## Host help desk with Flask: relational workspace data

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

### Resource Requirements
- primitive:compute
- primitive:postgres

### Infrastructure Requirements
1. **Compute**  
   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**  
   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 Flask project that builds and starts with the documented commands (pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress from app.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

### Workflow Steps
1. **Build and start**  
   pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress from app.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.
   ```bash
   ample deploy . --name  --public --start "python3 app.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`.
   ```bash
   ample logs  --kind build
   ```

### Success Checks
- app responds on its public URL  
  Kind: `http_get`  
  Path: `/`  
  Expect: `ample canary flask patterns`
- 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 Flask 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:
  - App server: s-1vcpu-1gb quantity: 1.0 monthlyAmount: 5.0
  - Managed PostgreSQL database: s-1vcpu-1gb quantity: 1.0 monthlyAmount: 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.

### Examples
- **Flask pattern fixture**  
  Multi-pattern Flask app whose relational records module was checked live; the module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.
 Source Ref: `tests/deploy-canaries/flask-patterns`
  
### Evidence Summary
1. Kind: canary_run  
   Summary: Flask pattern fixture deployed on Ample (pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress from app.py reading PORT on the python-3.12 template); checks passed for relational-records and configuration-secrets. Pattern proof: 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).  
   Observed At: 2026-09-21T01:14:18Z  
   Implementation Revision: 50dbac567d2c5cc8e55e6c748a646be0025d9cfb-dirty (CLI 0.1.21)  
   Expires At: 2027-03-20T01:14:18Z
2. Kind: canary_run  
   Summary: The same Flask 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

### Next Actions
1. **Browse the catalog index**  
   - Operation ID: catalog_index  
   - Method: GET  
   - Relative Path: /v1/catalog
2. **Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints**  
   - Operation ID: search_recipes  
   - Method: POST  
   - Relative Path: /v1/catalog/search  
   - Parameters:  
     - Body:  
       - Limit: 5  
       - Query: Host help desk with Flask: relational workspace data
3. **Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project**  
   - Operation ID: plan_deployment  
   - Method: POST  
   - Relative Path: /v1/catalog/plan  
   - Parameters:  
     - Body:  
       - Inputs: {}  
       - Project ID: ""  
       - Recipe ID: page:recipes:help-desk:flask:relational-workspace  
       - Recipe Revision: r1
4. **Read the existing agent authentication setup**  
   - Operation ID: existing_auth_setup  
   - Method: GET  
   - Relative Path: /mcp/setup
5. **Browse Help desk**  
   - Operation ID: browse_node  
   - Method: GET  
   - Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/workload%3Ahelp-desk  
   - Parameters:  
     - Node ID: workload:help-desk
6. **Browse Flask**  
   - Operation ID: browse_node  
   - Method: GET  
   - Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-flask  
   - Parameters:  
     - Node ID: stack:framework-flask
7. **Browse Relational records**  
   - Operation ID: browse_node  
   - Method: GET  
   - Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/pattern%3Arelational-records  
   - Parameters:  
     - Node ID: pattern:relational-records
8. **Browse Deploy web app**  
   - Operation ID: browse_node  
   - Method: GET  
   - Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Adeploy-web-app  
   - Parameters:  
     - Node ID: intent:deploy-web-app