Hono

Introduction

In this guide, you scaffold a Hono API backed by Prisma ORM, initialize and seed a PostgreSQL database, serve data over HTTP, add your own POST route, and deploy the API to Prisma Compute. The hono template generates the server for you, so most of the work is understanding the pieces and extending them.

Every command, route, and response below was run end to end against a live Prisma Postgres database.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22.18 or newer (on the 24 line, 24.11 or newer; 24 recommended), or Bun (this guide uses Bun for speed; npm works the same)
• A PostgreSQL connection string, or nothing at all: the scaffold can create a Prisma Postgres database for you

Use with your agent

To delegate this guide to your coding agent, copy the prompt below and hand it over:

Create a new Hono API with Prisma ORM, seed it, and deploy it to Prisma Compute.

1. Scaffold: `npm create prisma@latest -- my-hono-api --template hono --provider postgres --yes`. Then run `npx prisma@latest init` in `my-hono-api` so the Prisma agent skills are installed and stay current, and use them. Get a database connection string: use the one I give you, or create a Prisma Postgres database with `npx create-db@latest` and show me the claim URL it prints. Export it as `DATABASE_URL` in the shell; the generated scripts read the environment variable, not `.env`.
2. In `my-hono-api`, run `npm run db:init` with `DATABASE_URL` exported. Sample users are seeded automatically on the app's first query; there is no separate seed script.
3. Start `npm run dev` in the background, wait until it reports ready, verify `curl http://localhost:3000/users` returns the seeded users, then stop the dev server.
4. Add a POST /users route that creates a user from the request body, following https://www.prisma.io/docs/guides/frameworks/hono.md, restart the dev server, and verify it with curl.
5. Deploy: check `npx prisma@latest auth whoami`; if I am not signed in, stop and ask me to run `npx prisma@latest auth login`. Then run `npm run build` followed by `npx prisma@latest deploy module.ts` and verify the live URL's /users endpoint. The deployed app provisions and seeds its own Prisma Postgres database; do not pass the local DATABASE_URL. If the deploy fails with `HostedStateBootstrapError`, a project with the module's name exists in my workspace but its hosted state cannot be verified; re-run the deploy with `--name <a unique name>`.

1. Scaffold the project

bun create prisma@latest my-hono-api --template hono --provider postgres

Pick your contract authoring style and package manager at the prompts. The template generates a Hono server in src/index.ts with two routes (GET / and GET /users), the Prisma ORM setup in src/prisma/, and package scripts for the database steps.

cd my-hono-api

Next, set the database connection for the local steps. Use your own PostgreSQL connection string, or create a Prisma Postgres database with npx create-db@latest; it prints a connection string and a claim URL you can open to keep the database. Export the variable in the shell you work in; the generated scripts read the environment variable, not .env:

export DATABASE_URL="<your connection string>"

2. Initialize the database

bun run db:init

"summary": "Applied 5 operation(s) across 1 space(s), database signed"

If db:init stops with Connection terminated unexpectedly, a database you just created is still starting; wait a few seconds and run it again. The command is safe to repeat and reports Applied 0 operation(s) when there is nothing left to do.

3. Run the server

bun run dev

The server starts on port 3000 (set PORT to change it). Check both routes:

curl http://localhost:3000/users

[
  { "id": "1", "email": "alice@prisma.io", "username": "alice", "name": "Alice", "createdAt": "2026-07-06T23:37:32.440Z" },
  { "id": "2", "email": "bob@prisma.io", "username": "bob", "name": "Bob", "createdAt": "2026-07-06T23:37:32.474Z" },
  { "id": "3", "email": "carol@prisma.io", "username": "carol", "name": "Carol", "createdAt": "2026-07-06T23:37:32.507Z" }
]

The route handler is ordinary Hono code calling an ordinary Prisma ORM query; there is no framework adapter in between.

4. Add a POST route

Add a route that creates a user from the request body. Add this to src/index.ts above the serve(...) call:

app.post("/users", async (c) => {
  const body = await c.req.json<{ email: string; name?: string }>();
  const { db } = await import("./prisma/db");
  const user = await db.orm.public.User.create({
    email: body.email,
    name: body.name ?? null,
  });
  return c.json(user, 201);
});

Restart the server and create a user:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/users \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"dev@prisma.io","name":"Dev"}'

{ "createdAt": "2026-07-06T23:37:56.184Z", "email": "dev@prisma.io", "id": 4, "name": "Dev", "username": null }

.create(...) returns the full inserted record, database defaults included, so the response needs no second query.

5. Deploy to Prisma Compute

Hono is supported on Prisma Compute. The scaffold already declares the app for Prisma Composer in module.ts and service.ts, so deploying is building and handing that declaration to the CLI. Sign in once (it opens a browser):

bunx prisma@latest auth login

Then build and deploy from the project directory:

bun run build
bunx prisma@latest deploy module.ts

my-hono-api
├─ database   postgres-database db_abc123
└─ app        compute-service cps_abc123
              https://xyz.ewr.prisma.build

The deploy creates a project named after your module in your workspace, and re-running the deploy reuses it: the CLI finds the hosted state it stored on the first run and converges the project to your module. If a project with that name exists but the CLI cannot identify or verify its stored state (one left behind by a different checkout, for example), the deploy stops with HostedStateBootstrapError; deploy under another name with --name <unique-name>, or rename the module in module.ts. The deploy also provisions its own Prisma Postgres database on the platform, declared in module.ts; the DATABASE_URL from your local steps is not involved. Verify the live endpoint returns the seeded users (the deployed database seeds on its first query):

curl https://xyz.ewr.prisma.build/users

For previews per Git branch and deploy-on-push, see Deploy your first app.

Common gotchas

Prompt your coding agent

Run npx prisma@latest init once to install the Prisma ORM skills for your coding agent and keep them matching your installed packages. Prompts that map to this guide:

• "Using the prisma-8 skill, add GET /users/
  that returns one user or a 404."
• "Expose GET /users/
  /posts using the Post model that ships with the starter contract."
• "Wrap the signup route's writes in a transaction."

Next steps

• Learn the fundamentals: filtering, sorting, pagination, and writes.
• Read the Prisma ORM overview for the concepts behind contracts and typed queries.