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Getting Started

docs/content/docs/infrastructure/getting-started.mdx

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<Steps> <Step> ## Prerequisites 
Before you begin, make sure you have:

1. A working [Better Auth](/docs/installation) installation
2. An account & API Key from the [Better Auth Infrastructure](/dashboard) dashboard
</Step> <Step> ## Installation 
Install the `@better-auth/infra` package:

```package-install
@better-auth/infra
```
</Step> <Step> ## Environment Variables 
Once you've gotten the API Key from the infrastructure dashboard,
go ahead and add the `BETTER_AUTH_API_KEY` environment variable in your production environment variables.

```dotenv
# Required: Your Better Auth Infrastructure API key
BETTER_AUTH_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
```

<Callout>
  You can get your API key by signing-up and creating a new project in the
  [Better Auth Infrastructure dashboard](/dashboard).
</Callout>
</Step> </Steps>

Server Setup

Basic Configuration

Add the dash() plugin to your Better Auth configuration:

ts
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { dash } from "@better-auth/infra"; // [!code highlight]

export const auth = betterAuth({
  // ... your existing Better Auth config
  plugins: [
    dash({ // [!code highlight]
      apiKey: process.env.BETTER_AUTH_API_KEY, // [!code highlight]
    }), // [!code highlight]
  ],
});

If you're on pro plan or above, you can use the sentinel() plugin to enable security checks, abuse protection, and more:

ts
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { dash, sentinel } from "@better-auth/infra";  // [!code highlight]

export const auth = betterAuth({
  plugins: [
    dash({ /* ... */ }),
    sentinel({ // [!code highlight]
      apiKey: process.env.BETTER_AUTH_API_KEY, // [!code highlight]
    }) // [!code highlight]
  ],
});

Client Setup

Basic Client Configuration

Add the client plugins to your auth client:

ts
import { createAuthClient } from "better-auth/client";
import { dashClient, sentinelClient } from "@better-auth/infra/client";

export const authClient = createAuthClient({
  plugins: [
    dashClient(),
    sentinelClient({
      autoSolveChallenge: true, // Automatically solve PoW challenges
    }),
  ],
});

Expo and React Native

For Expo or React Native clients, import from @better-auth/infra/native instead of @better-auth/infra/client. The native entry provides dashClient (same audit log APIs as the web client) and sentinelNativeClient.

ts
import { createAuthClient } from "better-auth/client";
import { dashClient, sentinelNativeClient } from "@better-auth/infra/native";

export const authClient = createAuthClient({
  baseURL: "https://your-api.example.com",
  plugins: [
    dashClient(),
    sentinelNativeClient({
      autoSolveChallenge: true,
    }),
  ],
});

See Sentinel — Expo and React Native for more details.

Plugin Overview

  • dash() - Enables analytics tracking, audit logging, dashboard admin APIs, and more
  • sentinel() - Enables security checks and abuse protection

You can use either plugin independently, but using both together provides the full Better Auth Infrastructure experience.

Next Steps

Now that you have the basic setup, explore these topics: