# 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