Host GraphQL API with Axum: Streamed Responses

Summary

Deploy a GraphQL API built with Axum on Ample using the streaming response service 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 Axum: a Server-Sent Events endpoint read incrementally through the public HTTPS gateway: five one-second chunks arrived spread over time with the first within seconds (not buffered), a 70-second stream of 36 chunks completed past common 60-second idle timeouts, and a client that disconnected after two chunks was observed and recorded by the server (disconnected=true). Not separately tested: your event schema, reconnection strategy and any per-request duration ceiling beyond the 70 seconds measured; treat the GraphQL API-specific behavior as your application code.

Representative Queries

• Host GraphQL API with Axum: streamed responses
• Where can I host GraphQL API built with Axum?
• I need a tested end-to-end streaming transport, timeout behavior and client disconnect handling.

Resource Requirements

• Compute
• 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.

Framework and Workload

• Framework: Axum
• Workload: GraphQL API

Prerequisites

• An Axum project that builds and starts with the documented commands (cargo build --release in the Rust builder image (stable toolchain, Cargo.lock committed, pure-Rust dependencies), then the release binary on the ubuntu-24.04 template reading PORT and DATABASE_URL)
• 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

Workflow Steps

1. Build and Start
   cargo build --release in the Rust builder image (stable toolchain, Cargo.lock committed, pure-Rust dependencies), then the release binary on the ubuntu-24.04 template reading PORT and DATABASE_URL. The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.
2. Implement the Pattern on PostgreSQL
   The fixture's module implements streaming response service: a Server-Sent Events endpoint read incrementally through the public HTTPS gateway: five one-second chunks arrived spread over time with the first within seconds (not buffered), a 70-second stream of 36 chunks completed past common 60-second idle timeouts, and a client that disconnected after two chunks was observed and recorded by the server (disconnected=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/streaming-response-service) 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 (http_get /)
• Streaming-response-service self-test (http_get /p/streaming-response-service)

Limitations

• Verified on the ubuntu-24.04 template at s-1vcpu-2gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Axum major versions are not verified.
• The GraphQL API itself (your event schema, reconnection strategy and any per-request duration ceiling beyond the 70 seconds measured) 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:
  • 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.

Evidence Summary

• Axum pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for streaming-response-service and configuration-secrets.
• The same Axum app deployed with a --release-command migration.

Formats

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