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.)

PREREQUISITES

Before you start

• The pg driver reading process.env.DATABASE_URL
• Either a production DATABASE_URL to pass with --env, or nothing (auto-provision)
• An Ample account token with servers:write and databases:read

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. 1

Read the URL at runtime

Construct the pg Pool from process.env.DATABASE_URL inside the app; never commit credentials.

2. 2

Choose the source of the database

Pass --env DATABASE_URL=... for an existing database, or omit it to let Ample provision a managed one on first deploy and reuse it on redeploys.

   ample deploy . --name <app-name> --public --env DATABASE_URL=postgres://...

3. 3

Test the connection through the app

Expose a route that runs a trivial query and returns postgres=ok, then deploy and fetch it.

4. 4

Verify

Fetch the live URL and run the success checks below. On failure read the build log, then the runtime log, fix the cause and deploy again; do not blind-retry.

   ample logs <deployment_id> --kind build

EXAMPLES

Tested examples

• Express + pg canary (tests/deploy-canaries/express-postgres-api): Auto-provisioned managed database with a real insert and count.
• Supplied DATABASE_URL (tests/deploy-canaries/env-database-url): An explicit connection string delivered as an encrypted environment variable.

SUCCESS CHECKS

How to know it worked

• database route reports a live connection (/items on the live URL, expect postgres=ok)

LIMITATIONS

Know the limits

• Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb; other templates and sizes are not verified by this recipe.
• 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 managed databases are placed together; cross-node shared databases are unsupported.
• A supplied URL is used as-is; Ample does not validate reachability of external databases before the release starts.

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

Apps and managed databases auto-pause when idle; the estimate is the always-on monthly price of the tested sizes. Plan quotas and budgets apply.

EVIDENCE

Verification evidence

• canary_run on 2026-09-19T23:55:33Z at revision 1764076-tls-account-903d345: Express REST API using pg with no DATABASE_URL supplied: Ample auto-provisioned a managed PostgreSQL 16 database, injected the connection string, and /items reported postgres=ok after a real insert and count. (expires 2027-03-18T23:55:33Z)
• canary_run on 2026-09-19T23:55:33Z at revision 1764076-tls-account-903d345: Node app needing PostgreSQL with no DATABASE_URL: a managed database was auto-provisioned and /db reported postgres=ok. (expires 2027-03-18T23:55:33Z)
• canary_run on 2026-09-19T23:55:33Z at revision 1764076-tls-account-903d345: A supplied DATABASE_URL was delivered as an encrypted environment variable; the app saw the configured host and the secret was never echoed by the platform. (expires 2027-03-18T23:55:33Z)

EXECUTION

Execution binding

MCP tool ample_deploy (registry mcp:ample_deploy), schema hash 876465fce906da0c observed 2026-09-20T01:55:48.667900+00:00 at revision 199ff1dfd526. Binding state at export: current. Required scopes: servers:write, databases:read.

NEXT ACTIONS

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 Express (GET /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-express on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
• Browse Connect app to database (GET /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Aconnect-app-to-database on the api origin; authentication not required, approval not required)
• Browse Relational records (GET /v1/catalog/nodes/pattern%3Arelational-records on 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.