# Migrate Render PostgreSQL: Relational records

Move PostgreSQL data from Render PostgreSQL to Ample, one component at a time. Destination verified on Ample: a workspace-scoped table, an explicit state machine (draft to review to published) that rejects invalid transitions, and a cross-workspace read that returns nothing (transitions=true isolation=true).

### Source procedure
Take a logical backup with `pg_dump -Fc` using the external connection string. Not migrated automatically: Render's automatic backups and read replicas have no equivalent on the managed database.

### Cutover
Freeze writes with the user's go-ahead, take the final dump, restore, validate, redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep the Render database until confirmed.

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

### Workload
Relational records

### Migration Source
Render PostgreSQL

### Release Status
Published

### Support Status
Verified

### Execution Status
Unbound

### Documentation Only

### Prerequisites
- Authorized access to the Render 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
1. **Inventory the source**  
   List what Render PostgreSQL provides beyond the component you are moving. Out of scope here: Render's automatic backups and read replicas have no equivalent on the managed database.

2. **Source step 1**  
   Take a logical backup with `pg_dump -Fc` using the external connection string.

3. **Source step 2**  
   Check the Postgres major version and extensions against the managed engine (PostgreSQL 16).

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.

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/relational-records).

7. **Cut over**  
   Freeze writes with the user's go-ahead, take the final dump, restore, validate, redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep the Render database 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.

### Limitations
- Documentation only: nothing is executed automatically and no execution binding is offered.  
- The source-side procedure is documented from Render 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: Render's automatic backups and read replicas 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**: s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthly amount: 5.0  
  - **managed PostgreSQL database**: 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.

### Examples
- **Express pattern fixture (destination)**:  
  Description: Verified destination basis: relational records.
  Source Ref: tests/deploy-canaries/express-patterns

### 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  
- Browse Render PostgreSQL  
- Browse Relational records  
- Browse Migrate Postgres

### Evidence 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. The source-side export from Render PostgreSQL is documented from the vendor's standard tooling and was not executed by this catalog's evidence.