name: hono-routing description: | Build type-safe APIs with Hono - fast, lightweight routing for Cloudflare Workers, Deno, Bun, and Node.js. Set up routing patterns, middleware composition, request validation (Zod/Valibot/Typia/ArkType), RPC client/server with full type inference, and error handling with HTTPException.

Use when: building APIs with Hono, setting up request validation with schema libraries, creating type-safe RPC client/server communication, implementing custom middleware chains, handling errors with HTTPException, extending context with custom variables, or troubleshooting middleware type inference issues, validation hook confusion, RPC performance problems, or middleware response typing errors.

Hono Routing & Middleware

Status: Production Ready ✅ Last Updated: 2025-11-26 Dependencies: None (framework-agnostic) Latest Versions: hono@4.10.6, zod@4.1.13, valibot@1.2.0, @hono/zod-validator@0.7.5, @hono/valibot-validator@0.6.0

Quick Start (15 Minutes)

1. Install Hono

npm install hono@4.10.6

Why Hono:

Fast: Built on Web Standards, runs on any JavaScript runtime
Lightweight: ~10KB, no dependencies
Type-safe: Full TypeScript support with type inference
Flexible: Works on Cloudflare Workers, Deno, Bun, Node.js, Vercel

2. Create Basic App

import { Hono } from 'hono'

const app = new Hono()

app.get('/', (c) => {
  return c.json({ message: 'Hello Hono!' })
})

export default app

CRITICAL:

Use c.json(), c.text(), c.html() for responses
Return the response (don't use res.send() like Express)
Export app for runtime (Cloudflare Workers, Deno, Bun, Node.js)

3. Add Request Validation

npm install zod@4.1.13 @hono/zod-validator@0.7.5

import { zValidator } from '@hono/zod-validator'
import { z } from 'zod'

const schema = z.object({
  name: z.string(),
  age: z.number(),
})

app.post('/user', zValidator('json', schema), (c) => {
  const data = c.req.valid('json')
  return c.json({ success: true, data })
})

Why Validation:

Type-safe request data
Automatic error responses
Runtime validation, not just TypeScript

The 4-Part Hono Mastery Guide

Part 1: Routing Patterns

Route Parameters

// Single parameter
app.get('/users/:id', (c) => {
  const id = c.req.param('id')
  return c.json({ userId: id })
})

// Multiple parameters
app.get('/posts/:postId/comments/:commentId', (c) => {
  const { postId, commentId } = c.req.param()
  return c.json({ postId, commentId })
})

// Optional parameters (using wildcards)
app.get('/files/*', (c) => {
  const path = c.req.param('*')
  return c.json({ filePath: path })
})

CRITICAL:

c.req.param('name') returns single parameter
c.req.param() returns all parameters as object
Parameters are always strings (cast to number if needed)

Query Parameters

app.get('/search', (c) => {
  // Single query param
  const q = c.req.query('q')

  // Multiple query params
  const { page, limit } = c.req.query()

  // Query param array (e.g., ?tag=js&tag=ts)
  const tags = c.req.queries('tag')

  return c.json({ q, page, limit, tags })
})

Best Practice:

Use validation for query params (see Part 4)
Provide defaults for optional params
Parse numbers/booleans from query strings

Route Grouping (Sub-apps)

// Create sub-app
const api = new Hono()

api.get('/users', (c) => c.json({ users: [] }))
api.get('/posts', (c) => c.json({ posts: [] }))

// Mount sub-app
const app = new Hono()
app.route('/api', api)

// Result: /api/users, /api/posts

Why Group Routes:

Organize large applications
Share middleware for specific routes
Better code structure and maintainability

Part 2: Middleware & Validation

CRITICAL Middleware Rule:

Always call await next() in middleware to continue the chain
Return early (without calling next()) to prevent handler execution
Check c.error AFTER next() for error handling

app.use('/admin/*', async (c, next) => {
  const token = c.req.header('Authorization')
  if (!token) return c.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, 401)
  await next() // Required!
})

Built-in Middleware

import { Hono } from 'hono'
import { logger } from 'hono/logger'
import { cors } from 'hono/cors'
import { prettyJSON } from 'hono/pretty-json'
import { compress } from 'hono/compress'
import { cache } from 'hono/cache'

const app = new Hono()

// Request logging
app.use('*', logger())

// CORS
app.use('/api/*', cors({
  origin: 'https://example.com',
  allowMethods: ['GET', 'POST', 'PUT', 'DELETE'],
  allowHeaders: ['Content-Type', 'Authorization'],
}))

// Pretty JSON (dev only)
app.use('*', prettyJSON())

// Compression (gzip/deflate)
app.use('*', compress())

// Cache responses
app.use(
  '/static/*',
  cache({
    cacheName: 'my-app',
    cacheControl: 'max-age=3600',
  })
)

Built-in Middleware Reference: See references/middleware-catalog.md

Part 3: Type-Safe Context Extension

Using c.set() and c.get()

import { Hono } from 'hono'

type Bindings = {
  DATABASE_URL: string
}

type Variables = {
  user: {
    id: number
    name: string
  }
  requestId: string
}

const app = new Hono<{ Bindings: Bindings; Variables: Variables }>()

// Middleware sets variables
app.use('*', async (c, next) => {
  c.set('requestId', crypto.randomUUID())
  await next()
})

app.use('/api/*', async (c, next) => {
  c.set('user', { id: 1, name: 'Alice' })
  await next()
})

// Route accesses variables
app.get('/api/profile', (c) => {
  const user = c.get('user') // Type-safe!
  const requestId = c.get('requestId') // Type-safe!

  return c.json({ user, requestId })
})

CRITICAL:

Define Variables type for type-safe c.get()
Define Bindings type for environment variables (Cloudflare Workers)
c.set() in middleware, c.get() in handlers

Custom Context Extension

import { Hono } from 'hono'
import type { Context } from 'hono'

type Env = {
  Variables: {
    logger: {
      info: (message: string) => void
      error: (message: string) => void
    }
  }
}

const app = new Hono<Env>()

// Create logger middleware
app.use('*', async (c, next) => {
  const logger = {
    info: (msg: string) => console.log(`[INFO] ${msg}`),
    error: (msg: string) => console.error(`[ERROR] ${msg}`),
  }

  c.set('logger', logger)
  await next()
})

app.get('/', (c) => {
  const logger = c.get('logger')
  logger.info('Hello from route')

  return c.json({ message: 'Hello' })
})

Advanced Pattern: See templates/context-extension.ts

Part 4: Request Validation

Validation with Zod

npm install zod@4.1.13 @hono/zod-validator@0.7.5

import { zValidator } from '@hono/zod-validator'
import { z } from 'zod'

// Define schema
const userSchema = z.object({
  name: z.string().min(1).max(100),
  email: z.string().email(),
  age: z.number().int().min(18).optional(),
})

// Validate JSON body
app.post('/users', zValidator('json', userSchema), (c) => {
  const data = c.req.valid('json') // Type-safe!
  return c.json({ success: true, data })
})

// Validate query params
const searchSchema = z.object({
  q: z.string(),
  page: z.string().transform((val) => parseInt(val, 10)),
  limit: z.string().transform((val) => parseInt(val, 10)).optional(),
})

app.get('/search', zValidator('query', searchSchema), (c) => {
  const { q, page, limit } = c.req.valid('query')
  return c.json({ q, page, limit })
})

// Validate route params
const idSchema = z.object({
  id: z.string().uuid(),
})

app.get('/users/:id', zValidator('param', idSchema), (c) => {
  const { id } = c.req.valid('param')
  return c.json({ userId: id })
})

// Validate headers
const headerSchema = z.object({
  'authorization': z.string().startsWith('Bearer '),
  'content-type': z.string(),
})

app.post('/auth', zValidator('header', headerSchema), (c) => {
  const headers = c.req.valid('header')
  return c.json({ authenticated: true })
})

CRITICAL:

Always use c.req.valid() after validation (type-safe)
Validation targets: json, query, param, header, form, cookie
Use z.transform() to convert strings to numbers/dates
Validation errors return 400 automatically

Custom Validation Hooks

import { zValidator } from '@hono/zod-validator'
import { HTTPException } from 'hono/http-exception'

const schema = z.object({
  name: z.string(),
  age: z.number(),
})

// Custom error handler
app.post(
  '/users',
  zValidator('json', schema, (result, c) => {
    if (!result.success) {
      // Custom error response
      return c.json(
        {
          error: 'Validation failed',
          issues: result.error.issues,
        },
        400
      )
    }
  }),
  (c) => {
    const data = c.req.valid('json')
    return c.json({ success: true, data })
  }
)

// Throw HTTPException
app.post(
  '/users',
  zValidator('json', schema, (result, c) => {
    if (!result.success) {
      throw new HTTPException(400, { cause: result.error })
    }
  }),
  (c) => {
    const data = c.req.valid('json')
    return c.json({ success: true, data })
  }
)

Validation with Valibot

npm install valibot@1.2.0 @hono/valibot-validator@0.6.0

import { vValidator } from '@hono/valibot-validator'
import * as v from 'valibot'

const schema = v.object({
  name: v.string(),
  age: v.number(),
})

app.post('/users', vValidator('json', schema), (c) => {
  const data = c.req.valid('json')
  return c.json({ success: true, data })
})

Zod vs Valibot: See references/validation-libraries.md

Validation with Typia

npm install typia @hono/typia-validator@0.1.2

import { typiaValidator } from '@hono/typia-validator'
import typia from 'typia'

interface User {
  name: string
  age: number
}

const validate = typia.createValidate<User>()

app.post('/users', typiaValidator('json', validate), (c) => {
  const data = c.req.valid('json')
  return c.json({ success: true, data })
})

Why Typia:

Fastest validation (compile-time)
No runtime schema definition
AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation

Validation with ArkType

npm install arktype @hono/arktype-validator@2.0.1

import { arktypeValidator } from '@hono/arktype-validator'
import { type } from 'arktype'

const schema = type({
  name: 'string',
  age: 'number',
})

app.post('/users', arktypeValidator('json', schema), (c) => {
  const data = c.req.valid('json')
  return c.json({ success: true, data })
})

Comparison: See references/validation-libraries.md for detailed comparison

Part 5: Typed Routes (RPC)

Why RPC?

Hono's RPC feature allows type-safe client/server communication without manual API type definitions. The client infers types directly from the server routes.

Server-Side Setup

// app.ts
import { Hono } from 'hono'
import { zValidator } from '@hono/zod-validator'
import { z } from 'zod'

const app = new Hono()

const schema = z.object({
  name: z.string(),
  age: z.number(),
})

// Define route and export type
const route = app.post(
  '/users',
  zValidator('json', schema),
  (c) => {
    const data = c.req.valid('json')
    return c.json({ success: true, data }, 201)
  }
)

// Export app type for RPC client
export type AppType = typeof route

// OR export entire app
// export type AppType = typeof app

export default app

CRITICAL:

Must use const route = app.get(...) for RPC type inference
Export typeof route or typeof app
Don't use anonymous route definitions

Client-Side Setup

// client.ts
import { hc } from 'hono/client'
import type { AppType } from './app'

const client = hc<AppType>('http://localhost:8787')

// Type-safe API call
const res = await client.users.$post({
  json: {
    name: 'Alice',
    age: 30,
  },
})

// Response is typed!
const data = await res.json() // { success: boolean, data: { name: string, age: number } }

Why RPC:

✅ Full type inference (request + response)
✅ No manual type definitions
✅ Compile-time error checking
✅ Auto-complete in IDE

RPC with Multiple Routes

// Server
const app = new Hono()

const getUsers = app.get('/users', (c) => {
  return c.json({ users: [] })
})

const createUser = app.post(
  '/users',
  zValidator('json', userSchema),
  (c) => {
    const data = c.req.valid('json')
    return c.json({ success: true, data }, 201)
  }
)

const getUser = app.get('/users/:id', (c) => {
  const id = c.req.param('id')
  return c.json({ id, name: 'Alice' })
})

// Export combined type
export type AppType = typeof getUsers | typeof createUser | typeof getUser

// Client
const client = hc<AppType>('http://localhost:8787')

// GET /users
const usersRes = await client.users.$get()

// POST /users
const createRes = await client.users.$post({
  json: { name: 'Alice', age: 30 },
})

// GET /users/:id
const userRes = await client.users[':id'].$get({
  param: { id: '123' },
})

RPC Performance Optimization

Problem: Large apps with many routes cause slow type inference

Solution: Export specific route groups instead of entire app

// ❌ Slow: Export entire app
export type AppType = typeof app

// ✅ Fast: Export specific routes
const userRoutes = app.get('/users', ...).post('/users', ...)
export type UserRoutes = typeof userRoutes

const postRoutes = app.get('/posts', ...).post('/posts', ...)
export type PostRoutes = typeof postRoutes

// Client imports specific routes
import type { UserRoutes } from './app'
const userClient = hc<UserRoutes>('http://localhost:8787')

Deep Dive: See references/rpc-guide.md

Part 6: Error Handling

HTTPException

import { Hono } from 'hono'
import { HTTPException } from 'hono/http-exception'

const app = new Hono()

app.get('/users/:id', (c) => {
  const id = c.req.param('id')

  // Throw HTTPException for client errors
  if (!id) {
    throw new HTTPException(400, { message: 'ID is required' })
  }

  // With custom response
  if (id === 'invalid') {
    const res = new Response('Custom error body', { status: 400 })
    throw new HTTPException(400, { res })
  }

  return c.json({ id })
})

CRITICAL:

Use HTTPException for expected errors (400, 401, 403, 404)
Don't use for unexpected errors (500) - use onError instead
HTTPException stops execution immediately

Global Error Handler (onError)

import { Hono } from 'hono'
import { HTTPException } from 'hono/http-exception'

const app = new Hono()

// Custom error handler
app.onError((err, c) => {
  // Handle HTTPException
  if (err instanceof HTTPException) {
    return err.getResponse()
  }

  // Handle unexpected errors
  console.error('Unexpected error:', err)

  return c.json(
    {
      error: 'Internal Server Error',
      message: err.message,
    },
    500
  )
})

app.get('/error', (c) => {
  throw new Error('Something went wrong!')
})

Why onError:

Centralized error handling
Consistent error responses
Error logging and tracking

Middleware Error Checking

app.use('*', async (c, next) => {
  await next()

  // Check for errors after handler
  if (c.error) {
    console.error('Error in route:', c.error)
    // Send to error tracking service
  }
})

Not Found Handler

app.notFound((c) => {
  return c.json({ error: 'Not Found' }, 404)
})

Critical Rules

Always Do

✅ Call await next() in middleware - Required for middleware chain execution ✅ Return Response from handlers - Use c.json(), c.text(), c.html() ✅ Use c.req.valid() after validation - Type-safe validated data ✅ Export route types for RPC - export type AppType = typeof route ✅ Throw HTTPException for client errors - 400, 401, 403, 404 errors ✅ Use onError for global error handling - Centralized error responses ✅ Define Variables type for c.set/c.get - Type-safe context variables ✅ Use const route = app.get(...) - Required for RPC type inference

Never Do

❌ Forget await next() in middleware - Breaks middleware chain ❌ Use res.send() like Express - Not compatible with Hono ❌ Access request data without validation - Use validators for type safety ❌ Export entire app for large RPC - Slow type inference, export specific routes ❌ Use plain throw new Error() - Use HTTPException instead ❌ Skip onError handler - Leads to inconsistent error responses ❌ Use c.set/c.get without Variables type - Loses type safety

Known Issues Prevention

This skill prevents 8 documented issues:

Issue #1: RPC Type Inference Slow

Error: IDE becomes slow with many routes Source: hono/docs/guides/rpc Why It Happens: Complex type instantiation from typeof app with many routes Prevention: Export specific route groups instead of entire app

// ❌ Slow
export type AppType = typeof app

// ✅ Fast
const userRoutes = app.get(...).post(...)
export type UserRoutes = typeof userRoutes

Issue #2: Middleware Response Not Typed in RPC

Error: Middleware responses not inferred by RPC client Source: honojs/hono#2719 Why It Happens: RPC mode doesn't infer middleware responses by default Prevention: Export specific route types that include middleware

const route = app.get(
  '/data',
  myMiddleware,
  (c) => c.json({ data: 'value' })
)
export type AppType = typeof route

Issue #3: Validation Hook Confusion

Error: Different validator libraries have different hook patterns Source: Context7 research Why It Happens: Each validator (@hono/zod-validator, @hono/valibot-validator, etc.) has slightly different APIs Prevention: This skill provides consistent patterns for all validators

Issue #4: HTTPException Misuse

Error: Throwing plain Error instead of HTTPException Source: Official docs Why It Happens: Developers familiar with Express use throw new Error() Prevention: Always use HTTPException for client errors (400-499)

// ❌ Wrong
throw new Error('Unauthorized')

// ✅ Correct
throw new HTTPException(401, { message: 'Unauthorized' })

Issue #5: Context Type Safety Lost

Error: c.set() and c.get() without type inference Source: Official docs Why It Happens: Not defining Variables type in Hono generic Prevention: Always define Variables type

type Variables = {
  user: { id: number; name: string }
}

const app = new Hono<{ Variables: Variables }>()

Issue #6: Missing Error Check After Middleware

Error: Errors in handlers not caught Source: Official docs Why It Happens: Not checking c.error after await next() Prevention: Check c.error in middleware

app.use('*', async (c, next) => {
  await next()
  if (c.error) {
    console.error('Error:', c.error)
  }
})

Issue #7: Direct Request Access Without Validation

Error: Accessing c.req.param() or c.req.query() without validation Source: Best practices Why It Happens: Developers skip validation for speed Prevention: Always use validators and c.req.valid()

// ❌ Wrong
const id = c.req.param('id') // string, no validation

// ✅ Correct
app.get('/users/:id', zValidator('param', idSchema), (c) => {
  const { id } = c.req.valid('param') // validated UUID
})

Issue #8: Incorrect Middleware Order

Error: Middleware executing in wrong order Source: Official docs Why It Happens: Misunderstanding middleware chain execution Prevention: Remember middleware runs top-to-bottom, await next() runs handler, then bottom-to-top

app.use('*', async (c, next) => {
  console.log('1: Before handler')
  await next()
  console.log('4: After handler')
})

app.use('*', async (c, next) => {
  console.log('2: Before handler')
  await next()
  console.log('3: After handler')
})

app.get('/', (c) => {
  console.log('Handler')
  return c.json({})
})

// Output: 1, 2, Handler, 3, 4

Configuration Files Reference

package.json (Full Example)

{
  "name": "hono-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "tsx watch src/index.ts",
    "build": "tsc",
    "start": "node dist/index.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "hono": "^4.10.6"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "typescript": "^5.9.0",
    "tsx": "^4.19.0",
    "@types/node": "^22.10.0"
  }
}

package.json with Validation (Zod)

{
  "dependencies": {
    "hono": "^4.10.6",
    "zod": "^4.1.13",
    "@hono/zod-validator": "^0.7.5"
  }
}

package.json with Validation (Valibot)

{
  "dependencies": {
    "hono": "^4.10.6",
    "valibot": "^1.2.0",
    "@hono/valibot-validator": "^0.6.0"
  }
}

package.json with All Validators

{
  "dependencies": {
    "hono": "^4.10.6",
    "zod": "^4.1.13",
    "valibot": "^1.2.0",
    "@hono/zod-validator": "^0.7.5",
    "@hono/valibot-validator": "^0.6.0",
    "@hono/typia-validator": "^0.1.2",
    "@hono/arktype-validator": "^2.0.1"
  }
}

tsconfig.json

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2022",
    "module": "ES2022",
    "lib": ["ES2022"],
    "moduleResolution": "bundler",
    "resolveJsonModule": true,
    "allowJs": true,
    "checkJs": false,
    "strict": true,
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true,
    "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
    "isolatedModules": true,
    "outDir": "./dist"
  },
  "include": ["src/**/*"],
  "exclude": ["node_modules"]
}

File Templates

All templates are available in the templates/ directory:

routing-patterns.ts - Route params, query params, wildcards, grouping
middleware-composition.ts - Middleware chaining, built-in middleware
validation-zod.ts - Zod validation with custom hooks
validation-valibot.ts - Valibot validation
rpc-pattern.ts - Type-safe RPC client/server
error-handling.ts - HTTPException, onError, custom errors
context-extension.ts - c.set/c.get, custom context types
package.json - All dependencies

Copy these files to your project and customize as needed.

Reference Documentation

For deeper understanding, see:

middleware-catalog.md - Complete built-in Hono middleware reference
validation-libraries.md - Zod vs Valibot vs Typia vs ArkType comparison
rpc-guide.md - RPC pattern deep dive, performance optimization
top-errors.md - Common Hono errors with solutions

Official Documentation

Hono: https://hono.dev
Hono Routing: https://hono.dev/docs/api/routing
Hono Middleware: https://hono.dev/docs/guides/middleware
Hono Validation: https://hono.dev/docs/guides/validation
Hono RPC: https://hono.dev/docs/guides/rpc
Hono Context: https://hono.dev/docs/api/context
Context7 Library ID: /llmstxt/hono_dev_llms-full_txt

Dependencies (Latest Verified 2025-11-26)

{
  "dependencies": {
    "hono": "^4.10.6"
  },
  "optionalDependencies": {
    "zod": "^4.1.13",
    "valibot": "^1.2.0",
    "@hono/zod-validator": "^0.7.5",
    "@hono/valibot-validator": "^0.6.0",
    "@hono/typia-validator": "^0.1.2",
    "@hono/arktype-validator": "^2.0.1"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "typescript": "^5.9.0"
  }
}

Production Example

This skill is validated across multiple runtime environments:

Cloudflare Workers: Routing, middleware, RPC patterns
Deno: All validation libraries tested
Bun: Performance benchmarks completed
Node.js: Full test suite passing

All patterns in this skill have been validated in production.

Questions? Issues?

Check references/top-errors.md first
Verify all steps in the setup process
Ensure await next() is called in middleware
Ensure RPC routes use const route = app.get(...) pattern
Check official docs: https://hono.dev

hono-routing

Hono Routing & Middleware

Quick Start (15 Minutes)

1. Install Hono

2. Create Basic App

3. Add Request Validation

The 4-Part Hono Mastery Guide

Part 1: Routing Patterns

Route Parameters

Query Parameters

Route Grouping (Sub-apps)

Part 2: Middleware & Validation

Built-in Middleware

Part 3: Type-Safe Context Extension

Using c.set() and c.get()

Custom Context Extension

Part 4: Request Validation

Validation with Zod

Custom Validation Hooks

Validation with Valibot

Validation with Typia

Validation with ArkType

Part 5: Typed Routes (RPC)

Why RPC?

Server-Side Setup

Client-Side Setup

RPC with Multiple Routes

RPC Performance Optimization

Part 6: Error Handling

HTTPException

Global Error Handler (onError)

Middleware Error Checking

Not Found Handler

Critical Rules

Always Do

Never Do

Known Issues Prevention

Issue #1: RPC Type Inference Slow

Issue #2: Middleware Response Not Typed in RPC

Issue #3: Validation Hook Confusion

Issue #4: HTTPException Misuse

Issue #5: Context Type Safety Lost

Issue #6: Missing Error Check After Middleware

Issue #7: Direct Request Access Without Validation

Issue #8: Incorrect Middleware Order

Configuration Files Reference

package.json (Full Example)

package.json with Validation (Zod)

package.json with Validation (Valibot)

package.json with All Validators

tsconfig.json

File Templates

Reference Documentation

Official Documentation

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