Course creators: member portal using Next.js

Summary

A member portal blueprint for course creators built with Next.js on Ample. Domain schema: course_groups (name, start_at, end_at, capacity): cohorts as course groups; memberships (course_group_id, member_email, role, joined_at): learner and instructor membership; sessions (course_group_id, starts_at, title, recording_object_key): session events and recordings; materials (course_group_id, title, object_key, visibility): teaching materials; document_access (document_id, principal_reference, role, granted_at): who may read which document. Public information: course catalog and syllabus, instructor profile, schedule. Kept out of scope until handling is reviewed: learner progress and grades, recordings showing learners, payment status. Recordings and progress data are personal data; materials are authorized per course group. Technical basis verified on Next.js: a role-to-document access model with negative tests (401 without identity, 403 for the wrong role) and a private-bucket round-trip for the allowed role (private=ok).

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 course creators 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 course creators domain. Create the tables course_groups, memberships, sessions, materials, document_access. Cohorts as course groups lives in course_groups; keep the sensitive classes (learner progress and grades, recordings showing learners, payment status) out of this schema.
2. Workflow step 1. Model groups, memberships and roles
3. Workflow step 2. Authorize access to materials by membership and role (401, 403 negative tests)
4. Workflow step 3. Store materials in the private bucket and stream them through the app
5. Workflow step 4. Deploy and verify the negative tests and an authorized download
6. Deploy. Run the synchronous deploy once and read the result. Re-running with no change is a no-op.

   ample deploy . --name <app-name> --public --env S3_ENDPOINT=... --env S3_REGION=... --env S3_BUCKET=... --env S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=... --env S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...

7. Verify. Run the pattern self-test(s) from the example (/p/private-document-library) and your own acceptance checks for the course creators workflow.

   ample logs <deployment_id> --kind build

Tested examples

• Next.js pattern fixture (tests/deploy-canaries/next-js-patterns): Verified private document library basis for this blueprint.

Success checks

• app responds on its public URL (/ on the live URL, expect ample canary next js patterns)
• private-document-library self-test from the example (/p/private-document-library on the live URL, expect see the pattern fixture checks)

Limitations

• The technical basis (private document library on Next.js) was verified with the pattern fixture; the course creators 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. Recordings and progress data are personal data; materials are authorized per course group.
• Public content and synthetic examples only until actual data-handling requirements have been reviewed.
• Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb; region, request-duration limits and other sizes are unknown or unverified.
• Managed PostgreSQL 16 only; extensions, connection limits and backup or restore procedures are not verified.
• PutObject and GetObject with path-style addressing are verified; other S3 operations and CDN cache rules are not.

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

Always-on monthly price of the tested sizes; apps and databases auto-pause when idle. Buckets are allocation-priced per quota and not included.

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 private document library checks passed: a role-to-document access model with negative tests (401 without identity, 403 for the wrong role) and a private-bucket round-trip for the allowed role (private=ok). The blueprint's Course creators schema and workflow below build on that verified basis and were not separately executed. (expires 2027-03-20T02:34:39Z)