Connect Postgres for Next.js

Summary

Connect a Next.js app to PostgreSQL on Ample from a route handler. Read DATABASE_URL at request time (force-dynamic) with pg; with no DATABASE_URL supplied, Ample auto-provisions a managed PostgreSQL 16 database and injects its connection string as an encrypted environment variable.

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.)

Prerequisites

• The pg driver in dependencies and a route handler that reads process.env.DATABASE_URL at request time
• Either a production DATABASE_URL to pass with --env, or nothing (auto-provision)
• An Ample account token with servers:write and databases:read

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. Keep the database out of the build. Mark the route handler dynamic and open the client per request; next build must not need the database.

2. Deploy. Omit DATABASE_URL to auto-provision, or pass --env DATABASE_URL=... to use an existing database.

   ample deploy . --name <app-name> --public
   

3. Test through the app. Fetch the route; it should report postgres=ok after a real query.

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
   

Tested examples

• Next.js + pg canary (tests/deploy-canaries/next-postgres-basic): Route handler /api/db with an auto-provisioned managed database.

Success checks

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

Limitations

• 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.
• Connection pooling across serverless-style invocations is not applicable; the app is one long-lived process.

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.

Verification evidence

• canary_run on 2026-09-20T01:42:25Z at revision 199ff1dfd52683832ae75d3f98b53a7a4bff7f96-dirty (CLI e3181f5): Next.js 15 route handler using pg with no DATABASE_URL supplied: Ample auto-provisioned a managed PostgreSQL database and /api/db reported postgres=ok. (expires 2027-03-19T01:42:25Z)
• 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)

Last verified: 2026-09-20T01:42:25Z

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 current, required scopes: servers:write, databases:read.