Why We Use Hono for the API Layer

Hono is a lightweight, fast web framework that works well in a wide range of JavaScript runtimes. In this template, it powers the API layer, giving us a clean separation between HTTP routing and the Next.js application itself.

Benefits

• Familiar, Express-like routing with strong TypeScript support
• Middleware for authentication, validation, and error handling
• Easy to test and reason about independently from the frontend

Combined with Drizzle ORM, this gives you a predictable, type-safe path from HTTP request to database query and back.