# Host Member Portal with Flask: Private Documents

Deploy a member portal built with Flask on Ample using the private document library 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, a private S3-compatible bucket holds objects with credentials delivered as encrypted environment variables. Verified on Flask: a role-to-document access model with negative tests (401 without identity, 403 for the wrong role) and a private-bucket round-trip for the allowed role (private=ok). Not separately tested: your identity integration and role assignments; treat the member portal-specific behavior as your application code.

## Representative Queries
- Host member portal with Flask: private documents
- Where can I host Member portal built with Flask?
- I need a role-to-document access model and negative authorization tests.

## Parent Resources
- **[Member portal](/content/discover/workload/member-portal/index.html)**
- **[Flask](/content/discover/stack/framework-flask/index.html)**
- **[Private document library](/content/discover/pattern/private-document-library/index.html)**
- **[Deploy web app](/content/discover/intent/deploy-web-app/index.html)**

## Resource Requirements
- primitive:compute
- primitive:postgres
- primitive:s3-compatible-object-storage

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

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

### S3-compatible Object Storage
- **Status:** verified
- **Summary:** Buckets are S3-compatible with issued credentials; PutObject and GetObject are verified by canary. Other S3 operations are not verified.

## 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)
- A bucket from `ample bucket create` with its credentials passed as encrypted S3_* environment variables
- An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read, buckets: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 app.py

## 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 private document library: a role-to-document access model with negative tests (401 without identity, 403 for the wrong role) and a private-bucket round-trip for the allowed role (private=ok). Copy the approach into your schema; keep migrations idempotent and run them with --release-command.
3. **Wire object storage**  
   Create the bucket(s), then pass endpoint, region, bucket and keys as --env values. Use path-style addressing. Keep private data in an unpublished bucket.
4. **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 <app_name> --public --start "python3 app.py" --env S3_ENDPOINT=... --env S3_REGION=... --env S3_BUCKET=... --env S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=... --env S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
5. **Verify**  
   Fetch the live URL and the pattern self-test route(s) (/p/private-document-library) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read `ample logs  --kind build` then `--kind runtime`.
   - Command: ample logs  --kind build

## Example
- **Title:** Flask pattern fixture  
  **Description:** Multi-pattern Flask app whose private document library module was checked live; the module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.  
  **Source Reference:** tests/deploy-canaries/flask-patterns

## Success Checks
- **Check:** app responds on its public URL
  - **Path:** /
  - **Expect:** ample canary flask patterns
- **Check:** private-document-library self-test
  - **Path:** /p/private-document-library
  - **Expect:** private=ok (with ?role=owner; 401 without, 403 for viewer)

## 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 member portal itself (your identity integration and role assignments) 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 (loaded by the API)
- **Components:**
  - App server: s-1vcpu-1gb - $5.0/month
  - Managed PostgreSQL database: s-1vcpu-1gb - $5.0/month
  - **Note:** Always-on monthly price; buckets are allocation-priced per quota.

## Evidence Summary
1. **Kind:** canary_run  
   **Summary:** Flask pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for private-document-library and configuration-secrets.  
   **Observed At:** 2026-09-21T01:14:18Z
   **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
   **Expires At:** 2027-03-19T01:54:51Z