Host reporting dashboard with Flask: relational workflow state

Summary

Deploy a reporting dashboard built with Flask 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 Flask: 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 reporting dashboard-specific behavior as your application code.

Resource Requirements

• Compute
• Postgres

Infrastructure Requirements

1. Compute
   Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs that auto-pause when idle and wake on request; sizes are the priced VM sizes.
   Status: Verified

2. 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.
   Status: 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)
• An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read

Tested Configuration

• Template: python-3.12
• Runtime: python
• Size: s-1vcpu-1gb
• Install command: python3 -m pip install --target .ample/python -r requirements.txt
• Start command: 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 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 --start "python3 app.py"

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

Success Checks

• App responds on its public URL
  Kind: http_get
  Path: /
  Expect: ample canary flask patterns

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

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 reporting dashboard itself (your domain records, validation rules, and concurrency policy) is application code and was not separately tested; the pattern checks are what was verified.
• Region, compliance attestations and request-duration limits are unknown and not claimed.
• Apps auto-pause when idle and wake on the next request; always-on is an operator setting, not a plan feature.
• Managed PostgreSQL 16 only; extensions, connection limits, and backup or restore procedures are not verified; apps and their databases are placed together.

Cost Estimate

• Currency: USD
• Monthly Amount: 10.0
• Basis: size prices from pricing.toml (loaded by the API) at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty
• 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

1. Kind: canary_run
   Summary: Flask pattern fixture deployed on Ample; checks passed for transactional-workflows and configuration-secrets.
   Observed At: 2026-09-21T01:14:18Z

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

Next Actions

1. Browse the catalog index
   Action ID: browse-catalog
   Method: GET
   Relative Path: /v1/catalog

2. Search published recipes by intent, stack, and constraints
   Action ID: search-recipes
   Method: POST
   Relative Path: /v1/catalog/search

3. Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project
   Action ID: plan:page:recipes:reporting-dashboard:flask:relational-workflow
   Method: POST
   Relative Path: /v1/catalog/plan

4. Read the existing agent authentication setup
   Action ID: auth-setup
   Method: GET
   Relative Path: /mcp/setup

5. Browse Reporting dashboard
   Action ID: browse:workload:reporting-dashboard
   Method: GET
   Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/workload%3Areporting-dashboard

6. Browse Flask
   Action ID: browse:stack:framework-flask
   Method: GET
   Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-flask

7. Browse Transactional workflows
   Action ID: browse:pattern:transactional-workflows
   Method: GET
   Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/pattern%3Atransactional-workflows

8. Browse Deploy web app
   Action ID: browse:intent:deploy-web-app
   Method: GET
   Relative Path: /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Adeploy-web-app