Last Login Method

The last login method plugin tracks the most recent authentication method used by users (email, OAuth providers, etc.). This enables you to display helpful indicators on login pages, such as "Last signed in with Google" or prioritize certain login methods based on user preferences.

Installation

<Steps> <Step> ### Add the plugin to your auth config

```ts title="auth.ts"
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth"
import { lastLoginMethod } from "better-auth/plugins" // [!code highlight]

export const auth = betterAuth({
    // ... other config options
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethod() // [!code highlight]
    ]
})
```

</Step> <Step> ### Add the client plugin to your auth client

```ts title="auth-client.ts"
import { createAuthClient } from "better-auth/client"
import { lastLoginMethodClient } from "better-auth/client/plugins" // [!code highlight]

export const authClient = createAuthClient({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethodClient() // [!code highlight]
    ]
})
```

</Step> </Steps>

Usage

Once installed, the plugin automatically tracks the last authentication method used by users. You can then retrieve and display this information in your application.

Getting the Last Used Method

The client plugin provides several methods to work with the last login method:

import { authClient } from "@/lib/auth-client"

// Get the last used login method
const lastMethod = authClient.getLastUsedLoginMethod()
console.log(lastMethod) // "google", "email", "github", etc.

// Check if a specific method was last used
const wasGoogle = authClient.isLastUsedLoginMethod("google")

// Clear the stored method
authClient.clearLastUsedLoginMethod()

UI Integration Example

Here's how to use the plugin to enhance your login page:

tsx

import { authClient } from "@/lib/auth-client"
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
import { Badge } from "@/components/ui/badge"

export function SignInPage() {
    const lastMethod = authClient.getLastUsedLoginMethod()
    
    return (
        <div className="space-y-4">
            <h1>Sign In</h1>
            <div className="relative">
                <Button 
                    onClick={() => authClient.signIn.email({...})}
                    variant={lastMethod === "email" ? "default" : "outline"}
                    className="w-full"
                >
                    Sign in with Email
                    {lastMethod === "email" && (
                        <Badge className="ml-2">Last used</Badge>
                    )}
                </Button>
            </div>
            <div className="relative">
                <Button 
                    onClick={() => authClient.signIn.social({ provider: "google" })}
                    variant={lastMethod === "google" ? "default" : "outline"}
                    className="w-full"
                >
                    Continue with Google
                    {lastMethod === "google" && (
                        <Badge className="ml-2">Last used</Badge>
                    )}
                </Button>
            </div>
            
            <div className="relative">
                <Button 
                    onClick={() => authClient.signIn.social({ provider: "github" })}
                    variant={lastMethod === "github" ? "default" : "outline"}
                    className="w-full"
                >
                    Continue with GitHub
                    {lastMethod === "github" && (
                        <Badge className="ml-2">Last used</Badge>
                    )}
                </Button>
            </div>
        </div>
    )
}

Database Persistence

By default, the last login method is stored only in cookies. For more persistent tracking and analytics, you can enable database storage.

<Steps> <Step> ### Enable database storage

Set `storeInDatabase` to `true` in your plugin configuration:

```ts title="auth.ts"
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth"
import { lastLoginMethod } from "better-auth/plugins"

export const auth = betterAuth({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethod({
            storeInDatabase: true // [!code highlight]
        })
    ]
})
```

</Step> <Step> ### Run database migration

The plugin will automatically add a `lastLoginMethod` field to your user table. Run the migration to apply the changes:

<Tabs items={["migrate", "generate"]}>
  <Tab value="migrate">
    ```package-install
    npx auth@latest migrate
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="generate">
    ```package-install
    npx auth@latest generate
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

</Step> <Step> ### Access database field

When database storage is enabled, the `lastLoginMethod` field becomes available in user objects:

```ts title="user-profile.tsx"
import { auth } from "@/lib/auth"

// Server-side access
const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers })
console.log(session?.user.lastLoginMethod) // "google", "email", etc.

// Client-side access via session
const { data: session } = authClient.useSession()
console.log(session?.user.lastLoginMethod)
```

</Step> </Steps>

Database Schema

When storeInDatabase is enabled, the plugin adds the following field to the user table:

Table: user

export const lastLoginMethodUserTableFields = [ { name: "lastLoginMethod", type: "string", description: "The last authentication method used by the user", isOptional: true, }, ];

Custom Schema Configuration

You can customize the database field name:

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth"
import { lastLoginMethod } from "better-auth/plugins"

export const auth = betterAuth({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethod({
            storeInDatabase: true,
            schema: {
                user: {
                    lastLoginMethod: "last_auth_method" // Custom field name
                }
            }
        })
    ]
})

Configuration Options

The last login method plugin accepts the following options:

Server Options

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth"
import { lastLoginMethod } from "better-auth/plugins"

export const auth = betterAuth({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethod({
            // Cookie configuration
            cookieName: "better-auth.last_used_login_method", // Default: "better-auth.last_used_login_method"
            maxAge: 60 * 60 * 24 * 30, // Default: 30 days in seconds
            
            // Database persistence
            storeInDatabase: false, // Default: false
            
            // Custom method resolution
            customResolveMethod: (ctx) => {
                // Custom logic to determine the login method
                if (ctx.path === "/oauth/callback/custom-provider") {
                    return "custom-provider"
                }
                // Return null to use default resolution
                return null
            },
            
            // GDPR compliance hook
	            beforeStoreCookie: async (ctx, lastUsedLoginMethod) => {
	                // Check if user has given consent for non-essential cookies
	                // Return false to prevent cookie storage
	                const hasConsent = await checkUserCookieConsent(ctx)
	                return hasConsent
	            },

	            // Schema customization (when storeInDatabase is true)
            schema: {
                user: {
                    lastLoginMethod: "custom_field_name"
                }
            }
        })
    ]
})

cookieName: string

The name of the cookie used to store the last login method
Default: "better-auth.last_used_login_method"
Note: This cookie is httpOnly: false to allow client-side JavaScript access for UI features

maxAge: number

Cookie expiration time in seconds
Default: 2592000 (30 days)

storeInDatabase: boolean

Whether to store the last login method in the database
Default: false
When enabled, adds a lastLoginMethod field to the user table
To store the method only in the database (no cookie), combine with beforeStoreCookie: () => false:

lastLoginMethod({
    storeInDatabase: true,
    beforeStoreCookie: () => false, // never set the non-essential cookie
})

customResolveMethod: (ctx: GenericEndpointContext) => string | null

Custom function to determine the login method from the request context
Return null to use the default resolution logic
Useful for custom OAuth providers or authentication flows

beforeStoreCookie: (ctx: GenericEndpointContext, lastUsedLoginMethod: string) => Promise<boolean> | boolean

Hook function that runs before storing the last login method cookie
Return true to allow the cookie to be set, false to prevent it
Useful for GDPR compliance or other regulations where cookie storage requires user consent
If the function throws an error, the cookie will not be set (error is logged but doesn't break authentication)
Example: Check user consent before storing the cookie

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth"
import { lastLoginMethod } from "better-auth/plugins"

export const auth = betterAuth({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethod({
            beforeStoreCookie: async (ctx, lastUsedLoginMethod) => {
                // Check if user has given consent for non-essential cookies
                // This is important for GDPR compliance
                const hasConsent = await checkUserCookieConsent(ctx)
                return hasConsent
            }
        })
    ]
})

schema: object

Customize database field names when storeInDatabase is enabled
Allows mapping the lastLoginMethod field to a custom column name

Client Options

import { createAuthClient } from "better-auth/client"
import { lastLoginMethodClient } from "better-auth/client/plugins"

export const authClient = createAuthClient({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethodClient({
            cookieName: "better-auth.last_used_login_method", // Default: "better-auth.last_used_login_method"
            domain: ".example.com" // Required for cross-subdomain cookie clearing
        })
    ]
})

cookieName: string

The name of the cookie to read the last login method from
Must match the server-side cookieName configuration
Default: "better-auth.last_used_login_method"

domain: string

The domain to use when clearing the cookie
Required when using crossSubDomainCookies so the client can properly expire the cookie set by the server
Should match the domain value in your server's crossSubDomainCookies configuration

Default Method Resolution

By default, the plugin tracks these authentication methods:

Email authentication: "email"
OAuth providers: Provider ID (e.g., "google", "github", "discord")
OAuth callbacks: Provider ID from URL path
Sign up methods: Tracked the same as sign in methods

The plugin automatically detects the method from these endpoints:

/callback/:id - OAuth callback with provider ID
/sign-in/email - Email sign in
/sign-up/email - Email sign up

Cross-Domain Support

The plugin automatically inherits cookie settings from Better Auth's centralized cookie system. This solves the problem where the last login method wouldn't persist across:

Cross-subdomain setups: auth.example.com → app.example.com
Cross-origin setups: api.company.com → app.different.com

When you enable crossSubDomainCookies or crossOriginCookies in your Better Auth config, the plugin will automatically use the same domain, secure, and sameSite settings as your session cookies, ensuring consistent behavior across your application.

<Callout type="warn"> When using `crossSubDomainCookies`, you must pass the `domain` option to `lastLoginMethodClient()` so that `clearLastUsedLoginMethod()` can properly expire the cookie. Without it, browsers will silently ignore the clear request because the domain doesn't match. </Callout>

import { createAuthClient } from "better-auth/client"
import { lastLoginMethodClient } from "better-auth/client/plugins"

export const authClient = createAuthClient({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethodClient({
            domain: ".example.com" // Must match server crossSubDomainCookies domain // [!code highlight]
        })
    ]
})

The last login method cookie is considered a non-essential cookie under GDPR regulations. To comply with GDPR and similar privacy laws, you should only store this cookie if the user has given explicit consent.

The beforeStoreCookie hook allows you to implement consent checks before storing the cookie:

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth"
import { lastLoginMethod } from "better-auth/plugins"

export const auth = betterAuth({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethod({
            beforeStoreCookie: async (ctx, lastUsedLoginMethod) => {
                // Example 1: Check consent from session or database
                const session = await getSessionFromCtx(ctx)
                if (session?.user) {
                    // custom function which hits your database to check if the user has given consent
                    const userConsent = await checkUserConsent(session.user.id)
                    return userConsent?.allowsNonEssentialCookies ?? false
                }

                // Example 2: Check consent from request headers (cookie banner)
                // parseConsentCookie should return false/null/undefined when no consent is present
                const consentCookie = ctx.request?.headers?.get("cookie")
                const hasConsent = parseConsentCookie(consentCookie)
                return !!hasConsent
            }
        })
    ]
})

<Callout type="warn"> When `beforeStoreCookie` returns `false` or throws an error, the cookie will not be set. Authentication will still succeed normally - only the cookie storage is prevented. </Callout>

Advanced Examples

Custom Provider Tracking

If you have custom OAuth providers or authentication methods, you can use the customResolveMethod option:

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth"
import { lastLoginMethod } from "better-auth/plugins"

export const auth = betterAuth({
    plugins: [
        lastLoginMethod({
            customResolveMethod: (ctx) => {
                // Track custom SAML provider
                if (ctx.path === "/saml/callback") {
                    return "saml"
                }
                
                // Track magic link authentication
                if (ctx.path === "/magic-link/verify") {
                    return "magic-link"
                }
                
                // Track phone authentication
                if (ctx.path === "/sign-in/phone") {
                    return "phone"
                }
                
                // Return null to use default logic
                return null
            }
        })
    ]
})

Usage with Expo

When using Better Auth with Expo, make sure to import the client plugin from @better-auth/expo/plugins rather than from better-auth/plugins/client. This ensures the last login method is stored correctly using the configured storage.

import { createAuthClient } from "better-auth/react"
import { expoClient } from "@better-auth/expo"
import { lastLoginMethodClient } from "@better-auth/expo/plugins" // [!code highlight]
import * as SecureStore from "expo-secure-store"

export const authClient = createAuthClient({
  plugins: [
    expoClient({
      scheme: "myapp",
      storagePrefix: "myapp",
      storage: SecureStore,
    }),
    lastLoginMethodClient({
      storagePrefix: "myapp",
      storage: SecureStorage,
    })
  ]
})

<Callout type="info"> In Expo only apps, where browser support isn’t needed, you can omit the server plugin and rely solely on the client plugin. </Callout>