page:recipes:help desk:fastapi:relational workspace

Host help desk with FastAPI: relational workspace data

Deploy a help desk built with FastAPI 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 FastAPI: 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.

Representative Queries

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

Resource Requirements

• primitive:compute
• primitive:postgres

Infrastructure Requirements

1. Compute
   Status: verified
   Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs that auto-pause when idle and wake on request; sizes are the priced VM sizes.

2. Postgres
   Status: verified
   Managed PostgreSQL 16 runs in its own microVM and is auto-provisioned when an app needs a database and no DATABASE_URL is supplied.

Prerequisites

• A FastAPI project that builds and starts with the documented commands (pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then uvicorn 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
• Install: python3 -m pip install --target .ample/python -r requirements.txt
• Start: PYTHONPATH=.ample/python:${PYTHONPATH:-} python3 run.py

Input Schema

• type: object
• required: [name, path, start]
• properties:
  • env:
    • description: Encrypted environment variables (bucket credentials, secrets)
    • type: array
    • items:
      • type: string pattern: ^[A-Z][A-Z0-9_]*=.*$
    • maxItems: 50
  • name:
    • description: App name
    • type: string
    • maxLength: 63
    • minLength: 1
    • pattern: ^[a-z0-9-]+$
  • path:
    • type: string
    • maxLength: 512
    • minLength: 1
  • release_command:
    • type: string
    • maxLength: 512
  • start:
    • type: string
    • maxLength: 512

Workflow Steps

1. Build and start
   pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then uvicorn 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.

   ample deploy . --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 --kind build then --kind runtime.

   ample logs  --kind build
   

Limitations

• Verified on the python-3.12 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and FastAPI 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
• Authoritative: true
• Basis: size prices from pricing.toml (loaded by the API) at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty
• Components:
  1. App server
     • Size: s-1vcpu-1gb
     • Quantity: 1.0
     • Monthly Amount: 5.0
  2. 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. Buckets are allocation-priced per quota and not included.

Evidence Summary

1. Canary run

   • Summary: FastAPI pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for relational-records and configuration-secrets.
   • Observed At: 2026-09-21T01:14:18Z
   • Implementation Revision: 50dbac567d2c5cc8e55e6c748a646be0025d9cfb-dirty (CLI 0.1.21)
   • Expires At: 2027-03-20T01:14:18Z
   • Scope:
     • Checks: /p/relational-records
     • Pattern: pattern:relational-records
     • Template: python-3.12

2. Canary run

   • Summary: The same FastAPI app deployed with a --release-command migration; the marker it created was readable after activation.
   • Observed At: 2026-09-20T01:54:51Z
   • Implementation Revision: 199ff1dfd52683832ae75d3f98b53a7a4bff7f96-dirty (CLI e3181f5)
   • Expires At: 2027-03-19T01:54:51Z
   • Scope:
     • Pattern: pattern:relational-records

Formats

• HTML: Link
• Markdown: Link
• JSON: Link

Next Actions

• Browse the catalog index (GET)
• Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints (POST)
• Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project (POST)
• Read the existing agent authentication setup (GET)
• Browse Help desk (GET)
• Browse FastAPI (GET)
• Browse Relational records (GET)
• Browse Deploy web app (GET)