page:recipes:appointment booking:rails:data imports

Host appointment booking with Rails: structured data imports

Summary

Deploy a appointment booking built with Rails on Ample using the bulk import staging 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 Rails: a CSV staged as an object, row-level validation with per-row errors recorded, and a restart-safe import keyed by import id (imported=2 rejected=1 restart=ok). Not separately tested: your import format, mapping and conflict rules; treat the appointment booking-specific behavior as your application code.

Resource 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.
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.
S3-compatible object storage: Buckets are S3-compatible with issued credentials; PutObject and GetObject are verified by canary. Other S3 operations are not verified.

Workflow Steps

Build and start: bundle install into vendor/bundle from Gemfile.lock (development and test groups skipped), then Puma via rails server reading PORT on the ruby-3.4 template with RAILS_ENV=production. The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.
Implement the pattern on PostgreSQL: The fixture's module implements bulk import staging: a CSV staged as an object, row-level validation with per-row errors recorded, and a restart-safe import keyed by import id (imported=2 rejected=1 restart=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 Keep private data in an unpublished bucket.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 --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/bulk-import-staging) 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 // Expect: ample canary rails patterns
Bulk-import-staging self-test // Expect: imported=2 rejected=1 restart=ok

Limitations

Verified on the ruby-3.4 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Rails major versions are not verified.
The appointment booking itself (your import format, mapping and conflict rules) 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.
Managed PostgreSQL 16 only; extensions, connection limits and backup or restore procedures are not verified; apps and their databases are placed together.

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": ["env", "name", "path"],
  "type": "object"
}

Examples

Rails pattern fixture: Multi-pattern Rails app whose bulk import staging module was checked live; the module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.
Source Ref: tests/deploy-canaries/rails-patterns