Back to blog
February 28, 2025
Authentication with Better Auth
Set up sign-in, sign-up, sessions, and OAuth providers in a Next.js app using Better Auth — without the lock-in.
On this page
What is Better Auth?Server setupRoute handlerReading the sessionSign-in and sign-outProtecting routes with middlewareWhat is Better Auth?
Better Auth is a TypeScript authentication library that runs entirely on your own infrastructure. No third-party service, no per-seat pricing, no vendor lock-in. You own the session data, the user records, and the OAuth tokens.
It integrates directly with Drizzle and Next.js App Router with minimal config.
Server setup
// services/auth/index.ts
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { drizzleAdapter } from "better-auth/adapters/drizzle";
import { db } from "@/services/db";
export const auth = betterAuth({
database: drizzleAdapter(db, { provider: "pg" }),
emailAndPassword: { enabled: true },
socialProviders: {
google: {
clientId: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID!,
clientSecret: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET!,
},
},
});Route handler
Better Auth needs a single catch-all route to handle all auth endpoints:
// app/api/auth/[...all]/route.ts
import { auth } from "@/services/auth";
import { toNextJsHandler } from "better-auth/next-js";
export const { GET, POST } = toNextJsHandler(auth);Reading the session
On the server, call auth.api.getSession directly:
import { auth } from "@/services/auth";
import { headers } from "next/headers";
const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers: await headers() });
if (!session) redirect("/sign-in");On the client, use the authClient:
"use client";
import { authClient } from "@/services/auth/client";
const { data: session } = authClient.useSession();Sign-in and sign-out
// sign in with email
await authClient.signIn.email({ email, password });
// sign in with Google
await authClient.signIn.social({ provider: "google" });
// sign out
await authClient.signOut();Protecting routes with middleware
// middleware.ts
import { auth } from "@/services/auth";
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from "next/server";
export async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers: request.headers });
if (!session) return NextResponse.redirect(new URL("/sign-in", request.url));
return NextResponse.next();
}
export const config = { matcher: ["/admin/:path*", "/settings/:path*"] };