Migrate Render PostgreSQL: Text search over records

Summary

Move PostgreSQL data from Render PostgreSQL to Ample, one component at a time. Destination verified on Ample: a generated tsvector column with a GIN index, ranked websearch queries and a negative query returning nothing (search=ok). 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.

Representative Queries

• Migrate Render PostgreSQL: Text search over records
• Where can I host Text search over records?
• I need a component-scoped export/import or reconfiguration procedure for Text search over records, with compatibility checks, verification and rollback.

Resource Requirements

• Primitive: Postgres

Infrastructure Requirements

• Postgres: Managed PostgreSQL 16 runs in its own microVM and is auto-provisioned when an app needs a database and no DATABASE_URL is supplied.

Workload

Text search over records

Migration Source

Render PostgreSQL

Execution Status

unbound

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/text-search-over-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.

Examples

• Express pattern fixture (destination): Verified destination basis: text search over records.

Success Checks

• Destination app responds on its public URL: Check path / expects output of ample canary express patterns.
• Text-search-over-records check: Check path /p/text-search-over-records expects output matching pattern fixture checks.
• Data or object counts and checksums match the source: Manual checks comparing before cutover.

Limitations

• Documentation only: nothing is executed automatically and no execution binding is offered.
• Source-side procedure is documented from Render PostgreSQL's standard tooling and was not executed in this catalog's evidence; destination side was verified with 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 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

• Monthly Amount: $10.00 (USD)
• Basis: size prices from pricing.toml at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty.
• Components:
  • App server: s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1, monthlyAmount: $5.00
  • Managed PostgreSQL database: s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1, monthlyAmount: $5.00
• Note: Destination always-on monthly price of tested sizes; apps auto-pause when idle. Source costs are unknown to Ample.

Evidence Summary

• Destination side verified: The Express pattern fixture deployed on Ample and its checks passed. The source-side export from Render PostgreSQL is documented and was not executed by this catalog's evidence.

Last Verified At

2026-09-21T02:34:39Z

Formats

• HTML: https://ample.computer/migrate/render-postgresql/text-search-over-records
• Markdown: https://ample.computer/migrate/render-postgresql/text-search-over-records.md
• JSON: https://api.ample.computer/v1/catalog/recipes/page%3Amigrate%3Arender-postgresql%3Atext-search-over-records

Next Actions

• Action: Browse the catalog index
  Method: GET
  Relative Path: /v1/catalog

• Action: Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints
  Method: POST
  Relative Path: /v1/catalog/search

• Action: Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project
  Method: POST
  Relative Path: /v1/catalog/plan

• Action: Read the existing agent authentication setup
  Method: GET
  Relative Path: /mcp/setup

• Action: Browse Render PostgreSQL
  Method: GET
  Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/migration%3Arender-postgresql

• Action: Browse Text search over records
  Method: GET
  Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/pattern%3Atext-search-over-records

• Action: Browse Migrate Postgres
  Method: GET
  Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Amigrate-postgres