### Host help desk with Rails: relational workspace data

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

#### 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
Rails

#### Workload
Help desk

#### Release Status
published

#### Support Status
verified

#### Execution Status
ready

#### Prerequisites
1. A Rails project that builds and starts with the documented commands (bundle install into vendor/bundle from Gemfile.lock (development and test groups skipped), then Puma via `rails server` reading PORT on the ruby-3.4 template with RAILS_ENV=production)
2. A PostgreSQL driver reading DATABASE_URL at runtime (auto-provisioned when omitted, or supplied with --env)
3. An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read

#### Workflow Steps
1. **Build and start:** `bundle install` into vendor/bundle from Gemfile.lock (development and test groups skipped), then Puma via `rails server` reading PORT on the ruby-3.4 template with RAILS_ENV=production. 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  --public`
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`. Command: `ample logs  --kind build`

#### Examples
- **Rails pattern fixture:** Multi-pattern Rails app whose relational records module was checked live; the module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.

#### Success Checks
- App responds on its public URL when doing an HTTP GET to `/` and expects `ample canary rails patterns`.
- Relational-records self-test when doing an HTTP GET to `/p/relational-records` and expects `records=ok transitions=true isolation=true`.

#### Limitations
- Verified on the ruby-3.4 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Rails 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.

#### Cost Estimate
- **Currency:** USD
- **Monthly Amount:** 10.0
- **Basis:** size prices from pricing.toml at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty
- **Components:**
  - App server, size: s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthly amount: 5.0
  - Managed PostgreSQL database, size: s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthly amount: 5.0

#### Evidence Summary
- Canary run for the Rails pattern fixture deployed on Ample. Checks passed for relational-records and configuration-secrets.

#### MCP Binding
- **Tool Name:** ample_deploy
- **Last Observed At:** 2026-09-21T03:19:59.461917+00:00

#### Next Actions
- Browse the catalog index
- Search published recipes by intent
- Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project
- Read the existing agent authentication setup.

#### Links
- [HTML version](/content/recipes/help-desk/rails/relational-workspace/index.html)
- [Markdown version](/content/recipes/help-desk/rails/relational-workspace.md)