Use Voltbase with Hono

Create a Voltbase project, add sample data, and query it from a Hono API.

1. Create a Voltbase project

Sign up or sign in
Create an organization and a project
Open API and copy the Project URL, anon key, and (for server-only writes) the service role key

You can also create projects from the dashboard after signing in — no CLI required for this quickstart.

2. Set up your database

In the dashboard, open Database and create a instruments table (or run SQL):

schema.sql

create table instruments (
  id bigint generated always as identity primary key,
  name text not null
);

insert into instruments (name)
values ('violin'), ('viola'), ('cello');

alter table instruments enable row level security;

create policy "public read"
on instruments for select
to anon
using (true);

Why RLS?

With a public SELECT policy for anon, the browser anon key can read rows. Writes still need auth policies or the service role on the server.

3. Create a Hono app

terminal

npm create hono@latest voltbase-hono
cd voltbase-hono
npm install

Choose the Node.js or edge Workers runtime when prompted.

4. Declare environment variables

Create .env at the project root and paste your dashboard values:

.env

VOLTBASE_URL=https://YOUR_API/api/projects/YOUR_SLUG
VOLTBASE_ANON_KEY=your-anon-key
# Optional for writes:
# VOLTBASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=your-service-role-key

Hono runs on the server — you can use either the anon key (with RLS) or the service role for trusted writes.

Keep the service role server-only

Never put the service role key in client bundles. Use the anon key in the browser; use the service role only in server routes, Server Components, or backend jobs.

5. Create a Voltbase client

Install the SDK, then add a small helper:

terminal

npm install voltbase-js

src/voltbase.ts

import { createClient } from 'voltbase-js';

export const voltbase = createClient(
  process.env.VOLTBASE_URL!,
  process.env.VOLTBASE_ANON_KEY!,
);

6. Query Voltbase from Hono

Fetch rows from instruments and render them:

src/index.ts

import { Hono } from 'hono';
import { voltbase } from './voltbase';

const app = new Hono();

app.get('/instruments', async (c) => {
  const { data, error } = await voltbase
    .from('instruments')
    .select('id, name')
    .order('id', 'asc');

  if (error) return c.json({ error: error.message }, 500);
  return c.json({ data });
});

export default app;

Next: Auth, Realtime, or the Todo + RLS example.