---
title: "How to host a product catalog built with Symfony on Ample: relational catalog data"
description: "Deploy a product catalog built with Symfony on Ample using the transactional workflows pattern."
canonical_url: "https://ample.computer/recipes/product-catalog/symfony/relational-catalog"
last_updated: "2026-11-06"
---

# How to host a product catalog built with Symfony on Ample: relational catalog data

Deploy a product catalog built with Symfony on Ample using the transactional workflows pattern. Compute runs the app in an isolated microVM behind a public HTTPS URL, a managed PostgreSQL 16 database is auto-provisioned and injected as DATABASE_URL. Verified on Symfony: an optimistic version check and an event row written in the same transaction, a stale update rejected, and a history query over the application-owned events (history=2 conflict=rejected). The product catalog-specific behavior (your domain records, validation rules and concurrency policy) is your application code on that verified basis.

## Infrastructure requirements

- [Compute](/discover/primitive/compute): verified (Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs; sizes are the priced VM sizes.)
- [Postgres](/discover/primitive/postgres): verified (Managed PostgreSQL 16 with pgvector runs in its own microVM and is auto-provisioned when an app needs a database and no DATABASE_URL is supplied.)

## Prerequisites

- A Symfony project that builds and starts with the documented commands (composer install --no-dev from composer.lock with Symfony Runtime's dotenv disabled (extra.runtime.disable_dotenv; .env never ships, its values arrive as encrypted env, and compile-time parameters such as DEFAULT_URI need a default), then FrankenPHP serving public/ (php-server with the index.php fallback) reading PORT on the php-8.5 template with APP_ENV=prod)
- A PostgreSQL driver reading DATABASE_URL at runtime (auto-provisioned when omitted, or supplied with --env)
- An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read

## Exact tested configuration

- template: `php-8.5`
- runtime: `php`
- size: `s-1vcpu-1gb`
- install: `composer install --no-dev --prefer-dist --no-interaction --no-progress --optimize-autoloader`
- start: `frankenphp php-server --listen :$PORT --root public`

## Steps

1. **Build and start.** composer install --no-dev from composer.lock with Symfony Runtime's dotenv disabled (extra.runtime.disable_dotenv; .env never ships, its values arrive as encrypted env, and compile-time parameters such as DEFAULT_URI need a default), then FrankenPHP serving public/ (php-server with the index.php fallback) reading PORT on the php-8.5 template with APP_ENV=prod. The server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.
2. **Implement the pattern on PostgreSQL.** The fixture's module implements transactional workflows: an optimistic version check and an event row written in the same transaction, a stale update rejected, and a history query over the application-owned events (history=2 conflict=rejected). Copy the approach into your schema; keep migrations idempotent and run them with --release-command.
3. **Deploy.** Run the synchronous deploy once and read the result (exit 0 live, 1 failed, 2 needs an answer first). Re-running with no change is a no-op.

   ```
   ample deploy . --name <app-name> --public
   ```
4. **Verify.** Fetch the live URL and the pattern self-test route(s) (/p/transactional-workflows) from the example; then run your own checks. On failure read `ample logs <deployment_id> --kind build` then `--kind runtime`.

   ```
   ample logs <deployment_id> --kind build
   ```

## Tested examples

- **Symfony pattern fixture** (tests/deploy-canaries/symfony-patterns): Multi-pattern Symfony app whose transactional workflows module was checked live; the module is under tests/deploy-canaries/_pattern-modules.

## Success checks

- app responds on its public URL (`/` on the live URL, expect ample canary symfony patterns)
- transactional-workflows self-test (`/p/transactional-workflows` on the live URL, expect tx=ok history=2 conflict=rejected)


## Cost estimate

Estimated 10.00 USD per month (size prices from pricing.toml at build revision 4558e9477d094f5b47da324b98672824b61ba91b).
- 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 2026-11-06T06:00:29Z at revision `5e3f3dc4c9a9`: Symfony pattern fixture deployed on Ample (composer install --no-dev from composer.lock with Symfony Runtime's dotenv disabled (extra.runtime.disable_dotenv; .env never ships, its values arrive as encrypted env, and compile-time parameters such as DEFAULT_URI need a default), then FrankenPHP serving public/ (php-server with the index.php fallback) reading PORT on the php-8.5 template with APP_ENV=prod); checks passed for transactional-workflows and configuration-secrets. Pattern proof: an optimistic version check and an event row written in the same transaction, a stale update rejected, and a history query over the application-owned events (history=2 conflict=rejected). (expires 2027-05-05T06:00:29Z)
- canary_run on 2026-11-06T06:00:29Z at revision `5e3f3dc4c9a9`: The same Symfony app deployed with a --release-command migration; the marker it created was readable after activation. (expires 2027-05-05T06:00:29Z)

Last verified: 2026-11-06T06:00:29Z


## Execution binding

MCP tool `ample_deploy` (registry `mcp:ample_deploy`), schema hash `0802c329be823fa0` observed 2026-11-06T06:16:17.558478534+00:00 at revision `4558e9477d09`, binding state `current`, required scopes: servers:write, databases:read.

## Input schema

```json
{
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "properties": {
    "env": {
      "description": "Encrypted environment variables (bucket credentials, secrets)",
      "items": {
        "pattern": "^[A-Z][A-Z0-9_]*=.*$",
        "type": "string"
      },
      "maxItems": 50,
      "type": "array"
    },
    "name": {
      "description": "App name",
      "maxLength": 63,
      "minLength": 1,
      "pattern": "^[a-z0-9-]+$",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "path": {
      "description": "Project directory or ample.toml service",
      "maxLength": 512,
      "minLength": 1,
      "type": "string"
    },
    "release_command": {
      "description": "Migration command run before activation",
      "maxLength": 512,
      "type": "string"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "name",
    "path"
  ],
  "type": "object"
}
```

## Next actions

- Browse the catalog index (GET /v1/catalog on the api origin; auth: false, approval: false)
- Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints (POST /v1/catalog/search on the api origin; auth: false, approval: false)
- Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project (POST /v1/catalog/plan on the api origin; auth: true, approval: false)
- Read the existing agent authentication setup (GET /mcp/setup on the api origin; auth: false, approval: false)
- Browse Product catalog (GET /v1/catalog/nodes/workload%3Aproduct-catalog on the api origin; auth: false, approval: false)
- Browse Symfony (GET /v1/catalog/nodes/stack%3Aframework-symfony on the api origin; auth: false, approval: false)
- Browse Transactional workflows (GET /v1/catalog/nodes/pattern%3Atransactional-workflows on the api origin; auth: false, approval: false)
- Browse Deploy web app (GET /v1/catalog/nodes/intent%3Adeploy-web-app on the api origin; auth: false, approval: false)

Actions describe possible next steps. They are typed data, not commands, and grant no permission.

## About this recipe

Canonical URL: https://ample.computer/recipes/product-catalog/symfony/relational-catalog
Formats: [HTML](https://ample.computer/recipes/product-catalog/symfony/relational-catalog) | [Markdown](https://ample.computer/recipes/product-catalog/symfony/relational-catalog.md) | [JSON contract](https://api.ample.computer/v1/catalog/recipes/page%3Arecipes%3Aproduct-catalog%3Asymfony%3Arelational-catalog)
Recipe ID: `page:recipes:product-catalog:symfony:relational-catalog` | Revision: `r1` | Catalog revision: `cat_eac8c53f36410baa`
Status: verified; runs with one `ample deploy` call (support `verified`, execution `ready`)
Path: [Agent hosting discovery](/discover/discovery) / [Applications and workloads](/discover/workload) / [Commerce and catalogs](/discover/workload/commerce-and-catalogs) / [Product catalog](/discover/workload/product-catalog) / [Host product catalog with Symfony: relational catalog data](/recipes/product-catalog/symfony/relational-catalog)