Host ai workflow runner with Echo: Postgres-backed state

Summary

Deploy a ai workflow runner built with Echo on Ample using the durable job state 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. Verified on Echo: a jobs table with a state and attempts counter, processing inside a row-locked transaction, and a second run that is a no-op (job=done attempts=1 idempotent=true). Not separately tested: your job types, payload schema and retry policy; treat the ai workflow runner-specific behavior as your application code.

Representative Queries

• Host ai workflow runner with Echo: Postgres-backed state
• Where can I host AI workflow runner built with Echo?
• I need a durable state schema and retry/recovery semantics implemented by application code.

Resource Requirements

• primitive:compute
• primitive:postgres

Infrastructure Requirements

Compute

• Status: Verified
• Summary: Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs that auto-pause when idle and wake on request; sizes are the priced VM sizes.

Postgres

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

Prerequisites

• A Echo project that builds and starts with the documented commands (CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o app ./... then ./app on the ubuntu-24.04 template (go.sum committed for a reproducible build))
• A PostgreSQL driver reading DATABASE_URL at runtime (auto-provisioned when omitted, or supplied with --env)
• An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read

Tested Configuration

• Template: ubuntu-24.04
• Runtime: go
• Size: s-1vcpu-1gb
• Build Command: CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o app ./...
• Start Command: ./app

Input Schema

{"additionalProperties":false,"properties":{"env":{"description":"Encrypted environment variables (bucket credentials, secrets)","items":{"pattern":"^[A-Z][A-Z0-9_]=.$","type":"string"},"maxItems":50,"type":"array"},"name":{"description":"App name","maxLength":63,"minLength":1,"pattern":"^[a-z0-9-]+$","type":"string"},"path":{"description":"Project directory or ample.toml service","maxLength":512,"minLength":1,"type":"string"},"release_command":{"description":"Migration command run before activation","maxLength":512,"type":"string"}},"required":["name","path"],"type":"object"}

Workflow Steps

1. Build and start
   CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o app ./... then ./app on the ubuntu-24.04 template (go.sum committed for a reproducible build). The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.
2. Implement the pattern on PostgreSQL
   The fixture's module implements durable job state: a jobs table with a state and attempts counter, processing inside a row-locked transaction, and a second run that is a no-op (job=done attempts=1 idempotent=true). Copy the approach into your schema; keep migrations idempotent and run them with --release-command.
3. 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
4. Verify
   Fetch the live URL and the pattern self-test route(s) (/p/durable-job-state) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read ample logs --kind build then --kind runtime.
   Command: ample logs --kind build

Success Checks

• App responds on its public URL
  • Kind: http_get
  • Path: /
  • Expect: ample canary echo patterns
• Durable-job-state self-test
  • Kind: http_get
  • Path: /p/durable-job-state
  • Expect: job=done attempts=1 idempotent=true

Limitations

• Verified on the ubuntu-24.04 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Echo major versions are not verified.
• The ai workflow runner itself (your job types, payload schema and retry policy) is application code and was not separately tested; the pattern checks are what was verified.
• Region, compliance attestations and request-duration limits are unknown and not claimed.
• Apps auto-pause when idle and wake on the next request; always-on is an operator setting, not a plan feature.
• Managed PostgreSQL 16 only; extensions, connection limits and backup or restore procedures are not verified; apps and their databases are placed together.

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

• Kind: canary_run
  • Summary: Echo pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for durable-job-state and configuration-secrets.
  • Observed At: 2026-09-21T02:34:39Z
• Kind: canary_run
  • Summary: The same Echo app deployed with a --release-command migration; the marker it created was readable after activation.
  • Observed At: 2026-09-20T02:43:30Z

Formats

• HTML: https://ample.computer/recipes/ai-workflow-runner/echo/persistent-state
• Markdown: https://ample.computer/recipes/ai-workflow-runner/echo/persistent-state.md
• JSON: https://api.ample.computer/v1/catalog/recipes/page%3Arecipes%3Aai-workflow-runner%3Aecho%3Apersistent-state

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 AI workflow runner
• Browse Echo
• Browse Durable job state
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