## The short version

A client portal blueprint for law firms built with Next.js on Ample. Domain schema: client_entities (name, entity_type, conflict_check_reference): clients with conflict-check status; matters (client_entity_id, practice_area, opened_at, closed_at, status): engagement periods as matters; document_requests (matter_id, title, due_at, status, uploaded_object_key): documents requested from the client; shared_documents (matter_id, title, object_key, authorized_role): documents released to authorized client contacts; document_access (document_id, principal_reference, role, granted_at): who may read which document. Public information: practice areas and attorney profiles, intake process and fee structure overview, office locations. Kept out of scope until handling is reviewed: privileged communications and case files, identity and financial documents, opposing-party information. Matter documents are privileged; the portal models per-matter authorization only. Professional-conduct and confidentiality obligations are not established here. 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).

## What it needs

- [Compute](/content/discover/primitive/compute/index.html): verified (Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs; sizes are the priced VM sizes.)
- [Postgres](/content/discover/primitive/postgres/index.html): 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](/content/discover/primitive/s3-compatible-object-storage/index.html): verified (Buckets are S3-compatible with issued credentials; PutObject and GetObject are verified by canary. Other S3 operations are not verified.)

## Before you start

- 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 law firms data classes may be handled at all; this blueprint models public information only

## How to do it

1.  Model the law firms domain

Create the tables client_entities, matters, document_requests, shared_documents, document_access. Clients with conflict-check status live in client_entities; keep the sensitive classes (privileged communications and case files, identity and financial documents, opposing-party information) out of this schema.

2.  Workflow step 1

Model client entities and engagement periods; every document belongs to one engagement

3.  Workflow step 2

Authorize by client entity and role before any storage access (401 without identity, 403 for the wrong client)

4.  Workflow step 3

Store documents in the private bucket and stream them through the app

5.  Workflow step 4

Deploy and verify the negative authorization 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 law firms 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.

## How to know it worked

- 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)

## Cost estimate

Estimated 10.00 USD per month (size prices from pricing.toml at build revision ca0b484a7a9957c573a88d3a32dc603c3c10135a).

- app server x1 `s-1vcpu-1gb`: 5.00 USD
- managed PostgreSQL database x1 `s-1vcpu-1gb`: 5.00 USD

Upper-bound monthly price of the tested sizes. Buckets are allocation-priced per quota and not included.

## Verification evidence

- canary_run on 2026-09-21T02:34:39Z at revision `1d28ae0 (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 Law firms schema and workflow below build on that verified basis and were not separately executed. (expires 2027-03-20T02:34:39Z)

## Execution binding

MCP tool `ample_deploy` (registry `mcp:ample_deploy`), schema hash `876465fce906da0c` observed 2026-09-22T00:31:22.774679+00:00 at revision `e6446ceea69b`. Binding state at export: schema_changed. Required scopes: servers:write, databases:read, buckets:read.

## Typed next actions

- Browse the catalog index (`GET /v1/catalog` on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
- Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints (`POST /v1/catalog/search` on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
- Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project (`POST /v1/catalog/plan` on the api origin; authentication required, approval not required)
- Read the existing agent authentication setup (`GET /mcp/setup` on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
- Browse Law firms (`GET /v1/catalog/nodes/industry%3Alaw-firms` on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
- Browse Client portal (`GET /v1/catalog/nodes/workload%3Aclient-portal` on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
- Browse Next.js (`GET /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-next-js` on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
- Browse Deploy web app (`GET /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Adeploy-web-app` on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)