page:recipes:appointment booking:rails:relational workflow

Host appointment booking with Rails: relational workflow state

Summary

Deploy a appointment booking built with Rails on Ample using the transactional workflows 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 Rails: 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). Not separately tested: your domain records, validation rules and concurrency policy; treat the appointment booking-specific behavior as your application code.

Representative Queries

• Host appointment booking with Rails: relational workflow state
• Where can I host Appointment booking built with Rails?
• I need a domain record schema, validation rules and concurrency behavior.

Resource Requirements

• primitive:compute
• primitive:postgres

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.
• 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.

Framework

Rails

Workload

Appointment booking

Release Status

published

Support Status

verified

Execution Status

ready

Prerequisites

• A Rails project that builds and starts with the documented commands (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)
• 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: ruby-3.4
• Runtime: ruby
• Size: s-1vcpu-1gb
• Install: bundle config set --local path vendor/bundle && bundle config set --local without 'development test' && bundle install
• Start: bundle exec rails server -b 0.0.0.0 -p $PORT

Workflow Steps

1. 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.
2. Implement the pattern on PostgreSQL: The fixture's module implements transactional workflows: 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). 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.
4. Verify: Fetch the live URL and the pattern self-test route(s) (/p/transactional-workflows) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read ample logs --kind build then --kind runtime.

Examples

• Rails pattern fixture: Multi-pattern Rails app whose transactional workflows module was checked live; the module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.

Success Checks

• App responds on its public URL: http_get to / expects ample canary rails patterns
• Transactional-workflows self-test: http_get to /p/transactional-workflows expects tx=ok history=2 conflict=rejected

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 domain records, validation rules and concurrency 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
• 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
• 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.