Skip to main content
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
  • A bunny.net account with Magic Containers enabled

​
Create the Hono API

Create a new directory with the following files: 
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,
});

​
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

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 }}:latest
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
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:
FieldValue
RegistryGitHub Container Registry
ImageYOUR_USERNAME/{imageName}
Taglatest
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 DB_URL and DB_TOKEN environment variables are now available in your app: 
import { createClient } from "@libsql/client/web";

const client = createClient({
  url: process.env.DB_URL,
  authToken: process.env.DB_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