# 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](/content/migrate/render-postgresql/text-search-over-records/index.html)
- Markdown: [https://ample.computer/migrate/render-postgresql/text-search-over-records.md](/content/migrate/render-postgresql/text-search-over-records.md)
- JSON: [https://api.ample.computer/v1/catalog/recipes/page%3Amigrate%3Arender-postgresql%3Atext-search-over-records](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

---