Accounting firms: form collection using Next.js

Summary

A form collection blueprint for accounting firms built with Next.js on Ample. Domain schema:

• client_entities (legal_name, entity_type, fiscal_year_end, jurisdiction): the businesses and individuals served;
• engagements (client_entity_id, service_line, period_start, period_end, status): bookkeeping, tax and audit engagements by period;
• document_requests (engagement_id, title, due_at, status, uploaded_object_key): requests for source documents;
• deliverables (engagement_id, title, object_key, released_at): returns and statements released to the client;
• uploads (id, owner_reference, object_key, content_type, size, uploaded_at): validated uploads linked to their owner.

Infrastructure requirements

• Compute: verified (Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs that auto-pause when idle and wake on request; sizes are the priced VM sizes.)
• Postgres: verified (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: verified (Buckets are S3-compatible with issued credentials; PutObject and GetObject are verified by canary. Other S3 operations are not verified.)

Prerequisites

• A Next.js project (next build then next start -H 0.0.0.0 -p $PORT on the node-22 template)
• A PostgreSQL driver reading DATABASE_URL (auto-provisioned when omitted)
• Bucket credentials from ample bucket create passed as encrypted S3_* environment variables
• A review of which accounting firms data classes may be handled at all; this blueprint models public information only

Exact tested configuration

• template: node-22
• runtime: node
• size: s-1vcpu-1gb
• install: npm install
• build: npm run build --if-present
• start: npm run start

Steps

1. Model the accounting firms domain. Create the tables client_entities, engagements, document_requests, deliverables, uploads. The businesses and individuals served lives in client_entities; keep the sensitive classes (tax identifiers and financial statements, bank and payroll records, identity documents) out of this schema.
2. Workflow step 1. Model document requests per engagement with due dates and status.
3. Workflow step 2. Validate uploaded files (type, size) before storing them in the private bucket and linking them to the request.
4. Workflow step 3. Authorize uploads by client entity.
5. Workflow step 4. Deploy and verify rejection of disallowed files and a linked upload.
6. Deploy. Run the synchronous deploy once and read the result. Re-running with no change is a no-op.
7. Verify. Run the pattern self-test(s) from the example (/p/browser-file-uploads) and your own acceptance checks for the accounting firms workflow.

Tested examples

• Next.js pattern fixture (tests/deploy-canaries/next-js-patterns): Verified browser file uploads basis for this blueprint.

Success checks

• App responds on its public URL (/ on the live URL, expect ample canary next js patterns)
• Browser-file-uploads self-test from the example (/p/browser-file-uploads on the live URL, expect see the pattern fixture checks)

Limitations

• The technical basis (browser file uploads on Next.js) was verified with the pattern fixture; the accounting firms schema and workflow are an original design for this blueprint and were not executed as a separate application.
• No health, financial, privacy or other compliance claim is made. Financial records and tax identifiers are regulated in most jurisdictions; the portal flows here model authorization only and claim no compliance.
• Public content and synthetic examples only until actual data-handling requirements have been reviewed.

Cost estimate

Estimated 10.00 USD per month (size prices from pricing.toml at build revision a1b8c38919e59cd035ebabaced73cf84ece24371).

• App server x1 s-1vcpu-1gb: 5.00 USD
• Managed PostgreSQL database x1 s-1vcpu-1gb: 5.00 USD

Verification evidence

• Canary run on 2026-09-21T02:34:39Z at revision 1d28ae0-dirty (CLI 0.1.21): Next.js pattern fixture deployed on Ample (next build then next start -H 0.0.0.0 -p $PORT on the node-22 template); the browser file uploads checks passed: content-type and size validation that rejects disallowed files, an object written to a private bucket and a row linking the record to the object key (reject=ok upload=ok linked=ok). The blueprint's Accounting firms schema and workflow below build on that verified basis and were not separately executed. (expires 2027-03-20T02:34:39Z)