38 KiB
Bunext
A server-rendering framework for React, built entirely on Bun. Bunext handles file-system routing, SSR, HMR, and client hydration — using ESBuild to bundle client assets and Bun.serve as the HTTP server.
Philosophy
Bunext is focused on server-side rendering and processing. Every page is rendered on the server on every request. The framework deliberately does not implement client-side navigation, SPA routing, or client-side state management — those concerns belong in client-side libraries and are orthogonal to what Bunext is solving.
The goal is a framework that is:
- Fast — Bun's runtime speed and ESBuild's bundling make the full dev loop snappy
- Transparent — the entire request pipeline is readable and debugable
- Standard — server functions and API handlers use native Web APIs (
Request,Response,URL) with no custom wrappers
Table of Contents
- Requirements
- Installation
- Quick Start
- CLI Commands
- Project Structure
- File-System Routing
- Pages
- API Routes
- Error Pages
- Static Files
- Caching
- Configuration
- Custom Server
- Environment Variables
- How It Works
Requirements
- Bun v1.0 or later
- TypeScript 5.0+
React is managed by Bunext. You do not need to install
reactorreact-dom— Bunext enforces its own pinned React version and removes any user-installed copies at startup to prevent version conflicts. Installing this package is all you need.
Installation
From the Moduletrace registry (recommended)
Configure the @moduletrace scope to point at the registry — pick one:
bunfig.toml (Bun-native):
[install.scopes]
"@moduletrace" = { registry = "https://git.tben.me/api/packages/moduletrace/npm/" }
.npmrc (works with npm, bun, and most tools):
@moduletrace:registry=https://git.tben.me/api/packages/moduletrace/npm/
Then install:
bun add @moduletrace/bunext
Or globally:
bun add -g @moduletrace/bunext
From GitHub (alternative)
bun add github:moduletrace/bunext
Quick Start
- Create a minimal project layout:
my-app/
├── src/
│ └── pages/
│ └── index.tsx
├── bunext.config.ts # optional
└── package.json
- Create your first page (
src/pages/index.tsx):
export default function HomePage() {
return <h1>Hello from Bunext!</h1>;
}
- Add scripts to your
package.json:
{
"scripts": {
"dev": "bunx bunext dev",
"build": "bunx bunext build",
"start": "bunx bunext start"
}
}
- Start the development server:
bun run dev
- Open
http://localhost:7000in your browser.
CLI Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
bunext dev |
Start the development server with HMR and file watching. |
bunext build |
Bundle all pages for production. Outputs artifacts to .bunext/public/pages/. |
bunext start |
Start the production server using pre-built artifacts. |
Running the CLI
Bunext exposes a bunext binary. How you invoke it depends on how the package is installed:
Local install (recommended) — add scripts to package.json and run them with bun run:
{
"scripts": {
"dev": "bunx bunext dev",
"build": "bunx bunext build",
"start": "bunx bunext start"
}
}
bun run dev
bun run build
bun run start
Global install — install once and use bunext from anywhere:
bun add -g @moduletrace/bunext
bunext dev
bunext build
bunext start
Note:
bunext startwill exit with an error if.bunext/public/pages/map.jsondoes not exist. Always runbunext build(orbun run build) beforebunext start.
Project Structure
A typical Bunext project has the following layout:
my-app/
├── src/
│ └── pages/ # File-system routes (pages and API handlers)
│ ├── __root.tsx # Optional: root layout wrapper for all pages
│ ├── __root.server.ts # Optional: root-level server logic
│ ├── index.tsx # Route: /
│ ├── index.server.ts # Optional: server logic for index route
│ ├── about.tsx # Route: /about
│ ├── 404.tsx # Optional: custom 404 page
│ ├── 500.tsx # Optional: custom 500 page
│ ├── blog/
│ │ ├── index.tsx # Route: /blog
│ │ ├── index.server.ts # Server logic for /blog
│ │ └── [slug].tsx # Route: /blog/:slug (dynamic)
│ └── api/
│ └── users.ts # API route: /api/users
├── public/ # Static files served at /public/*
├── .bunext/ # Internal build artifacts (do not edit manually)
│ └── public/
│ ├── pages/ # Generated by bundler
│ │ └── map.json # Artifact map used by production server
│ └── cache/ # File-based HTML cache (production only)
├── bunext.config.ts # Optional configuration
├── tsconfig.json
└── package.json
File-System Routing
Bunext uses Bun.FileSystemRouter with Next.js-style routing. Pages live in src/pages/ and are automatically mapped to URL routes:
| File path | URL path |
|---|---|
src/pages/index.tsx |
/ |
src/pages/about.tsx |
/about |
src/pages/blog/index.tsx |
/blog |
src/pages/blog/[slug].tsx |
/blog/:slug |
src/pages/users/[id]/index.tsx |
/users/:id |
src/pages/api/users.ts |
/api/users |
Dynamic route parameters (e.g. [slug]) are available in the server function via ctx.req.url or from the query field in the server response.
Non-Routed Directories
Directories whose name contains -- or a parenthesis (( or )) are completely ignored by the router. Use this to co-locate helper components, utilities, or shared logic directly inside src/pages/ alongside the routes that use them, without them becoming routes.
| Naming pattern | Effect |
|---|---|
(components)/ |
Ignored — not routed |
--utils--/ |
Ignored — not routed |
--lib/ |
Ignored — not routed |
src/pages/
├── blog/
│ ├── (components)/ # Not a route — co-location directory
│ │ ├── PostCard.tsx # Used by index.tsx and [slug].tsx
│ │ └── PostList.tsx
│ ├── index.tsx # Route: /blog
│ └── [slug].tsx # Route: /blog/:slug
└── index.tsx # Route: /
Pages
Basic Page
A page file must export a default React component. The component receives server-side props automatically.
// src/pages/index.tsx
export default function HomePage() {
return <h1>Hello, World!</h1>;
}
Server Function
Server logic lives in a companion .server.ts (or .server.tsx) file alongside the page. The framework looks for <page>.server.ts or <page>.server.tsx next to the page file and loads it separately on the server — it is never bundled into the client JS.
The server file exports the server function as either export default or export const server. The return value's props field is spread into the page component as props, and query carries route query parameters.
// src/pages/profile.server.ts
import type { BunextPageServerFn } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
const server: BunextPageServerFn<{
username: string;
bio: string;
}> = async (ctx) => {
// ctx.req — the raw Request object
// ctx.url — the parsed URL
// ctx.query — query string parameters
// ctx.resTransform — optional response interceptor
const username = "alice";
const bio = "Software engineer";
return {
props: { username, bio },
};
};
export default server;
// src/pages/profile.tsx (client-only exports — bundled to the browser)
type Props = {
props?: { username: string; bio: string };
query?: Record<string, string>;
url?: URL;
};
export default function ProfilePage({ props, url }: Props) {
return (
<div>
<h1>{props?.username}</h1>
<p>{props?.bio}</p>
<p>Current path: {url?.pathname}</p>
</div>
);
}
Why separate files? Bundling server code (Bun APIs, database clients,
fs, secrets) into the same file as a React component causes TypeScript compilation errors because the bundler processes the page file for the browser. The.server.tscompanion file is loaded only by the server at request time and is never included in the client bundle.
The server function receives a ctx object (type BunxRouteParams) with:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
req |
Request |
Raw Bun/Web Request object |
url |
URL |
Parsed URL |
body |
any |
Parsed request body |
query |
any |
Query string parameters |
resTransform |
(res: Response) => Promise<Response>|Response |
Intercept and transform the final response |
Default Server Props
Every page component automatically receives a url prop — a copy of the request URL object — even if no server function is exported. This means you can always read URL data (pathname, search params, origin, etc.) directly from component props without writing a server function.
// src/pages/index.tsx
import type { BunextPageModuleServerReturnURLObject } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
type Props = {
url?: BunextPageModuleServerReturnURLObject;
};
export default function HomePage({ url }: Props) {
return (
<div>
<p>Visiting: {url?.pathname}</p>
<p>Origin: {url?.origin}</p>
</div>
);
}
The url prop exposes the following fields from the standard Web URL interface:
| Field | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
href |
string |
"https://example.com/blog?q=1" |
origin |
string |
"https://example.com" |
protocol |
string |
"https:" |
host |
string |
"example.com" |
hostname |
string |
"example.com" |
port |
string |
"" |
pathname |
string |
"/blog" |
search |
string |
"?q=1" |
searchParams |
URLSearchParams |
URLSearchParams { q: "1" } |
hash |
string |
"" |
username |
string |
"" |
password |
string |
"" |
Redirects from Server
Return a redirect object from the server function to redirect the client:
// src/pages/dashboard.server.ts
import type { BunextPageServerFn } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
const server: BunextPageServerFn = async (ctx) => {
const isLoggedIn = false; // check auth
if (!isLoggedIn) {
return {
redirect: {
destination: "/login",
permanent: false, // uses 302
// status_code: 307 // override status code
},
};
}
return { props: {} };
};
export default server;
permanent: true sends a 301 redirect. Otherwise it sends 302, or the value of status_code if provided.
Custom Response Options
Control status codes, headers, and other response options from the server function:
// src/pages/submit.server.ts
import type { BunextPageServerFn } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
const server: BunextPageServerFn = async (ctx) => {
return {
props: { message: "Created" },
responseOptions: {
status: 201,
headers: {
"X-Custom-Header": "my-value",
},
},
};
};
export default server;
SEO Metadata
Export a meta object from the page file (not the server file) to inject SEO and Open Graph tags into the <head>:
import type { BunextPageModuleMeta } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
export const meta: BunextPageModuleMeta = {
title: "My Page Title",
description: "A description for search engines.",
keywords: ["bun", "react", "ssr"],
author: "Alice",
robots: "index, follow",
canonical: "https://example.com/about",
themeColor: "#ffffff",
og: {
title: "My Page Title",
description: "Shared on social media.",
image: "https://example.com/og-image.png",
url: "https://example.com/about",
type: "website",
siteName: "My Site",
locale: "en_US",
},
twitter: {
card: "summary_large_image",
title: "My Page Title",
description: "Shared on Twitter.",
image: "https://example.com/twitter-image.png",
site: "@mysite",
creator: "@alice",
},
};
export default function AboutPage() {
return <p>About us</p>;
}
Dynamic Metadata
meta can also be an async function that receives the request context and server response. Like meta, it is exported from the page file:
import type { BunextPageModuleMetaFn } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
export const meta: BunextPageModuleMetaFn = async ({ ctx, serverRes }) => {
return {
title: `Post: ${serverRes?.props?.title ?? "Untitled"}`,
description: serverRes?.props?.excerpt,
};
};
Custom Head Content
Export a Head functional component to inject arbitrary HTML into <head>. It receives the server response and request context:
import type { BunextPageHeadFCProps } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
export function Head({ serverRes, ctx }: BunextPageHeadFCProps) {
return (
<>
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
<link rel="icon" href="/public/favicon.ico" />
</>
);
}
export default function Page() {
return <main>Content</main>;
}
Root Layout
Create src/pages/__root.tsx to wrap every page in a shared layout. The root component receives children (the current page component) along with all server props.
If the root layout also needs server-side logic, place it in src/pages/__root.server.ts (or .server.tsx) — the same .server.* convention used by regular pages:
// src/pages/__root.server.ts
import type { BunextPageServerFn } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
const server: BunextPageServerFn = async (ctx) => {
// e.g. fetch navigation links, check auth
return { props: { navLinks: ["/", "/about"] } };
};
export default server;
// src/pages/__root.tsx
import type { BunextRootComponentProps } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
export default function RootLayout({
children,
props,
}: BunextRootComponentProps) {
return (
<>
<header>My App</header>
<main>{children}</main>
<footer>© 2025</footer>
</>
);
}
API Routes
Create files under src/pages/api/ to define API endpoints. The default export receives a BunxRouteParams object and must return a standard Response.
// src/pages/api/hello.ts
import type { BunxRouteParams } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
export default async function handler(ctx: BunxRouteParams): Promise<Response> {
return Response.json({ message: "Hello from the API" });
}
API routes are matched at /api/<filename>. Because the handler returns a plain Response, you control the status code, headers, and body format entirely:
// src/pages/api/users.ts
import type { BunxRouteParams } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
export default async function handler(ctx: BunxRouteParams): Promise<Response> {
if (ctx.req.method !== "GET") {
return Response.json({ error: "Method not allowed" }, { status: 405 });
}
const users = [{ id: 1, name: "Alice" }];
return Response.json({ success: true, data: users });
}
The ctx parameter has the same shape as the page server function context — see the Server Function section for the full field reference. The ctx.server field additionally exposes the Bun Server instance.
Route Config (Body Size Limit)
Export a config object to override the per-route request body limit (default: 10 MB):
import type {
BunextServerRouteConfig,
BunxRouteParams,
} from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
export const config: BunextServerRouteConfig = {
maxRequestBodyMB: 50, // allow up to 50 MB
};
export default async function handler(ctx: BunxRouteParams): Promise<Response> {
// handle large uploads
return Response.json({ success: true });
}
Error Pages
Bunext serves built-in fallback error pages, but you can override them by creating pages in src/pages/:
| File | Triggered when |
|---|---|
src/pages/404.tsx |
No matching route is found |
src/pages/500.tsx |
An unhandled error occurs during render |
The error message is passed as children to the component:
// src/pages/404.tsx
import type { PropsWithChildren } from "react";
export default function NotFoundPage({ children }: PropsWithChildren) {
return (
<div>
<h1>404 — Page Not Found</h1>
<p>{children}</p>
</div>
);
}
If no custom error pages exist, Bunext uses built-in preset components.
Static Files
Place static files in the public/ directory. They are served at the /public/ URL path:
public/
├── logo.png → http://localhost:7000/public/logo.png
├── styles.css → http://localhost:7000/public/styles.css
└── favicon.ico → http://localhost:7000/favicon.ico
Favicons are also served from
/public/but matched directly at/favicon.*.
Caching
Bunext includes a file-based HTML cache for production. Caching is disabled in development — every request renders fresh. In production, a cron job runs every 30 seconds to delete expired cache entries.
Cache files are stored in .bunext/public/cache/. Each cached page produces two files:
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
<key>.res.html |
The cached HTML response body |
<key>.meta.json |
Metadata: creation timestamp, expiry, paradigm |
The cache is cold on first request: the first visitor triggers a full server render and writes the cache. Every subsequent request within the expiry window receives the cached HTML directly, bypassing the server function, component render, and bundler lookup. A cache hit is indicated by the response header X-Bunext-Cache: HIT.
Enabling Cache Per Page
Export a config object from a page file to opt that page into caching:
// src/pages/products.tsx
import type { BunextRouteConfig } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
export const config: BunextRouteConfig = {
cachePage: true,
cacheExpiry: 300, // seconds — optional, overrides the global default
};
export default function ProductsPage() {
return <h1>Products</h1>;
}
Dynamic Cache Control from Server Function
Cache settings can also be returned from the server function, which lets you conditionally enable caching based on request data:
// src/pages/products.server.ts
import type { BunextPageServerFn } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
const server: BunextPageServerFn = async (ctx) => {
const data = await fetchProducts();
return {
props: { data },
cachePage: true,
cacheExpiry: 600, // 10 minutes
};
};
export default server;
// src/pages/products.tsx
export default function ProductsPage({ props }: any) {
return (
<ul>
{props.data.map((p: any) => (
<li key={p.id}>{p.name}</li>
))}
</ul>
);
}
If both module.config.cachePage and serverRes.cachePage are set, module.config takes precedence.
Cache Expiry
Expiry resolution order (first truthy value wins):
cacheExpiryon the pageconfigexport orserverreturn (per-page, in seconds)defaultCacheExpiryinbunext.config.ts(global default, in seconds)- Built-in default: 3600 seconds (1 hour)
The cron job checks all cache entries every 30 seconds and deletes any whose age exceeds their expiry. Static bundled assets (JS/CSS in .bunext/public/) receive a separate HTTP Cache-Control: public, max-age=604800 header (7 days) via the browser cache — this is independent of the page HTML cache.
Cache Behavior and Limitations
- Production only. Caching never activates in development (
bunext dev). - Cold start required. The cache is populated on the first request; there is no pre-warming step.
- Immutable within the expiry window. Once a page is cached,
writeCacheskips all subsequent write attempts for that key until the cron job deletes the expired entry. There is no manual invalidation API. - Cache is not cleared on rebuild. Deploying a new build does not automatically flush
.bunext/public/cache/. Stale HTML files referencing old JS bundles can be served until they expire. Clear the cache directory as part of your deploy process if needed. - No key collision. Cache keys are generated via
encodeURIComponent()on the URL path./foo/barencodes to%2Ffoo%2Fbarand/foo-barto%2Ffoo-bar— distinct filenames with no collision risk.
Configuration
Create a bunext.config.ts file in your project root to configure Bunext:
// bunext.config.ts
import type { BunextConfig } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
const config: BunextConfig = {
port: 3000, // default: 7000
origin: "https://example.com",
distDir: ".bunext", // directory for internal build artifacts
assetsPrefix: "_bunext/static",
globalVars: {
MY_API_URL: "https://api.example.com",
},
development: false, // forced by the CLI; set manually if needed
};
export default config;
| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
port |
number |
7000 |
HTTP server port |
origin |
string |
— | Canonical origin URL |
distDir |
string |
.bunext |
Internal artifact directory |
assetsPrefix |
string |
_bunext/static |
URL prefix for static assets |
globalVars |
{ [k: string]: any } |
— | Variables injected globally at build time |
development |
boolean |
— | Overridden to true by bunext dev automatically |
defaultCacheExpiry |
number |
3600 |
Global page cache expiry in seconds |
middleware |
(params: BunextConfigMiddlewareParams) => Response | undefined | Promise<...> |
— | Global middleware — see Middleware |
websocket |
WebSocketHandler<any> |
— | Bun WebSocket handler — see WebSocket |
serverOptions |
ServeOptions |
— | Extra options passed to Bun.serve() (excluding fetch) — see Server Options |
Middleware
Middleware runs on every request before any routing. Define it in bunext.config.ts via the middleware field. The function receives { req, url, server } (type BunextConfigMiddlewareParams).
- If it returns a
Response, that response is sent to the client immediately and no further routing occurs. - If it returns
undefined(or nothing), the request proceeds normally through the router.
// bunext.config.ts
import type {
BunextConfig,
BunextConfigMiddlewareParams,
} from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
const config: BunextConfig = {
middleware: async ({ req, url }) => {
// Example: protect all /dashboard/* routes
if (url.pathname.startsWith("/dashboard")) {
const token = req.headers.get("authorization");
if (!token) {
return Response.redirect("/login", 302);
}
}
// Return undefined to continue to the normal request pipeline
return undefined;
},
};
export default config;
The middleware can return any valid Response, including redirects, JSON, or HTML:
middleware: async ({ req, url }) => {
// Block a specific path
if (url.pathname === "/maintenance") {
return new Response("Down for maintenance", { status: 503 });
}
// For API routes, return undefined to continue — the handler controls its own Response directly
},
WebSocket
Add a websocket field to bunext.config.ts to handle WebSocket connections. The value is passed directly to Bun.serve() as the websocket option and accepts the full WebSocketHandler interface.
Define the handler in its own file and import it into the config:
// websocket.ts
import type { WebSocketHandler } from "bun";
export const BunextWebsocket: WebSocketHandler<any> = {
message(ws, message) {
console.log(`WS Message => ${message}`);
},
};
// bunext.config.ts
import type { BunextConfig } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
import { BunextWebsocket } from "./websocket";
const config: BunextConfig = {
websocket: BunextWebsocket,
};
export default config;
Server Options
Pass additional options to the underlying Bun.serve() call via serverOptions. All standard ServeOptions fields are accepted except fetch, which Bunext manages internally.
// bunext.config.ts
import type { BunextConfig } from "@moduletrace/bunext/types";
const config: BunextConfig = {
serverOptions: {
tls: {
cert: Bun.file("./certs/cert.pem"),
key: Bun.file("./certs/key.pem"),
},
maxRequestBodySize: 64 * 1024 * 1024, // 64 MB
error(err) {
console.error("Server error:", err);
return new Response("Internal Server Error", { status: 500 });
},
},
};
export default config;
Custom Server
For full control over the Bun.serve() instance — custom WebSocket upgrade logic, multi-protocol handling, or integrating Bunext alongside other handlers — you can skip bunext dev / bunext start and run your own server using Bunext's exported primitives.
// server.ts
import bunext from "@moduletrace/bunext";
const development = process.env.NODE_ENV === "development";
const port = process.env.PORT || 3700;
await bunext.bunextInit();
const server = Bun.serve({
routes: {
"/*": {
async GET(req) {
return await bunext.bunextRequestHandler({ req });
},
},
},
development,
port,
});
bunext.bunextLog.info(`Server running on http://localhost:${server.port} ...`);
| Export | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
bunextInit() |
() => Promise<void> |
Initializes config, router, and bundler. Must be called before handling requests. |
bunextRequestHandler({ req }) |
(params: { req: Request }) => Promise<Response> |
The main Bunext request dispatcher — middleware, routing, SSR, static files. Only req is needed; the server instance is managed internally. |
bunextLog |
Logger | Framework logger (info, error, success, server, watch). |
Run the custom server directly with Bun:
bun run server.ts
Note: When using a custom server, HMR and file watching are still driven by
bunextInit(). Passdevelopment: truein yourBun.serve()call to enable them.
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
PORT |
Override the server port (takes precedence over config) |
How It Works
Development Server
Running bunext dev:
- Loads
bunext.config.tsand setsdevelopment: true. - Initializes directories (
.bunext/,public/pages/). - Creates a
Bun.FileSystemRouterpointed atsrc/pages/. - Creates an ESBuild context and performs the initial build. File-change rebuilds are triggered manually by the FS watcher.
- Starts a file-system watcher on
src/— when a file is created or deleted (a "rename" event), it triggers a full bundler rebuild to update the entry points. - Waits for the first successful bundle.
- Starts
Bun.serve().
Production Build
Running bunext build:
- Sets
NODE_ENV=production. - Runs ESBuild once with minification enabled.
- Writes all bundled artifacts to
.bunext/public/pages/and the artifact map to.bunext/public/pages/map.json. - Exits.
Production Server
Running bunext start:
- Reads
.bunext/public/pages/map.jsonto load the pre-built artifact map. - Starts
Bun.serve()without any bundler or file watcher.
Bundler
The bundler uses ESBuild with a virtual namespace plugin that generates in-memory hydration entry points for each page — no temporary files are written to disk. Each virtual entry imports the page component and calls hydrateRoot() against the server-rendered DOM node. If src/pages/__root.tsx exists, the page is wrapped in the root layout. Tailwind CSS is processed via a dedicated ESBuild plugin.
In development, an esbuild.context() is created once and rebuilt incrementally whenever the FS watcher detects a file change. In production, a single esbuild.build() call runs with minification enabled.
React is loaded externally — react, react-dom, react-dom/client, and react/jsx-runtime are all marked as external in the ESBuild config. The correct React version is resolved from the framework's own node_modules at startup and injected into every HTML page via a <script type="importmap"> pointing at esm.sh. This guarantees a single shared React instance across all page bundles and HMR updates regardless of project size.
After each build, ESBuild's metafile is used to map each output file back to its source page, producing a BundlerCTXMap[]. This map is stored in global.BUNDLER_CTX_MAP and written to .bunext/public/pages/map.json.
Output files are named [hash].[ext] so filenames change when content changes, enabling cache-busting.
Hot Module Replacement
In development, Bunext injects a script into every HTML page that opens a Server-Sent Events (SSE) connection to /__hmr. When a rebuild completes and the bundle hash for a page changes, the server pushes an update event through the stream containing the new artifact metadata. The client then performs a true in-place HMR update — no full page reload:
- If the page has a CSS bundle, the old
<link rel="stylesheet">is replaced with a new one pointing to the updated CSS file (cache-busted with?t=<timestamp>). - The existing client hydration
<script>(identified byid="bunext-client-hydration-script") is removed from the DOM. - A new
<script type="module">is injected pointing to the freshly rebuilt JS bundle (also cache-busted). - The new bundle calls
window.__BUNEXT_RERENDER__(NewComponent)if the root is already mounted, otherwise falls back to a freshhydrateRoot.
The endpoint /__bunext_client_hmr__?href=<page-url> handles on-demand HMR bundle generation: it re-bundles the target page's component on every request so the freshly injected script always reflects the latest source.
The SSE controller for each connected client is tracked in global.HMR_CONTROLLERS, keyed by the page URL and its bundled artifact map entry. On disconnect, the controller is removed from the list.
Request Pipeline
Every incoming request is handled by Bun.serve() and routed as follows:
Request
│
├── config.middleware({ req, url, server })
│ Returns Response? → short-circuit, send response immediately
│ Returns undefined → continue
│
├── GET /__hmr → Open SSE stream for HMR (dev only)
│
├── GET /__bunext_client_hmr__?href= → On-demand HMR bundle for the given page URL (dev only)
│
├── /api/* → API route handler
│ Matches src/pages/api/<path>.ts
│ Checks content-length against maxRequestBodyMB / 10 MB default
│ Calls module.default(ctx) → returns Response directly
│
├── /public/* → Serve static file from public/
│
├── /favicon.* → Serve favicon from public/
│
└── Everything else → Server-side render a page
[Production only] Check .bunext/public/cache/ for key = pathname + search
Cache HIT → return cached HTML with X-Bunext-Cache: HIT header
Cache MISS → continue ↓
1. Match route via FileSystemRouter
2. Find bundled artifact in BUNDLER_CTX_MAP
3. Import page module (with cache-busting timestamp in dev)
4. Import companion server module (<page>.server.ts/tsx) if it exists; run its exported function for server-side data
5. Resolve meta (static object or async function)
6. renderToString(component) → inject into HTML template
7. Inject window.__PAGE_PROPS__, hydration <script>, CSS <link>
8. If module.config.cachePage or serverRes.cachePage → write to cache
9. Return HTML response
On error → render 404 or 500 error page
Server-rendered HTML includes:
window.__PAGE_PROPS__— the serialized server function return value, read byhydrateRooton the client.- A
<script type="importmap">mapping React package specifiers to the esm.sh CDN (uses the?devbuild in development). - A
<script type="module" async>tag pointing to the page's bundled client script. - A
<link rel="stylesheet">tag if the bundler emitted a CSS file for the page. - In development: the HMR client script.