Routa

Routa is a schema-first, OpenAPI-aware REST framework for new TypeScript APIs.

The framework is built around one idea: the HTTP contract should be explicit in source. Route files define inputs, responses, middleware, metadata, and handler boundaries. From that contract, Routa can generate typed handlers, runtime validation, and OpenAPI. Routa can also start from an OpenAPI file and scaffold the first version of the source contract.

Routa v0 is intentionally narrow:

• Hono runtime
• Zod schemas
• OpenAPI .yaml and .json input
• OpenAPI-to-source scaffolding
• Source-to-OpenAPI checking
• Typed route responses
• Minimal typed middleware context

The official project creation command is:

pnpm create routa-ts@latest

Framework Model

Routa routes are filesystem-backed. Folders map to URL segments, and each route.ts file owns the methods for that path.

src/routes/users/route.ts
src/routes/users/$id/route.ts

Each method is declared as a route contract:

export default createRouteRoot("/users")({
	post: createRoute({
		input: {
			body: CreateUserSchema,
		},
		responses: {
			success: {
				status: 201,
				schema: UserSchema,
			},
		},
		run: async ({ input, ctx }) => {
			return users.createUser(input.body, ctx);
		},
	}),
});

Handlers return named outcomes from the declared response map. Business logic stays in application-owned services, modules, use cases, or domain code. Routa owns the HTTP boundary: routing, validation, middleware context, typed responses, and OpenAPI.

Repo Layout

docs/                 Domain decisions and historical design material
.dex/                 Local V1 maps, specifications, and tickets (gitignored)
packages/core/        @routa-ts/core framework API
packages/cli/         @routa-ts/cli routa command
packages/create-routa-ts/ create-routa-ts package for pnpm create routa-ts
examples/basic-api/   End-to-end Routa example app
examples/full-api/    Middleware, groups, and tenant-scoped example app
scripts/              Build, packaging, and CI helper scripts

The repo uses pnpm workspace metadata and Vite Plus for development tooling and task orchestration.

Development

Developing Routa requires Node.js 24.11+ on the Node 24 line, or Node.js 26+, and Vite Plus 1.3.0. The repository includes .nvmrc and pins the backing package manager to pnpm 11.9.0 in package.json. See Contributing for Vite Plus installation.

vp install --frozen-lockfile
vp run verify

vp run verify matches the full local pre-PR workflow. During iteration, use vp run quality for formatting, typechecking, and unit tests. Vite Task caches package builds; validation always executes.

Start Here

• Framework overview
• v0 requirements
• Local issue tracker
• Backend framework design
• Middleware design
• Testing strategy

Community

• Contributing
• Governance
• Security
• Code of Conduct
• Trademark policy
• Issues
• Discussions

Development Status

Routa has a complete v0 implementation baseline in this repo. Implementation, tests, and public documentation define shipped behavior.

Active V1 priorities, specifications, and implementation tickets live in the project-local Dex tracker. Permanent product language and architectural decisions remain in GLOSSARY.md and docs/adr/.

License

Routa is released under the MIT License.