Publishing: documentation site using Next.js | Ample
INFRASTRUCTURE
What it needs
- 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.)
- CDN: verified (The CDN host serves objects from published buckets. It does not front app compute and is not a cache or key-value store.)
PREREQUISITES
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 createpassed as encrypted S3_* environment variables and a published bucket for public assets (CDN_*) - A review of which publishing data classes may be handled at all; this blueprint models public information only
TESTED CONFIGURATION
Exactly what was tested
- build:
npm run build --if-present - install:
npm install - runtime:
node - size:
s-1vcpu-1gb - start:
npm run start - template:
node-22
STEP BY STEP
How to do it
1
Model the publishing domain
Create the tables titles, editions, customer_workspaces, customer_assets, state_transitions. The catalog of titles lives in titles; keep the sensitive classes (unreleased manuscripts, royalty statements, customer license keys) out of this schema.
2
Workflow step 1
Model versioned documents with a state machine (draft, review, published) scoped to a product version
3
Workflow step 2
Publish assets for released versions to the CDN bucket
4
Workflow step 3
Serve only published versions publicly
5
Workflow step 4
Deploy and verify the version list and a published page
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=... --env CDN_PUBLIC_URL=...7
Verify
Run the pattern self-test(s) from the example (/p/relational-records) and your own acceptance checks for the publishing workflow.
ample logs <deployment_id> --kind build
EXAMPLES
Tested examples
- Next.js pattern fixture (
tests/deploy-canaries/next-js-patterns): Verified relational records basis for this blueprint.
SUCCESS CHECKS
How to know it worked
- app responds on its public URL (
/on the live URL, expect ample canary next js patterns) - relational-records self-test from the example (
/p/relational-recordson the live URL, expect see the pattern fixture checks)
LIMITATIONS
Know the limits
- The technical basis (relational records on Next.js) was verified with the pattern fixture; the publishing 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. Manuscripts and royalty data are confidential; licensed files are authorized per customer workspace.
- 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
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.
EVIDENCE
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 relational records checks passed: a workspace-scoped table, an explicit state machine (draft to review to published) that rejects invalid transitions, and a cross-workspace read that returns nothing (transitions=true isolation=true). The blueprint's Publishing schema and workflow below build on that verified basis and were not separately executed. (expires 2027-03-20T02:34:39Z)
EXECUTION
Execution binding
MCP tool ample_deploy (registry mcp:ample_deploy), schema hash 876465fce906da0c observed 2026-09-21T03:19:59.461917+00:00 at revision 49962bcade4f. Binding state at export: current. Required scopes: servers:write, databases:read, buckets:read.
NEXT ACTIONS
Typed next actions
- Browse the catalog index (
GET /v1/catalogon the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required) - Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints (
POST /v1/catalog/searchon the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required) - Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project (
POST /v1/catalog/planon the api origin; authentication required, approval not required) - Read the existing agent authentication setup (
GET /mcp/setupon the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required) - Browse Publishing (
GET /v1/catalog/nodes/industry%3Apublishingon the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required) - Browse Documentation site (
GET /v1/catalog/nodes/workload%3Adocumentation-siteon the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required) - Browse Next.js (
GET /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-next-json the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required) - Browse Deploy web app (
GET /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Adeploy-web-appon the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
Actions describe possible next steps. They are typed data, not commands, and grant no permission. Public discovery never provisions anything; planning requires your own authenticated token and approval happens in your client.