page:recipes:graphql api:hono:worker state

Host graphql api with Hono: worker execution and job state

Deploy a graphql api built with Hono as a public web service plus a dedicated worker process on Ample. ample plan --write discovers both services and their shared database and writes ample.toml; ample up reconciles the topology: a managed PostgreSQL 16 database, a public web microVM and a private worker microVM (kind worker, no public URL), both reading DATABASE_URL. Verified on Hono: a separately deployed worker service (kind worker, no public URL) sharing a declared managed PostgreSQL database with the web service, consuming a jobs table with row locks and marking jobs done once (worker=done attempts=1). Not separately tested: your job payloads, retry policy and scheduling; treat the graphql api-specific behavior as your application code.

Representative Queries

• Host graphql api with Hono: worker execution and job state
• Where can I host GraphQL API built with Hono?
• I need a separately runnable worker, durable job records and idempotent retries; not a managed queue.

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

Hono

Workload

GraphQL API

Release Status

published

Support Status

verified

Execution Status

ready

Prerequisites

• A repository with the web app and the worker as separate service directories (the fixture uses apps/web and apps/worker), each building and starting with the documented commands (npm install and npm run start with @hono/node-server on the node-22 template; the worker starts with node worker (its own package.json start script) and binds no port)
• Both services read DATABASE_URL at runtime and share one jobs table; the worker claims rows with SELECT ... FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED and marks them done once
• An Ample account token with servers:write and databases:write (ample up creates the database)

Workflow Steps

1. Plan the topology: Run the planner once. It discovers the web and worker services, infers kind = "worker" for the process without a port, declares the database each service needs, and writes ample.toml. Exit 2 means it left questions in the manifest; answer them with --answer or by editing the file. Command: ample plan --write .
2. Share one database: Keep a single [databases.main] with engine = "postgres", drop any per-service database the planner added, and set DATABASE_URL = { database = "main" } under both [services.web.env] and [services.worker.env]. Command: ample plan --offline .
3. Apply: Reconcile the whole manifest in dependency order: the database first, then both services. It is idempotent and never destructive; exit 0 means everything applied, 2 needs input, 1 a failed resource (independent siblings still proceed and re-running resumes). Command: ample up .
4. Verify: Fetch the web service URL and its worker status route (/p/worker-queue/status in the example) and confirm the worker processed the enqueued job; on failure read the worker service's runtime logs. Command: ample logs --kind runtime

Limitations

• Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb for both services with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Hono major versions are not verified.
• The graphql api itself (your job payloads, retry policy and scheduling) is application code and was not separately tested; the worker-queue check is what was verified.
• The worker is a single long-running process supervised in its own microVM; there is no scheduler, cron or horizontal worker scaling in this recipe, and the check ran immediately after deploy so idle behavior of the worker VM is not verified.

Cost Estimate

• Currency: USD
• Monthly Amount: 15.0
  • web server (s-1vcpu-1gb): 5.0
  • worker server (s-1vcpu-1gb): 5.0
  • managed PostgreSQL database (s-1vcpu-1gb): 5.0
• Note: Always-on monthly price of the tested sizes for the web service, the worker service and the database; apps auto-pause when idle.

Success Checks

• web service responds on its public URL: kind = http_get, path = /, expect = ample canary hono patterns
• worker consumed the enqueued job: kind = http_get, path = /p/worker-queue/status, expect = worker=done attempts=1 result=processed-by-worker

Examples

• Hono web + worker fixture: A Hono web app (apps/web) and a worker process (apps/worker) sharing one managed PostgreSQL database; the queue module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules. Source: tests/deploy-canaries/hono-worker

Evidence Summary

• Hono web service plus a separate Hono worker process deployed on Ample with ample plan --write then ample up (npm install and npm run start with @hono/node-server on the node-22 template); the web service enqueued a job that the private worker service consumed from the shared managed PostgreSQL database. Pattern proof: a separately deployed worker service (kind worker, no public URL) sharing a declared managed PostgreSQL database with the web service, consuming a jobs table with row locks and marking jobs done once (worker=done attempts=1).

Next Actions

• Browse the catalog index: GET /v1/catalog
• Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints: POST /v1/catalog/search
• Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project: POST /v1/catalog/plan
• Read the existing agent authentication setup: GET /mcp/setup
• Browse GraphQL API: GET /v1/catalog/nodes/workload%3Agraphql-api
• Browse Hono: GET /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-hono
• Browse Dedicated worker process: GET /v1/catalog/nodes/pattern%3Adedicated-worker-process
• Browse Deploy API: GET /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Adeploy-api