Research Better Auth Patterns

Use this skill when you need to:

•Learn Better Auth setup and configuration
•Understand authentication flows (email/password, OAuth, magic links)
•Research session management and cookies
•Find middleware protection patterns
•Learn role-based access control (RBAC)

Process

•
Identify Auth Need
- •Authentication methods?
- •Session management?
- •Protected routes?
- •User management?
- •RBAC/permissions?

•

Search Documentation (Ref)

code

Query patterns:
- "Better Auth [feature]"
- "Better Auth Next.js setup"
- "Better Auth session management"
- "Better Auth middleware"

•

Find Implementation Examples (Exa)

code

Query patterns:
- "Better Auth Next.js server actions authentication"
- "Better Auth middleware protected routes example"
- "Better Auth OAuth provider setup example"
- "Better Auth role-based access control implementation"

Common Research Topics

Setup and Configuration

typescript

// Documentation
Query: "Better Auth Next.js setup configuration"

// Code examples
Query: "Better Auth Next.js app router configuration example"

Email/Password Auth

typescript

// Documentation
Query: "Better Auth email password authentication"

// Code examples
Query: "Better Auth signup login bcrypt password hash example"

OAuth Providers

typescript

// Documentation
Query: "Better Auth OAuth providers Google GitHub"

// Code examples
Query: "Better Auth OAuth Google authentication Next.js example"

Session Management

typescript

// Documentation
Query: "Better Auth session management cookies"

// Code examples
Query: "Better Auth session validation server component example"

Middleware Protection

typescript

// Documentation
Query: "Better Auth Next.js middleware protected routes"

// Code examples
Query: "Better Auth middleware authentication check redirect example"

User Management

typescript

// Documentation
Query: "Better Auth user CRUD operations"

// Code examples
Query: "Better Auth user profile update password change example"

Authentication Flows

Sign Up

code

Query: "Better Auth signup flow validation email verification"

Sign In

code

Query: "Better Auth login flow remember me session duration"

Password Reset

code

Query: "Better Auth password reset forgot password email token"

Email Verification

code

Query: "Better Auth email verification token expiration"

Two-Factor Auth

code

Query: "Better Auth 2FA TOTP authenticator setup"

Integration Patterns

Server Components

typescript

// Research pattern
Query: "Better Auth Next.js server component auth check example"

Server Actions

typescript

// Research pattern
Query: "Better Auth Next.js server action authentication mutation"

API Routes

typescript

// Research pattern
Query: "Better Auth Next.js API route authentication validation"

Client Components

typescript

// Research pattern
Query: "Better Auth React client component useSession hook"

Authorization Patterns

Role-Based Access Control

code

Query: "Better Auth RBAC role permissions check example"

Protected Routes

code

Query: "Better Auth protected routes middleware redirect example"

Resource Ownership

code

Query: "Better Auth check resource ownership authorization"

API Authorization

code

Query: "Better Auth API route authorization role check"

Session Patterns

Cookie Configuration

code

Query: "Better Auth session cookie httpOnly secure sameSite"

Session Expiration

code

Query: "Better Auth session expiration refresh token example"

Multiple Sessions

code

Query: "Better Auth multiple device sessions management"

Session Storage

code

Query: "Better Auth session storage database Redis"

Security Patterns

Password Security

code

Query: "Better Auth password hashing bcrypt security best practices"

CSRF Protection

code

Query: "Better Auth CSRF protection token validation"

Rate Limiting

code

Query: "Better Auth rate limiting brute force protection"

Account Lockout

code

Query: "Better Auth account lockout failed login attempts"

Database Integration

With Drizzle ORM

code

Query: "Better Auth Drizzle ORM schema integration example"

User Schema

code

Query: "Better Auth user table schema Drizzle PostgreSQL"

Session Schema

code

Query: "Better Auth session table schema database"

Advanced Features

Social Auth

code

Query: "Better Auth social authentication multiple providers"

Magic Links

code

Query: "Better Auth magic link passwordless authentication"

Webhooks

code

Query: "Better Auth webhooks user events notifications"

Account Linking

code

Query: "Better Auth link multiple auth methods single account"

Output Format

Provide:

•Setup guide - Configuration and initialization
•Auth flows - Complete authentication flows
•Code examples - Real implementations from Exa
•Security practices - Password hashing, CSRF, rate limiting
•Integration patterns - Next.js, Drizzle, API routes
•Common pitfalls - What to avoid based on examples

Project Context

Your project uses:

•Better Auth 1.1.3
•bcryptjs 3.0.3 (password hashing)
•Next.js 15 Server Components/Actions
•Drizzle ORM with PostgreSQL
•TypeScript strict mode

Security requirements:

•httpOnly secure cookies
•CSRF protection
•Rate limiting (Upstash Redis)
•Password requirements enforcement

Common Use Cases

User Registration

code

Research: "Better Auth user registration email password validation"

Login System

code

Research: "Better Auth login system remember me session"

Protected Dashboard

code

Research: "Better Auth protected dashboard routes middleware"

Profile Management

code

Research: "Better Auth user profile update password change"

OAuth Integration

code

Research: "Better Auth OAuth Google GitHub integration Next.js"

When to Use

•Setting up authentication
•Adding new auth providers
•Implementing protected routes
•Managing user sessions
•Adding RBAC/permissions
•Debugging auth issues
•Learning Better Auth patterns
•Migrating from other auth systems

Comparison with Other Solutions

Research when to use Better Auth vs:

•NextAuth.js
•Clerk
•Auth0
•Supabase Auth

code

Query: "Better Auth vs NextAuth comparison features"

Related Skills

•research-nextjs (for middleware and routes)
•research-drizzle (for database integration)
•research-security (for security best practices)
•research-zod-validation (for input validation)