# Host mobile backend with Express: worker execution and job state

Deploy a mobile backend built with Express as a public web service plus a dedicated worker process on Ample. `ample plan --write` discovers both services and their shared database and writes ample.toml; `ample up` reconciles the topology: a managed PostgreSQL 16 database, a public web microVM and a private worker microVM (kind worker, no public URL), both reading DATABASE_URL. Verified on Express: a separately deployed worker service (kind worker, no public URL) sharing a declared managed PostgreSQL database with the web service, consuming a jobs table with row locks and marking jobs done once (worker=done attempts=1). Not separately tested: your job payloads, retry policy and scheduling; treat the mobile backend-specific behavior as your application code.

## Representative Queries
- Host mobile backend with Express: worker execution and job state
- Where can I host Mobile backend built with Express?
- I need a separately runnable worker, durable job records and idempotent retries; not a managed queue.

## Resource Requirements
- **Compute**
- **Postgres**

## Infrastructure Requirements
1. **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.

2. **Postgres**  
   - 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.

## Prerequisites
- A repository with the web app and the worker as separate service directories (the fixture uses apps/web and apps/worker), each building and starting with the documented commands (npm install, npm run build --if-present, npm run start on the node-22 template; the worker starts with node worker (its own package.json start script) and binds no port)
- Both services read DATABASE_URL at runtime and share one jobs table; the worker claims rows with SELECT ... FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED and marks them done once
- An Ample account token with servers:write and databases:write (ample up creates the database)

## Workflow Steps
1. **Plan the topology**  
   Run the planner once. It discovers the web and worker services, infers kind = "worker" for the process without a port, declares the database each service needs, and writes ample.toml. Exit 2 means it left questions in the manifest; answer them with --answer or by editing the file.  
   Command: `ample plan --write .`

2. **Share one database**  
   Keep a single [databases.main] with engine = "postgres", drop any per-service database the planner added, and set DATABASE_URL = { database = "main" } under both [services.web.env] and [services.worker.env].  
   Command: `ample plan --offline .`

3. **Apply**  
   Reconcile the whole manifest in dependency order: the database first, then both services. It is idempotent and never destructive; exit 0 means everything applied, 2 needs input, 1 a failed resource (independent siblings still proceed and re-running resumes).  
   Command: `ample up .`

4. **Verify**  
   Fetch the web service URL and its worker status route (/p/worker-queue/status in the example) and confirm the worker processed the enqueued job; on failure read the worker service's runtime logs.  
   Command: `ample logs  --kind runtime`

## Limitations
- Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb for both services with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Express major versions are not verified.
- The mobile backend itself (your job payloads, retry policy and scheduling) is application code and was not separately tested; the worker-queue check is what was verified.
- The worker is a single long-running process supervised in its own microVM; there is no scheduler, cron or horizontal worker scaling in this recipe, and the check ran immediately after deploy so idle behavior of the worker VM is not verified.
- The worker service is private: it has no public URL and is reached only through the shared database; both services are placed with their database.
- Managed PostgreSQL 16 only; extensions, connection limits and backup or restore procedures are not verified; apps and their databases are placed together.
- Region, compliance attestations and request-duration limits are unknown and not claimed.

## Cost Estimate
- **Currency:** USD  
- **Monthly Amount:** $15.00  
- **Basis:** size prices from pricing.toml (loaded by the API) at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty  
- **Components:**  
  - Web server: size s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthly amount: $5.00  
  - Worker server: size s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthly amount: $5.00  
  - Managed PostgreSQL database: size s-1vcpu-1gb, quantity: 1.0, monthly amount: $5.00  
- **Note:** Always-on monthly price of the tested sizes for the web service, the worker service and the database; apps auto-pause when idle.

## Examples
### Express web + worker fixture
- A Express web app (apps/web) and a worker process (apps/worker) sharing one managed PostgreSQL database; the queue module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.
- **Source Ref:** tests/deploy-canaries/express-worker

## Next Actions
1. **Browse the catalog index**
2. **Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints**
3. **Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project**
4. **Read the existing agent authentication setup**
5. **Browse Mobile backend**
6. **Browse Express**
7. **Browse Dedicated worker process**
8. **Browse Deploy API**