Better Auth

Better Auth is a comprehensive, framework-agnostic authentication framework for TypeScript. It provides built-in support for email/password authentication, social OAuth providers (Google, GitHub, Apple, Discord, and more), and a plugin ecosystem for adding features like 2FA, organization management, and passkey authentication without reinventing the wheel.

Quick References

File	Purpose
`packages/better-auth/src/index.ts`	Main export entry point
`packages/better-auth/src/auth/full.ts`	`betterAuth()` function (full mode with Kysely)
`packages/better-auth/src/auth/minimal.ts`	`betterAuth()` function (minimal mode with adapters)
`README.md`	Project overview

Packages

Package	npm name	Description
`packages/better-auth`	`better-auth`	Main library with server and client libraries
`packages/cli`	`@better-auth/cli`	CLI for generating database schemas and migrations
`packages/core`	`@better-auth/core`	Core utilities and types

When to Use

Building TypeScript web applications requiring user authentication
Implementing OAuth social login (Google, GitHub, Apple, etc.)
Adding advanced auth features like 2FA, organization management, or passkeys
Needing framework-agnostic solution for React, Vue, Svelte, Solid, vanilla JS
Building apps with complex auth scenarios (multi-tenant, SCIM, admin panels)

Installation

npm install better-auth
pnpm install better-auth

For specific framework clients:

npm install better-auth  # React client included
# Framework-specific clients:
npm install better-auth/react
npm install better-auth/vue
npm install better-auth/svelte

Best Practices

Set environment variables first - Configure BETTER_AUTH_SECRET (32+ chars) and BETTER_AUTH_URL before creating auth instance
Use adapter for your ORM - Choose Drizzle, Prisma, or adapter for better type safety
Enable email verification - Require email verification to reduce spam accounts
Configure rate limiting - Protect endpoints from abuse in production
Use framework-specific integrations - Next.js, SvelteKit, etc. have helper functions for cookie handling
Run database migrations after installing plugins - Use CLI to add plugin schemas
Keep secret secure - Never commit BETTER_AUTH_SECRET to version control

Common Patterns

Basic server setup:

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";

export const auth = betterAuth({
    emailAndPassword: { enabled: true },
    socialProviders: {
        github: {
            clientId: process.env.GITHUB_CLIENT_ID!,
            clientSecret: process.env.GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET!,
        },
    },
});

Database adapter pattern:

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { prismaAdapter } from "better-auth/adapters/prisma";
import { PrismaClient } from "@/generated/prisma/client";

const prisma = new PrismaClient();
export const auth = betterAuth({
    database: prismaAdapter(prisma, { provider: "postgresql" }),
});

Plugin configuration:

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { twoFactor } from "better-auth/plugins";

export const auth = betterAuth({
    plugins: [twoFactor()],
});

Client initialization (React):

import { createAuthClient } from "better-auth/react";

export const authClient = createAuthClient({
    baseURL: "http://localhost:3000",
});

Email sign-up:

const { data, error } = await authClient.signUp.email({
    email: "user@example.com",
    password: "securepassword123",
    name: "John Doe",
    callbackURL: "/dashboard",
});

Social sign-in:

await authClient.signIn.social({
    provider: "github",
    callbackURL: "/dashboard",
});

Accessing session (React):

const { data: session, isPending } = authClient.useSession();

Server-side session check:

import { auth } from "./auth";
import { headers } from "next/headers";

const session = await auth.api.getSession({
    headers: await headers(),
});

Mounting handler (Next.js):

import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";
import { toNextJsHandler } from "better-auth/next-js";

export const { GET, POST } = toNextJsHandler(auth);

API Quick Reference

Export	Type	Description
`betterAuth()`	function	Initialize server-side auth instance with Kysely
`createAuthClient()`	function	Initialize client-side auth instance
`toNextJsHandler()`	function	Convert auth handler for Next.js
`toNodeHandler()`	function	Convert auth handler for Node.js/Express
`svelteKitHandler()`	function	Convert auth handler for SvelteKit
`toSolidStartHandler()`	function	Convert auth handler for SolidStart
`prismaAdapter()`	function	Database adapter for Prisma
`drizzleAdapter()`	function	Database adapter for Drizzle ORM
`mongodbAdapter()`	function	Database adapter for MongoDB
`twoFactor()`	function	Plugin for two-factor authentication
`magicLink()`	function	Plugin for magic link authentication
`organization()`	function	Plugin for organization/team management
`username()`	function	Plugin for username authentication
Client Methods	Various	`signIn.email()`, `signUp.email()`, `signOut()`, `getSession()`

Client Methods

signIn.email() - Sign in with email/password
signUp.email() - Sign up with email/password
signIn.social() - Sign in with OAuth provider
signOut() - Sign out current session
getSession() - Get session data
useSession() - Hook for reactive session access

Server API Methods

auth.api.getSession() - Get session from request
auth.api.signInEmail() - Sign in user (server)
auth.api.signUpEmail() - Sign up user (server)
Plus plugin-specific methods

better-auth