Node.js API with Hono

Deploy a Node.js API with Hono to Magic Containers

This guide walks you through building and deploying a Node.js API using Hono to Magic Containers with GitHub Container Registry. You’ll need:

• A GitHub account for source code and container registry

Don’t have a bunny.net account yet? Sign up and enable Magic Containers to get started.

Create the Hono API

Create a new directory with the following files:

src/index.ts

import { serve } from "@hono/node-server";
import { Hono } from "hono";

const app = new Hono();

app.get("/", (c) => {
  return c.json({ message: "Hello from Bunny 🐰" });
});

const port = Number(process.env.PORT) || 80;

console.log(`Server starting on port ${port}`);

serve({
  fetch: app.fetch,
  port,
});

{
  "name": "app-hono-api",
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "tsx watch src/index.ts",
    "build": "tsc",
    "start": "node dist/index.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "@hono/node-server": "^1.13.7",
    "hono": "^4.6.16"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/node": "^22.10.5",
    "tsx": "^4.19.2",
    "typescript": "^5.7.3"
  }
}

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2022",
    "module": "ES2022",
    "moduleResolution": "node",
    "outDir": "./dist",
    "rootDir": "./src",
    "strict": true,
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true
  },
  "include": ["src/**/*"]
}

Run locally

Install dependencies and start the development server:

npm install
npm run dev

Test the API:

curl http://localhost:80/

Create the Dockerfile

Dockerfile

FROM node:22-alpine AS builder

WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:22-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install --omit=dev
COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
ENV PORT=80
EXPOSE 80
CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]

Build and push to GitHub Container Registry

GitHub Actions

Create .github/workflows/build.yml to automatically build and push on every commit to main:

.github/workflows/build.yml

name: Build and Push

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

env:
  REGISTRY: ghcr.io
  IMAGE_NAME: ${{ github.repository }}

jobs:
  build-and-push:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      packages: write

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
        uses: docker/login-action@v3
        with:
          registry: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}
          username: ${{ github.actor }}
          password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

      - name: Build and push
        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
        with:
          context: .
          push: true
          tags: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}/${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}

      - name: Update container image on Magic Containers
        uses: BunnyWay/actions/container-update-image@main
        with:
          app_id: ${{ vars.APP_ID }}
          api_key: ${{ secrets.BUNNYNET_API_KEY }}
          container: app
          image_tag: "${{ github.sha }}"

Push your code to trigger the workflow:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/app-hono-api.git
git push -u origin main

Docker CLI

Build and push manually from your local machine.

1. Create a Personal Access Token

   Go to GitHub Settings > Developer settings > Personal access tokens and create a token with write:packages scope.

2. Log in to GitHub Container Registry

   export CR_PAT=your_personal_access_token
   echo $CR_PAT | docker login ghcr.io -u YOUR_USERNAME --password-stdin
   
3. Build the image

   docker build --platform linux/amd64 -t ghcr.io/YOUR_USERNAME/app-hono-api:latest .
   

   Magic Containers only supports images built for the linux/amd64 architecture. The --platform flag ensures compatibility regardless of your local machine’s architecture.

4. Push to registry

   docker push ghcr.io/YOUR_USERNAME/app-hono-api:latest
   

If your package is private, set the visibility to Public in GitHub or configure Magic Containers with registry credentials.

Deploy to Magic Containers

1. Create a new app

   In the bunny.net dashboard, go to Magic Containers and click Add App. Enter a name and select your deployment option.

2. Add a container

   Click Add Container, then configure:

   Field	Value
   Registry	GitHub Container Registry
   Image	YOUR_USERNAME/{imageName}
   Tag	latest for Docker CLI, or the commit SHA from your GitHub Actions workflow

3. Add an endpoint

   Go to the Endpoints tab, click Add New Endpoint, and set the container port to 80.

4. Deploy

   Click Add Container, then Next Step, and Confirm and Create.

For more details, see the quickstart guide.

Test your API

curl https://mc-xxx.bunny.run/

Response

{ "message": "Hello from Bunny 🐰" }

You can add a custom hostname from the Endpoints section in your app settings.

Connect a database

You can connect your app to Bunny Database directly from the dashboard:

1. Go to Database > [Your Database] > Access
2. Click Generate Tokens
3. Click Add Secrets to Magic Container App
4. Select your app

The BUNNY_DATABASE_URL and BUNNY_DATABASE_AUTH_TOKEN environment variables are now available in your app:

import { createClient } from "@libsql/client/web";

const client = createClient({
  url: process.env.BUNNY_DATABASE_URL,
  authToken: process.env.BUNNY_DATABASE_AUTH_TOKEN,
});

const result = await client.execute("SELECT * FROM users");

See the TypeScript SDK documentation for more details.

Next steps

1. Automate deploys with GitHub Actions
2. Add a custom hostname
3. Add a persistent volume