ClickHouse API
Build a ClickHouse API from typed query definitions
The hard part of building a ClickHouse API is not opening an HTTP port. It is keeping request validation, auth, response shapes, and query logic from turning into four separate layers of code. hypequery keeps those concerns attached to the same query definition.
Package
@hypequery/serve
Docs generation
Automatic OpenAPI
Best fit
Analytics APIs and product backends
A raw ClickHouse client is not an API layer
The official client runs queries, but you still have to design request validation, auth, response shapes, and endpoint contracts yourself. That is where most ClickHouse API work actually goes.
Hand-written route handlers duplicate query logic
Teams often copy the same analytics query into Express routes, Next.js handlers, and internal services. Every change becomes a multi-file refactor with more room for drift.
Frontend and integration teams need a stable contract
A usable ClickHouse API is not just SQL over HTTP. Consumers need typed inputs, typed outputs, and documentation they can rely on without reverse-engineering network traffic.
How it works
Define the query once and expose it as an endpoint
hypequery lets you define a query once, type it from the live ClickHouse schema, validate inputs with Zod, and expose the same contract over HTTP with OpenAPI docs. That is the shortest path from ClickHouse query logic to a real API.
- Query definitions become typed API endpoints
- Inputs validated with Zod before the query runs
- Response types inferred from the ClickHouse schema
- Auth and tenant context injected per request
- OpenAPI spec and Swagger UI generated automatically
Step 1
Define the query contract
The query definition is the contract. Once it exists, you can run it locally or expose it over HTTP without rewriting the logic.
Step 2
Serve the same contract as a ClickHouse API
Pass your query definitions to serve() and each query becomes a validated endpoint. OpenAPI output is generated from the same contract, so the docs stay aligned with the implementation.
This is the main difference from ad hoc route handlers. The query stays first-class instead of being hidden inside a controller.
If your team needs dashboards, internal tools, or product features on top of ClickHouse, this keeps the data contract consistent across all of them.
Step 2
Expose the API endpoints
No hand-written route per query. The API surface comes from the query definitions you already reviewed and typed.
Where teams usually get stuck
The questions this page should answer
ClickHouse API
A practical ClickHouse API needs validation, auth context, typed responses, and reusable query logic. hypequery handles that by turning query definitions into endpoints.
API for ClickHouse in TypeScript
If you are building a ClickHouse API in TypeScript, the shortest path is a typed query layer plus automatic serving and OpenAPI generation rather than hand-writing every route.
How do I build an API layer on top of ClickHouse?
Define the query once, type it from the live schema, then expose it over HTTP. That is the layer @hypequery/serve is designed to provide.
ClickHouse API with OpenAPI docs
OpenAPI generation is part of the workflow, not an afterthought. The same contract that defines the query also defines the API docs.
Further reading
Go deeper where it actually helps
ClickHouse REST API
The fuller REST-focused page with more detail on how typed endpoints and delivery paths work in practice.
Open guide
ClickHouse OpenAPI generation
See how the OpenAPI spec is generated from your query contracts and how consumers can use it.
Open guide
ClickHouse Query Builder
The query-definition layer that sits underneath the API endpoints and keeps the logic reusable.
Open guide
ClickHouse Next.js
Use the same typed query contracts inside App Router handlers and server-side application code.
Open guide
Next step
Start with hypequery and expose your first ClickHouse API endpoint
Generate schema types, define one real query, and serve it as a validated endpoint. That is the fastest way to prove the ClickHouse API workflow on your own schema.