Introduction

Chevalier (knight in French) is a small, file-routed Deno meta-framework that renders with Preact and ships islands, not bundles.

It keeps Hono for the HTTP layer and brings a Preact view layer. A page with no islands ships zero client JavaScript. Adding an island never grows a page that doesn't use it.

// app/routes/index.tsx  →  GET /
import Counter from "../islands/counter.tsx";

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <main>
      <h1>Chevalier</h1>
      <Counter start={3} /> {/* the only JS this page ships */}
    </main>
  );
}

Features

• File-based routing. routes/index.tsx → /, blog/[slug].tsx → /blog/:slug, docs/[...rest].tsx catch-all. Familiar conventions, no config.
• Per-page islands. Each page ships only the JS for the islands it actually rendered. No islands, no <script>. An island is declared by path, never a wrapper in your code.
• Split hot-reload. Islands hot-update in place with state preserved (Preact Fast Refresh). Route and layout edits force a full reload.
• Hono all the way down. The HTTP layer stays Hono. Any route file can export const app to serve any method, as a Hono sub-app.
• Tailwind v4. Scaffolds with Tailwind wired for dev and production — utility classes work in pages and islands out of the box.
• Deno-native. JSR package, Vite dev server, no package.json.

Alternatives

Chevalier is inspired by these. Reach for them if they fit better.

• HonoX. The closest shape. File routing and islands on Hono, with its own view layer instead of Preact.
• Fresh. The Deno-native standard. Islands, file routing, and zero client JS by default, rendered with Preact.

Stability

Chevalier is pre-1.0; the API can change between releases. Every release is recorded in the changelog, which also states the stability policy. Pin an exact version and read the entry before upgrading.