Server

Add API routes, server-side logic, and full-stack capabilities with Nitro.

Aero is static-first: pnpm build produces a plain dist/ you can deploy anywhere. When you need API routes, server-side logic, or deployment adapters, opt in to Nitro with a single config flag. Nitro wraps your built HTML — it does not replace Aero’s page compiler.

Enable Nitro only when you need it. Static sites have no server to manage or pay for.

Enable Nitro

Set server: true in your config:

aero.config.ts

import { defineConfig } from '@aero-js/config'

export default defineConfig({
	server: true,
})

Then add a nitro.config.ts at the project root:

nitro.config.ts

import { defineNitroConfig } from 'nitro/config'

export default defineNitroConfig({
	runtimeConfig: {
		appName: 'My Aero App',
	},
})

File conventions

Place server files under server/:

server/
├── api/           → API handlers at /api/*
├── routes/        → Additional route handlers
├── middleware/     → Nitro request-time middleware
├── plugins/       → Nitro lifecycle hooks
└── tasks/         → Runnable server tasks

API handlers

Files in server/api/ are served at /api/.... The filename determines the route and HTTP method:

server/api/submit.post.ts

import { defineHandler, readBody } from 'nitro/h3'

export default defineHandler(async event => {
	const body = await readBody(event)
	return { ok: true, message: body.message }
})

Use route parameters with [param] in the filename:

server/api/users/[id].ts

import { defineHandler, getRouterParam } from 'nitro/h3'

export default defineHandler(event => {
	const id = getRouterParam(event, 'id')
	return { id, name: `User ${id}` }
})

Preview commands

Command	What runs
pnpm preview	Static files only — no Nitro APIs
pnpm preview:api	Full Nitro server from .output/

HTMX and Alpine.js

Aero works naturally with HTMX and Alpine.js for adding interactivity. Because Aero outputs plain HTML with no framework runtime, these libraries integrate without conflicts. Include them via <script> tags — no special configuration needed.

When to use server vs static

Need	Approach
Marketing site, blog, docs	Static only (server: false)
Form submissions, auth, API calls	Enable Nitro (server: true)
Database access, server caching	Enable Nitro + configure storage/DB
HTMX partial responses	Enable Nitro + server routes