash
   ample deploy . --name  --public --env-file .env.production
   ```
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/configuration-secrets, /p/relational-records).
7. **Cut over**  
   Add the custom domain with `ample domain add`, update DNS from the Railway target, keep the Railway service until verified, then remove it.
8. **Rollback**  
   Point DNS or configuration back to the source. The source was never modified; deletion is a separate, user-executed step after validation.

## Tested Configuration
- **Template**: php-8.5
- **Runtime**: php
- **Size**: s-1vcpu-1gb
- **Install Command**: `composer install --no-dev --prefer-dist --no-interaction --no-progress --optimize-autoloader`
- **Start Command**: `frankenphp php-server --listen :$PORT --root public`

## Limitations
- Documentation only: nothing is executed automatically and no execution binding is offered.
- The source-side procedure is documented from Railway app'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: Railway cron schedules, volumes and private networking are not migrated; persistent data belongs in a managed database, a bucket or an Ample volume.

## 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.

## Success Checks
- **Destination app responds on its public URL**:  
  - **Kind**: http_get
  - **Path**: /
  - **Expect**: ample canary laravel patterns
- **Configuration-secrets check from the destination example**:  
  - **Kind**: http_get
  - **Path**: /p/configuration-secrets
  - **Expect**: see the pattern fixture checks
- **Relational-records check from the destination example**:  
  - **Kind**: http_get
  - **Path**: /p/relational-records
  - **Expect**: see the pattern fixture checks
- **Data or object counts and checksums match the source**:  
  - **Kind**: manual
  - **Expect**: operator comparison before cutover.

## Examples
- **Title**: Laravel pattern fixture (destination)
  - **Description**: Verified destination basis: Laravel compute.
  - **Source Ref**: tests/deploy-canaries/laravel-patterns

## Evidence Summary
- **Kind**: canary_run
- **Summary**: Destination side verified: the Laravel pattern fixture deployed on Ample and its checks passed (the app built, started and answered on its public HTTPS URL with encrypted configuration delivered). The source-side export from Railway app is documented from the vendor's standard tooling and was not executed by this catalog's evidence.
- **Observed At**: 2026-09-20T20:36:21Z
- **Implementation Revision**: 118ad1c6d7d23d4c2ce069254bab9ec9d37cd57b-dirty (CLI 118ad1c)
- **Expires At**: 2027-03-19T20:36:21Z

## Next Actions
- **[Browse the catalog index](https://api.ample.computer/v1/catalog)**
- **[Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints](https://api.ample.computer/v1/catalog/search)**
- **[Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project](https://api.ample.computer/v1/catalog/plan)**