page:recipes:public directory:react router:public site

Host public directory with React Router: public-site delivery

Summary

Deploy a public directory built with React Router on Ample using the public web service pattern. Compute runs the app in an isolated microVM behind a public HTTPS URL, and a published bucket serves public assets from the CDN host. Verified on React Router: a versioned, immutable-cached asset uploaded to a published bucket and served from the CDN URL alongside the app's own public HTTPS URL. Not separately tested: your site content and build; treat the public directory-specific behavior as your application code.

Representative Queries

• Host public directory with React Router: public-site delivery
• Where can I host Public directory built with React Router?
• I need an explicit origin-to-CDN delivery path and a tested public content build.

Resource Requirements

• Compute
• CDN

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.
• CDN: The CDN host serves objects from published buckets. It does not front app compute and is not a cache or key-value store.

Workload

Public directory

Prerequisites

• A React Router project that builds and starts with the documented commands (react-router build then react-router-serve on the node-22 template)
• A bucket from ample bucket create with its credentials passed as encrypted S3_* environment variables
• An Ample account token with servers:write, buckets:read

Tested Configuration

• Template: node-22
• Runtime: node
• Size: s-1vcpu-1gb
• Install: npm install
• Build: npm run build --if-present
• Start: npm run start

Workflow Steps

1. Build and start: react-router build then react-router-serve on the node-22 template. The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.
2. 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 Keep private data in an unpublished bucket. Publish only the bucket that serves public assets and reference its CDN URL.
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.

   ample deploy . --name  --public --env S3_ENDPOINT=... --env S3_REGION=... --env S3_BUCKET=... --env S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=... --env S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=... --env CDN_PUBLIC_URL=...
   

4. Verify: Fetch the live URL and the pattern self-test route(s) (/p/versioned-static-assets) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read ample logs --kind build then --kind runtime.

   ample logs  --kind build
   

Success Checks

• App responds on its public URL
• Versioned-static-assets self-test

Limitations

• Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb with the example fixture; other sizes, templates and React Router major versions are not verified.
• The public directory itself (your site content and build) is application code and was not separately tested; the pattern checks are what was verified.
• Apps auto-pause when idle; always-on is an operator setting, not a plan feature.

Cost Estimate

• Monthly Amount: $5.00
• 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.