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Build Type-Safe APIs with Hono and OpenAPI

A production-ready starter template that combines Hono’s blazing-fast performance with full OpenAPI documentation, automatic type safety, and interactive API exploration.

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Everything you need to build production APIs

This starter template includes best practices, modern tooling, and complete type safety from database to API response.

Type-Safe Routes

Full type safety with Hono and Zod OpenAPI from request to response

Auto Documentation

Interactive API docs generated automatically with Scalar

Database Integration

Type-safe database schemas with Drizzle ORM and SQLite

Built-in Validation

Request and response validation with Zod schemas

Structured Logging

Production-ready logging with Pino and request tracing

Testing Setup

Complete testing infrastructure with Vitest

Quick start

Get up and running in minutes with this production-ready template

1

Clone the template

Use degit to clone the template without git history:
npx degit w3cj/hono-open-api-starter my-api
cd my-api
2

Install dependencies and configure

Install dependencies and set up your environment:
npm install
cp .env.example .env
3

Initialize the database

Create your SQLite database and push the schema:
pnpm drizzle-kit push
4

Start the development server

Run the development server with hot reload:
pnpm dev
Your API is now running at http://localhost:3000
  • GET /doc - OpenAPI specification (JSON)
  • GET /reference - Interactive Scalar API documentation
  • GET /tasks - List all tasks
  • POST /tasks - Create a new task
  • GET /tasks/:id - Get a task by ID
  • PATCH /tasks/:id - Update a task
  • DELETE /tasks/:id - Delete a task

Explore by topic

Learn more about the core concepts and features

Architecture overview

Learn how the project is structured and how all the pieces fit together

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Creating routes

Build type-safe API routes with automatic OpenAPI documentation

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Database integration

Use Drizzle ORM for type-safe database operations and schema management

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Testing your API

Write comprehensive tests for your routes and handlers with Vitest

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Ready to build your API?

Start building production-ready, type-safe APIs with automatic documentation and modern best practices.

Get Started Now