Hono Core Knowledge
Full Reference: See advanced.md for WebSocket integration patterns including Cloudflare Workers, Node.js ws library, Bun WebSocket, room management, and message protocols.
Deep Knowledge: Use mcp__documentation__fetch_docs with technology: hono for comprehensive documentation.
Basic Setup
import { Hono } from 'hono';
import { cors } from 'hono/cors';
import { logger } from 'hono/logger';
const app = new Hono();
app.use('*', logger());
app.use('*', cors());
app.route('/api/users', userRoutes);
export default app;
Route Patterns
import { Hono } from 'hono';
import { zValidator } from '@hono/zod-validator';
import { z } from 'zod';
const app = new Hono();
const userSchema = z.object({
name: z.string(),
email: z.string().email(),
});
app.get('/', async (c) => {
const users = await db.users.findMany();
return c.json(users);
});
app.post('/', zValidator('json', userSchema), async (c) => {
const data = c.req.valid('json');
const user = await db.users.create(data);
return c.json(user, 201);
});
app.get('/:id', async (c) => {
const id = c.req.param('id');
const user = await db.users.find(id);
if (!user) return c.json({ error: 'Not found' }, 404);
return c.json(user);
});
Middleware
import { createMiddleware } from 'hono/factory';
const auth = createMiddleware(async (c, next) => {
const token = c.req.header('Authorization')?.split(' ')[1];
if (!token) return c.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, 401);
c.set('user', await verifyToken(token));
await next();
});
app.get('/protected', auth, (c) => {
const user = c.get('user');
return c.json({ message: `Hello ${user.name}` });
});
Multi-Runtime Support
// Cloudflare Workers
export default app;
// Node.js
import { serve } from '@hono/node-server';
serve(app);
// Bun
export default { fetch: app.fetch, port: 3000 };
When NOT to Use This Skill
- Node.js-Only Applications: Use Express, Fastify, or NestJS
- Enterprise DI Patterns: Use NestJS for dependency injection
- Deno-Specific Features: Use Oak or Fresh
- Long-Running Processes: Edge runtimes have execution time limits
- File System Operations: Edge environments have limited FS access
- Database-Heavy Logic: Consider traditional servers for complex ORM
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Why It's Bad | Correct Approach |
|---|
| Using Node.js-specific APIs in edge code | Won't work on Cloudflare Workers | Use Web APIs (fetch, Response, etc.) |
| Not handling context properly | State leaks between requests | Use c.set() and c.get() |
| Importing large dependencies | Exceeds edge bundle size limits | Use tree-shakeable libraries |
Using fs module | Not available in edge runtimes | Use KV storage or external APIs |
| Blocking operations in handlers | Exceeds edge execution time | Use async operations |
| Hardcoding runtime assumptions | Portability issues | Check c.env for runtime bindings |
Quick Troubleshooting
| Issue | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---|
| "Module not found" in production | Wrong runtime adapter | Use correct import for runtime |
| Request context undefined | Accessing outside request scope | Use context c within handlers |
| Middleware not executing | Wrong order or missing await next() | Ensure middleware calls await next() |
| CORS errors in production | Missing CORS middleware | Add app.use('*', cors()) |
| Validation not working | Zod validator not applied | Use zValidator('json', schema) |
| Cold start timeouts | Bundle too large | Optimize imports |
Production Readiness
Security Setup
import { Hono } from 'hono';
import { cors } from 'hono/cors';
import { secureHeaders } from 'hono/secure-headers';
const app = new Hono();
app.use('*', secureHeaders());
app.use('*', cors({
origin: process.env.CORS_ORIGINS?.split(',') || [],
credentials: true,
}));
Error Handling
import { HTTPException } from 'hono/http-exception';
export function errorHandler(err: Error, c: Context) {
if (err instanceof HTTPException) {
return c.json({ error: err.message }, err.status);
}
return c.json({ error: 'Internal error' }, 500);
}
app.onError(errorHandler);
Health Checks
health.get('/health', (c) => c.json({ status: 'healthy' }));
health.get('/ready', async (c) => {
try {
await db.query('SELECT 1');
return c.json({ status: 'ready', database: 'connected' });
} catch (error) {
return c.json({ status: 'not ready' }, 503);
}
});
Testing
import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
import app from '../src/app';
describe('API', () => {
it('GET /health returns healthy', async () => {
const res = await app.request('/health');
expect(res.status).toBe(200);
});
});
Monitoring Metrics
| Metric | Target |
|---|
| Cold start time | < 50ms |
| Response time (p99) | < 20ms |
| Error rate | < 0.1% |
| Memory usage | < 128MB |
Checklist
- Secure headers middleware
- CORS properly configured
- Rate limiting for API routes
- Zod validation for inputs
- Request ID tracing
- Structured JSON logging
- Custom error handler
- Health/readiness endpoints
- Graceful shutdown (Node.js)
- Tests with app.request()
Reference Documentation