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

• pg reading the DATABASE_URL environment variable at runtime
• 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. Read the URL at runtime
   Open connections from the DATABASE_URL environment variable inside the app; never commit credentials and never connect at build time.

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
   

3. Test the connection through the app
   Expose a route (/db) that runs a trivial query and returns postgres=ok.

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

• SvelteKit + PostgreSQL canary (tests/deploy-canaries/sveltekit-postgres-app): Auto-provisioned managed database with a real query.

SUCCESS CHECKS

How to know it worked

• database route reports a live connection (/db 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.

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 2026-09-20T01:42:25Z at revision 199ff1dfd52683832ae75d3f98b53a7a4bff7f96-dirty (CLI e3181f5): SvelteKit server endpoints (adapter-node) using pg with an auto-provisioned managed PostgreSQL database: /db reported postgres=ok and /config confirmed the encrypted secret. (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)

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 SvelteKit (GET /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-sveltekit 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.