# Host help desk with Django: private attachments

Deploy a help desk built with Django 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 Django: 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 help desk-specific behavior as your application code.

## Representative Queries
- Host help desk with Django: private attachments
- Where can I host Help desk built with Django?
- I need attachment metadata, access checks and a tested private object access path.

## Resource Requirements
- primitive:compute
- primitive:postgres
- primitive:s3-compatible-object-storage

## 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.

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

## Workflow Steps
1. **Build and start**  
   pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress serving project.wsgi from run.py reading PORT on the python-3.12 template. 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 Keep private data in an unpublished bucket.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.  
   `ample deploy . --name  --public --start "python3 run.py" --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`.  
   `ample logs  --kind build`

## Success Checks
- App responds on its public URL  
  **Check:** `http_get` path: `/` expect: `ample canary django patterns`
- Private-document-library self-test  
  **Check:** `http_get` path: `/p/private-document-library` expect: `private=ok (with ?role=owner; 401 without, 403 for viewer)`

## Limitations
- Verified on the python-3.12 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Django major versions are not verified.
- The help desk itself (your identity integration and role assignments) 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.

## 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, monthlyAmount: 5.0
- **Managed PostgreSQL database:** size: s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthlyAmount: 5.0

## Evidence Summary
- **Kind:** canary_run
- **Summary:** Django pattern fixture deployed on Ample...  
  **Observed At:** 2026-09-20T03:31:44Z

## Formats
- **HTML:** [Link](/content/recipes/help-desk/django/private-attachments/index.html)
- **Markdown:** [Link](/content/recipes/help-desk/django/private-attachments.md)
- **JSON:** [Link](https://api.ample.computer/v1/catalog/recipes/page%3Arecipes%3Ahelp-desk%3Adjango%3Aprivate-attachments)