page:recipes:mcp server:express:persistent state

Host mcp server with Express: Postgres-backed state

Deploy a mcp server built with Express on Ample using the durable job state 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 Express: a jobs table with a state and attempts counter, processing inside a row-locked transaction, and a second run that is a no-op (job=done attempts=1 idempotent=true). Not separately tested: your job types, payload schema and retry policy; treat the mcp server-specific behavior as your application code.

Resources Requirements

• Compute
• 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: Express

Workload: MCP server

Prerequisites

• A Express project that builds and starts with the documented commands (npm install, npm run build --if-present, npm run start on the node-22 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: npm install, npm run build --if-present, npm run start on the node-22 template. The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.
2. Implement the pattern on PostgreSQL: The fixture's module implements durable job state: a jobs table with a state and attempts counter, processing inside a row-locked transaction, and a second run that is a no-op (job=done attempts=1 idempotent=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/durable-job-state) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read ample logs --kind build then --kind runtime. Command: ample logs --kind build

Success Checks

• App responds on its public URL (HTTP GET /) expect: ample canary express patterns
• Durable-job-state self-test (HTTP GET /p/durable-job-state) expect: job=done attempts=1 idempotent=true

Limitations

• Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Express major versions are not verified.
• The mcp server itself (your job types, payload schema and retry policy) 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
• 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

• Canary run: Express pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for durable-job-state and configuration-secrets.

Next Actions

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