Host Help Desk with Django: Relational Workspace Data

Deploy a help desk built with Django on Ample using the relational records 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 Django: a workspace-scoped table, an explicit state machine (draft to review to published) that rejects invalid transitions, and a cross-workspace read that returns nothing (transitions=true isolation=true). Not separately tested: your record schema, states and access rules; treat the help desk-specific behavior as your application code.

Summary

• Label: Host help desk with Django: relational workspace data
• Family: Workload recipe

Representative Queries

• Host help desk with Django: relational workspace data
• Where can I host Help desk built with Django?
• I need a workspace-specific schema, state transitions and access rules.

Prerequisites

• A Django project that builds and starts with the documented commands (pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress serving project.wsgi from run.py reading PORT on the python-3.12 template)
• 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: python-3.12
• Runtime: python
• Size: s-1vcpu-1gb

Installation Command

python3 -m pip install --target .ample/python -r requirements.txt

Start Command

PYTHONPATH=.ample/python:${PYTHONPATH:-} python3 run.py

Input Schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "env": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string",
        "pattern": "^[A-Z][A-Z0-9_]*=.*$"
      },
      "maxItems": 50
    },
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 1,
      "maxLength": 63,
      "pattern": "^[a-z0-9-]+$"
    },
    "path": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 1,
      "maxLength": 512
    },
    "release_command": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 512
    },
    "start": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 512
    }
  },
  "required": ["name", "path", "start"],
  "additionalProperties": false
}

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 relational records: a workspace-scoped table, an explicit state machine (draft to review to published) that rejects invalid transitions, and a cross-workspace read that returns nothing (transitions=true isolation=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 <name> --public --start "python3 run.py"
4. Verify
   Fetch the live URL and the pattern self-test route(s) (/p/relational-records) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read ample logs <task-id> --kind build then --kind runtime.
   Command: ample logs --kind build

Examples

Django Pattern Fixture: Multi-pattern Django app whose relational records module was checked live; the module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.

Success Checks

1. App responds on its public URL
   • Kind: http_get
   • Path: /
   • Expect: ample canary django patterns
2. Relational-records self-test
   • Kind: http_get
   • Path: /p/relational-records
   • Expect: records=ok transitions=true isolation=true

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 record schema, states and access rules) 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: s-1vcpu-1gb (1.0 units) - $5.0
  • Managed PostgreSQL Database: s-1vcpu-1gb (1.0 units) - $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.

Evidence Summary

1. Canary Run: Django pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for relational-records and configuration-secrets.
2. Canary Run: The same Django app deployed with a --release-command migration; the marker it created was readable after activation.

Next Actions

1. Browse the Catalog Index
   Method: GET
   Path: /v1/catalog
2. Search Published Recipes by Intent
   Method: POST
   Path: /v1/catalog/search
3. Plan Deployment for an Authorized Project
   Method: POST
   Path: /v1/catalog/plan
4. Read Existing Agent Authentication Setup
   Method: GET
   Path: /mcp/setup
5. Browse Help Desk
   Method: GET
   Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/workload%3Ahelp-desk
6. Browse Django
   Method: GET
   Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-django
7. Browse Relational Records
   Method: GET
   Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/pattern%3Arelational-records
8. Browse Deploy Web App
   Method: GET
   Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Adeploy-web-app