page:recipes:admin dashboard:flask:private documents

Host admin dashboard with Flask: private documents

Deploy a admin dashboard built with Flask on Ample using the private document library pattern. Compute runs the app in an isolated microVM behind a public HTTPS URL, a managed PostgreSQL 16 database is auto-provisioned and injected as DATABASE_URL, a private S3-compatible bucket holds objects with credentials delivered as encrypted environment variables. Verified on Flask: a role-to-document access model with negative tests (401 without identity, 403 for the wrong role) and a private-bucket round-trip for the allowed role (private=ok). Not separately tested: your identity integration and role assignments; treat the admin dashboard-specific behavior as your application code.

Prerequisites

A Flask project that builds and starts with the documented commands (pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress from app.py reading PORT on the python-3.12 template)
A PostgreSQL driver reading DATABASE_URL at runtime (auto-provisioned when omitted, or supplied with --env)
A bucket from ample bucket create with its credentials passed as encrypted S3_* environment variables
An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read, buckets:read

Resource Requirements

primitive:compute
primitive:postgres
primitive:s3-compatible-object-storage

Infrastructure Requirements

Compute: Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs that auto-pause when idle and wake on request; sizes are the priced VM sizes. (More Info)
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. (More Info)
S3-compatible object storage: Buckets are S3-compatible with issued credentials; PutObject and GetObject are verified by canary. Other S3 operations are not verified. (More Info)

Workflow Steps

Build and start: pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress from app.py reading PORT on the python-3.12 template. The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.
Implement the pattern on PostgreSQL: The fixture's module implements private document library: a role-to-document access model with negative tests (401 without identity, 403 for the wrong role) and a private-bucket round-trip for the allowed role (private=ok). Copy the approach into your schema; keep migrations idempotent and run them with --release-command.
Wire object storage: Create the bucket(s), then pass endpoint, region, bucket and keys as --env values. Use path-style addressing. Keep private data in an unpublished bucket.
Deploy: Run the synchronous deploy once and read the result (exit 0 live, 1 failed, 2 blocked). Re-running with no change is a no-op.

Command: ample deploy . --name --public --start "python3 app.py" --env S3_ENDPOINT=... --env S3_REGION=... --env S3_BUCKET=... --env S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=... --env S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
Verify: Fetch the live URL and the pattern self-test route(s) (/p/private-document-library) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read ample logs --kind build then --kind runtime.

Command: ample logs --kind build

Tested Configuration

Template: python-3.12
Runtime: python
Size: s-1vcpu-1gb
Install: python3 -m pip install --target .ample/python -r requirements.txt
Start: PYTHONPATH=.ample/python:${PYTHONPATH:-} python3 app.py

Limitations

Verified on the python-3.12 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Flask major versions are not verified.
The admin dashboard itself (your identity integration and role assignments) is application code and was not separately tested; the pattern checks are what was verified.
Apps auto-pause when idle and wake on the next request; always-on is an operator setting, not a plan feature.

Cost Estimate

Currency: USD
Monthly Amount: 10.0
Basis: size prices from pricing.toml (loaded by the API) at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty.

Components

Name	Size	Quantity	Monthly Amount
app server	s-1vcpu-1gb	1.0	5.0
managed PostgreSQL database	s-1vcpu-1gb	1.0	5.0

Note: Always-on monthly price of the tested sizes; apps and databases auto-pause when idle. Buckets are allocation-priced per quota and not included.

Evidence Summary

Canary Run: Flask pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for private-document-library and configuration-secrets. Pattern proof: a role-to-document access model with negative tests (401 without identity, 403 for the wrong role) and a private-bucket round-trip for the allowed role (private=ok).
Last Verified At: 2026-09-21T01:14:18Z