page:recipes:approval workflow:asp net core:private attachments

Host approval workflow with ASP.NET Core: private attachments

Deploy an approval workflow built with ASP.NET Core 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 ASP.NET Core: 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 approval workflow-specific behavior as your application code.

Representative Queries

Resource Requirements

Infrastructure Requirements

Prerequisites

  1. A ASP.NET Core project that builds and starts with the documented commands (dotnet publish -c Release -o out in the builder, then dotnet .dll on the dotnet-10 template with ASPNETCORE_URLS bound to PORT).
  2. A PostgreSQL driver reading DATABASE_URL at runtime (auto-provisioned when omitted, or supplied with --env).
  3. A bucket from ample bucket create with its credentials passed as encrypted S3_* environment variables.
  4. An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read, buckets:read.

Tested Configuration

Workflow Steps

  1. Build and start: dotnet publish -c Release -o out in the builder, then dotnet .dll on the dotnet-10 template with ASPNETCORE_URLS bound to PORT. The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 Keep private data in an unpublished bucket.
  4. 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=....
  5. 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.

Success Checks

Limitations

Cost Estimate

Components:

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

  1. Canary Run: ASP.NET Core pattern fixture deployed on Ample (dotnet publish -c Release -o out in the builder, then dotnet .dll on the dotnet-10 template with ASPNETCORE_URLS bound to PORT); checks passed for private-document-library and configuration-secrets.
    • Observed At: 2026-09-21T01:15:54Z
  2. Canary Run: The same ASP.NET Core app deployed with a --release-command migration; the marker it created was readable after activation.
    • Observed At: 2026-09-20T23:34:47Z

Unknowns

Formats

Next Actions