Features
- Runs on any runtime: Cloudflare Workers, Deno, Bun, Node.js
- Zero dependencies, ultrasmall bundle size
- Built-in middleware (CORS, JWT, logger, etc.)
- RPC mode for end-to-end type-safe client
Pros
- Multi-runtime support makes deployment flexible
- Exceptional performance across all runtimes
- Clean, Express-like API with full TypeScript support
Cons
- Younger ecosystem compared to Express or Fastify
- Some advanced Node.js-specific features require adapters
- Community still growing compared to established frameworks
Overview
Hono (Japanese for “flame”) is an ultrafast web framework designed to run on any JavaScript runtime. It works on Cloudflare Workers, Deno, Bun, Node.js, AWS Lambda, and more, with the same API and zero dependencies. This makes it the ideal choice for edge computing and multi-runtime deployment.
Despite its small size, Hono includes built-in middleware for common tasks like CORS, JWT authentication, and request logging. Its RPC mode enables end-to-end type safety between server and client, similar to tRPC but integrated directly into the framework.
When to Use
Hono is the right choice when deploying to edge runtimes like Cloudflare Workers, when you need a framework that works across multiple runtimes, or when bundle size and cold-start performance matter. It’s rapidly becoming the go-to framework for modern serverless applications.
Getting Started
npm create hono@latest my-app
cd my-app && npm install && npm run devimport { Hono } from "hono";
const app = new Hono();
app.get("/", (c) => c.json({ message: "Hello from Hono" }));
export default app;