Host Product Catalog with Phoenix: Relational Catalog Data

Summary

Deploy a product catalog built with Phoenix on Ample using the transactional workflows 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 Phoenix: an optimistic version check and an event row written in the same transaction, a stale update rejected, and a history query over the application-owned events (history=2 conflict=rejected). Not separately tested: your domain records, validation rules and concurrency policy; treat the product catalog-specific behavior as your application code.

Representative Queries

• Host product catalog with Phoenix: relational catalog data
• Where can I host Product catalog built with Phoenix?
• I need catalog tables, transactional update logic and application-level access boundaries.

Resource Requirements

• Compute
• PostgreSQL

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.

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.

Framework

Phoenix

Workload

Product Catalog

Release Status

Published

Execution Status

Ready

Prerequisites

• A Phoenix project that builds and starts with the documented commands (mix deps.get, MIX_ENV=prod mix compile and mix release in the builder, then the release bin script with PHX_SERVER=true on the elixir-1.18 template; PORT, DATABASE_URL and SECRET_KEY_BASE read in config/runtime.exs)
• 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

Tested Configuration

• Template: elixir-1.18
• Runtime: elixir
• Size: s-1vcpu-1gb
• Install Command: mix local.hex --force && mix local.rebar --force && MIX_ENV=prod mix deps.get --only prod
• Build Command: MIX_ENV=prod mix compile && MIX_ENV=prod mix release --overwrite
• Start Command: PHX_SERVER=true _build/prod/rel/$(ls _build/prod/rel | head -n 1)/bin/$(ls _build/prod/rel | head -n 1) start

Workflow Steps

1. Build and Start

mix deps.get, MIX_ENV=prod mix compile and mix release in the builder, then the release bin script with PHX_SERVER=true on the elixir-1.18 template; PORT, DATABASE_URL and SECRET_KEY_BASE read in config/runtime.exs. The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.

2. Implement the Pattern on PostgreSQL

The fixture's module implements transactional workflows: an optimistic version check and an event row written in the same transaction, a stale update rejected, and a history query over the application-owned events (history=2 conflict=rejected). 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/transactional-workflows) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read ample logs --kind build then --kind runtime.

Command: ample logs --kind build

Examples

Phoenix Pattern Fixture

• Description: Multi-pattern Phoenix app whose transactional workflows module was checked live; the module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.
• Source Reference: tests/deploy-canaries/phoenix-patterns

Success Checks

• Description: app responds on its public URL
  Kind: http_get
  Path: /
  Expect: ample canary phoenix patterns

• Description: transactional-workflows self-test
  Kind: http_get
  Path: /p/transactional-workflows
  Expect: tx=ok history=2 conflict=rejected

Limitations

• Verified on the elixir-1.18 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and Phoenix major versions are not verified.
• The product catalog itself (your domain records, validation rules and concurrency policy) is application code and was not separately tested; the pattern checks are what was verified.

Cost Estimate

• Currency: USD
• Monthly Amount: 10.0
• 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
• 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

• Kind: canary_run
  Summary: Phoenix pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for transactional-workflows and configuration-secrets.

Last Verified At

2026-09-20T23:45:31Z

Unknowns

• Region availability is unknown until a verified region fact is recorded.
• Compliance attestations are unknown; none are claimed.

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