Echo is deliberately small. It gives Go services a fast router, a capable context, middleware, binding, rendering, and enough extension points to shape an application around its own constraints.

EchoNext does not try to replace that foundation. It focuses on one narrower question: how can a route's Go types become a useful HTTP contract?

The cost of parallel definitions

A conventional endpoint can accumulate several descriptions of the same behavior:

  • the request struct used by the handler;
  • the validation calls around that struct;
  • the response serialization;
  • an OpenAPI schema maintained elsewhere;
  • examples written by hand in documentation.

Each description can be correct on its own and still disagree with the others after the endpoint changes.

Let the handler carry more information

EchoNext reads the request and response types in a registered handler, binds and validates the request before business logic runs, and adds the same contract to an OpenAPI document.

type CreateUserRequest struct {
    Name  string `json:"name" validate:"required,min=2"`
    Email string `json:"email" validate:"required,email"`
}

func createUser(c echo.Context, req CreateUserRequest) (User, error) {
    return users.Create(req)
}

The point is not fewer lines at any cost. The point is that the remaining lines carry consistent information across the compiler, runtime validation, and generated documentation.

Keep the escape hatch close

Some routes are a poor fit for a fixed JSON contract. Streaming responses, unusual content negotiation, and highly dynamic payloads can be clearer as standard Echo handlers.

That is why EchoNext embeds Echo and allows typed and standard handlers to coexist. Adoption can happen endpoint by endpoint, and the underlying framework remains visible when a service needs it.

Start with the public boundary

The best first candidate is usually an endpoint consumed outside the service: a route where request validation and accurate API documentation create immediate value. The quickstart shows the complete path from installation to generated Swagger UI.