---
title: Deployment
description: Deploy the same ChatDefinition on Next, Hono, Express, and edge — Web-standard handlers.
---

# Deployment modes

The shared `ChatDefinition` is unchanged across deployment modes. Only the adapter, trusted host context, storage, and native renderer vary.

## Topology

<Mermaid
  chart={
    'flowchart TB\n' +
      '  subgraph clients [Clients]\n' +
      '    W[Web React Vue …]\n' +
      '    M[React Native]\n' +
      '    T[Ink terminal]\n' +
      '  end\n' +
      '  subgraph edge [Your edge / server]\n' +
      '    CH[createChatHandler]\n' +
      '    ASK[createAskServiceHandler]\n' +
      '  end\n' +
      '  subgraph ak [AgentsKit substrate]\n' +
      '    AD[Adapters providers]\n' +
      '    RG[RAG memory tools]\n' +
      '  end\n' +
      '  W --> CH\n' +
      '  M --> CH\n' +
      '  T --> CH\n' +
      '  W --> ASK\n' +
      '  CH --> AD\n' +
      '  ASK --> RG'
  }
/>

## Next.js App Router

```ts
// app/api/chat/route.ts
import { createChatHandler } from '@agentskit/chat/server'
import { verifyBearer } from '@/lib/auth'
import { chats } from '@/lib/chats'
import { sessions } from '@/lib/session-storage'

const handler = createChatHandler({
  authenticate: async request => {
    const identity = await verifyBearer(request)
    return identity
      ? { ok: true, context: identity }
      : { ok: false, response: new Response('Unauthorized', { status: 401 }) }
  },
  resolveDefinition: context => chats.forTenant(context?.tenantId),
  sessionStorage: context => sessions.forTenant(context?.tenantId),
})

export const POST = (request: Request) => handler(request)
```

Ask route: same pattern with [`createAskServiceHandler`](/docs/backend).

## Hono

```ts
import { Hono } from 'hono'
import { createChatHandler } from '@agentskit/chat/server'

const chat = createChatHandler({ /* authenticate, resolveDefinition, sessionStorage */ })
const app = new Hono()
app.post('/api/chat', c => chat(c.req.raw))
export default app
```

## Express (Node 18+)

```ts
import express from 'express'
import { createChatHandler } from '@agentskit/chat/server'

const chat = createChatHandler({ /* … */ })
const app = express()

app.post('/api/chat', async (req, res) => {
  const disconnected = new AbortController()
  const abort = () => { if (!res.writableEnded) disconnected.abort() }
  req.once('aborted', abort)
  res.once('close', abort)

  const headers = new Headers()
  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(req.headers)) {
    if (typeof value === 'string') headers.set(key, value)
    else if (Array.isArray(value)) value.forEach(item => headers.append(key, item))
  }

  const request = new Request(`http://${req.headers.host}${req.url}`, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers,
    body: req,
    duplex: 'half',
    signal: disconnected.signal,
  } as RequestInit)

  const response = await chat(request)
  res.status(response.status)
  response.headers.forEach((v, k) => res.setHeader(k, v))
  if (!response.body) { res.end(); return }
  const reader = response.body.getReader()
  const pump = async (): Promise<void> => {
    const { done, value } = await reader.read()
    if (done) { res.end(); return }
    res.write(Buffer.from(value))
    return pump()
  }
  await pump()
})
```

## Cloudflare Worker

```ts
import { createChatHandler } from '@agentskit/chat/server'

const chat = createChatHandler({ /* … */ })

export default {
  fetch(request: Request) {
    if (new URL(request.url).pathname === '/api/chat' && request.method === 'POST') {
      return chat(request)
    }
    return new Response('Not found', { status: 404 })
  },
}
```

## Checklist

1. Shared `defineChat` definition (no secrets in the client)
2. Server-side adapter + keys via [AgentsKit providers](https://www.agentskit.io/docs/data/providers)
3. Auth before body parse
4. CAS [`SessionStorage`](/docs/sessions)
5. Native shell per surface ([examples](/docs/examples/multi-surface))

## Related

- [Server](/docs/server)
- [Backend Ask](/docs/backend)
- [Connect backend](/docs/guides/connect-backend)
- [CLI](/docs/cli)