Hono RPC for type-safe API client

decision Sat Jun 20 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) apihonotypestypescriptrpc

Hono RPC for type-safe API client

Decision

Sites and extensions call the umbrella Hono Worker via Hono's RPC client hc<AppType>. The Worker exports type AppType = typeof app, which flows to every consumer through the workspace package @chirag127/api-client. No codegen step, no separate schema file, no OpenAPI emit.

Why

Hono's hc gives end-to-end type-safety for free as long as the backend and frontend are in the same TypeScript project. Treating the master oriz repo as a workspace + publishing @chirag127/api-client as a thin re-export of the Worker's AppType lets every site and extension import a fully-typed client without an intermediate spec file. Eliminates the codegen drift problem entirely.

Implications

• apps/api/src/index.ts ends with export type AppType = typeof app;.
• packages/api-client/ re-exports hc<AppType> and a configured base URL (https://api.oriz.in).
• Each site / extension imports import { client } from '@chirag127/api-client' and calls client.routes.contact.$post(...) etc., with full IntelliSense on payload shape and response.
• When a route changes shape on the Worker, every consumer sees the type error at build time — this is the core value.
• Master matrix deploy runs Worker + API client publish in lockstep so consumers don't see type drift during deploys.
• The pattern applies to extensions too (Chrome extensions importing the same package) — the only constraint is bundling against the workspace package.

Cross-refs

• Hono Worker API umbrella
• API umbrella Hono Worker architecture
• AGENTS.md API layer section