Migrate Self-managed PostgreSQL: Transactional workflows

Move PostgreSQL data from Self-managed 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 as a role that can read all application objects. Not migrated automatically: Custom extensions, tablespaces, replication topology, superuser-only settings and OS-level backups 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 source server until confirmed. Rollback: keep the source untouched until you confirm; nothing at the source is changed or deleted by this guide.

Representative Queries

• Migrate Self-managed 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.

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

Transactional workflows

Migration Source

Self-managed PostgreSQL

Execution Status

unbound

Prerequisites

• Authorized access to the Self-managed 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 Self-managed PostgreSQL provides beyond the component you are moving. Out of scope here: Custom extensions, tablespaces, replication topology, superuser-only settings and OS-level backups have no equivalent on the managed database.
2. Source step 1: Take a logical backup with pg_dump -Fc as a role that can read all application objects
3. Source step 2: Check the major version, installed extensions, tablespaces and custom roles against the managed engine (PostgreSQL 16, no custom extensions verified)
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 with the user's go-ahead, take the final dump, restore, validate, redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep the source server 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: transactional workflows.
  • Source Reference: tests/deploy-canaries/express-patterns

Success Checks

• Destination app responds on its public URL
  • Kind: http_get
  • Path: /
  • Expect: ample canary express patterns
• Transactional-workflows check from the destination example
  • Kind: http_get
  • Path: /p/transactional-workflows
  • Expect: see the pattern fixture checks
• Data or object counts and checksums match the source
  • Kind: manual
  • Expect: operator comparison before cutover

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.

Cost Estimate

• Currency: USD
• Monthly Amount: 10.0
• Note: Destination always-on monthly price of the tested sizes; apps auto-pause when idle. Source costs are unknown to Ample.

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

Evidence Summary

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

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
• Browse Self-managed PostgreSQL
• Browse Transactional workflows
• Browse Migrate Postgres