Auth.js (with Next.js)

Introduction

Auth.js is a flexible, open-source authentication library designed to simplify adding authentication to your Next.js applications.

In this guide, you'll wire Auth.js into a brand-new Next.js app and persist users in a Prisma Postgres database. You can find a complete example of this guide on GitHub.

Prerequisites

Node.js 20+
Basic familiarity with Next.js App Router and Prisma

1. Set up your project

Create a new Next.js application:

npm

npx create-next-app@latest authjs-prisma

It will prompt you to customize your setup. Choose the defaults:

:::info

Would you like to use TypeScript? Yes
Would you like to use ESLint? Yes
Would you like to use Tailwind CSS? Yes
Would you like your code inside a src/ directory? No
Would you like to use App Router? (recommended) Yes
Would you like to use Turbopack for next dev? Yes
_Would you like to customize the import alias (@/_by default)?*No

:::

Navigate to the project directory:

bash

cd authjs-prisma

2. Install and configure Prisma

2.1. Install dependencies

To get started with Prisma, you'll need to install a few dependencies:

npm

npm install prisma tsx @types/pg --save-dev

npm

npm install @prisma/client @prisma/adapter-pg dotenv pg

:::info

If you are using a different database provider (MySQL, SQL Server, SQLite), install the corresponding driver adapter package instead of @prisma/adapter-pg. For more information, see Database drivers.

:::

Once installed, initialize Prisma in your project:

npm

npx prisma init --db --output ../app/generated/prisma

:::info You'll need to answer a few questions while setting up your Prisma Postgres database. Select the region closest to your location and a memorable name for your database like "My Auth.js Project" :::

This will create:

A prisma directory with a schema.prisma file.
A prisma.config.ts file for configuring Prisma
A Prisma Postgres database.
A .env file containing the DATABASE_URL at the project root.
A schema configuration that specifies where the Prisma Client will be generated (../app/generated/prisma).

2.2. Define your Prisma Schema

In the prisma/schema.prisma file, swap the provider to prisma-client and add the runtime vercel-edge to the generator:

prisma

generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client"
  output   = "../app/generated/prisma"
  runtime  = "vercel-edge" // [!code ++]
}

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
}

Add the following models to the schema.prisma file, these models are provided by Auth.js:

prisma

model Account { // [!code ++]
  id                String  @id @default(cuid()) // [!code ++]
  userId            String  @map("user_id") // [!code ++]
  type              String // [!code ++]
  provider          String // [!code ++]
  providerAccountId String  @map("provider_account_id") // [!code ++]
  refresh_token     String? @db.Text // [!code ++]
  access_token      String? @db.Text // [!code ++]
  expires_at        Int? // [!code ++]
  token_type        String? // [!code ++]
  scope             String? // [!code ++]
  id_token          String? @db.Text // [!code ++]
  session_state     String? // [!code ++]

  user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade) // [!code ++]

  @@unique([provider, providerAccountId]) // [!code ++]
  @@map("accounts") // [!code ++]
} // [!code ++]

model Session { // [!code ++]
  id           String   @id @default(cuid()) // [!code ++]
  sessionToken String   @unique @map("session_token") // [!code ++]
  userId       String   @map("user_id") // [!code ++]
  expires      DateTime // [!code ++]
  user         User     @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade) // [!code ++]

  @@map("sessions") // [!code ++]
} // [!code ++]

model User { // [!code ++]
  id            String    @id @default(cuid()) // [!code ++]
  name          String? // [!code ++]
  email         String?   @unique // [!code ++]
  emailVerified DateTime? @map("email_verified") // [!code ++]
  image         String? // [!code ++]
  accounts      Account[] // [!code ++]
  sessions      Session[] // [!code ++]

  @@map("users") // [!code ++]
} // [!code ++]

model VerificationToken { // [!code ++]
  identifier String // [!code ++]
  token      String // [!code ++]
  expires    DateTime // [!code ++]

  @@unique([identifier, token]) // [!code ++]
  @@map("verification_tokens") // [!code ++]
} // [!code ++]

This creates the following models:

Account: Stores OAuth provider information (access tokens, refresh tokens, provider account IDs) and enables users to sign in with multiple providers while maintaining a single user record.
Session: Tracks authenticated user sessions with a unique session token, user ID, and expiration time to maintain authentication state across requests.
User: The core model storing user information (name, email, profile image). Users can have multiple accounts from different providers and multiple active sessions.
VerificationToken: Stores temporary tokens for email verification, password reset, and other security operations with expiration times.

2.3 Add `dotenv` to `prisma.config.ts`

To get access to the variables in the .env file, they can either be loaded by your runtime, or by using dotenv. Include an import for dotenv at the top of the prisma.config.ts

import "dotenv/config"; // [!code ++]
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";
export default defineConfig({
  schema: "prisma/schema.prisma",
  migrations: {
    path: "prisma/migrations",
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env("DATABASE_URL"),
  },
});

2.4. Configure the Prisma Client generator

Now, run the following command to create the database tables and generate the Prisma Client:

npm

npx prisma migrate dev --name init

npm

npx prisma generate

2.5 Create a Prisma Client

Create a new folder in the root called lib and create a new file called prisma.ts in it. This file will contain the Prisma Client:

typescript

import { PrismaClient } from "../app/generated/prisma/client"; // [!code ++]
import { PrismaPg } from "@prisma/adapter-pg"; // [!code ++]

const adapter = new PrismaPg({
  // [!code ++]
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL!, // [!code ++]
}); // [!code ++]

const globalForPrisma = global as unknown as {
  // [!code ++]
  prisma: PrismaClient; // [!code ++]
}; // [!code ++]

const prisma = // [!code ++]
  globalForPrisma.prisma || // [!code ++]
  new PrismaClient({
    // [!code ++]
    adapter, // [!code ++]
  }); // [!code ++]

if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") globalForPrisma.prisma = prisma; // [!code ++]

export default prisma; // [!code ++]

3. Set up Auth.js credentials

3.1. Install dependencies

Install the Auth.js dependencies:

npm

npm install @auth/prisma-adapter next-auth@beta

3.2 Credentials

For this guide, you'll be setting up OAuth with Github. For this, you'll need 3 environment variables:

AUTH_SECRET - Provided by Auth.js
CLIENT_ID - Provided by Github
CLIENT_SECRET - Provided by Github

To get the AUTH_SECRET, you can run the following command:

npm

npx auth secret --copy

--copy will copy the secret to your clipboard. (Normally, just running npx auth secret will add the secret to your .env.local file. To keep it tidy, you can use --copy and add it to the .env file that Prisma created earlier.)

Add the following to the .env file:

text

DATABASE_URL=<YOUR_DATABASE_URL>
AUTH_SECRET=<YOUR_AUTH_SECRET> // [!code ++]

To get the CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET, you can create a new OAuth application on Github.

Navigate to Github Developer Settings
Click on New OAuth App
Enter a name for your app, a home page URL, and a callback URL

Name: Auth.js + Prisma (Or anything you want)
Homepage URL: http://localhost:3000
Callback URL: http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/github

Click Register application
Click Generate new client secret and copy the Client ID and Client Secret.
Add the Client ID and Client Secret to the .env file:

text

DATABASE_URL=<YOUR_DATABASE_URL>
AUTH_SECRET=<YOUR_AUTH_SECRET>
AUTH_GITHUB_ID=<YOUR_GITHUB_CLIENT_ID> // [!code ++]
AUTH_GITHUB_SECRET=<YOUR_GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET> // [!code ++]

3.3. Configure Auth.js

In the /lib folder, create a new file called auth.ts and add the following code:

typescript

import NextAuth from "next-auth";

export const { handlers, auth, signIn, signOut } = NextAuth({
  providers: [],
});

Next, you'll need to add the Github provider to the auth.ts file:

typescript

import NextAuth from "next-auth";
import GitHub from "next-auth/providers/github"; // [!code ++]

export const { handlers, auth, signIn, signOut } = NextAuth({
  providers: [GitHub], // [!code highlight]
});

Users will now be able to sign in with Github. To add them to your database, you'll need to use the Prisma Adapter:

typescript

import NextAuth from "next-auth";
import { PrismaAdapter } from "@auth/prisma-adapter"; // [!code ++]
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma"; // [!code ++]
import GitHub from "next-auth/providers/github";

export const { handlers, auth, signIn, signOut } = NextAuth({
  adapter: PrismaAdapter(prisma), // [!code highlight]
  providers: [GitHub],
});

In the root, create a new file called middleware.ts. This will protect your routes and ensure that only authenticated users can access them:

tsx

export { auth as middleware } from "@/lib/auth";

3.4. Configure the Route

The route handler is required to handle authentication requests from Auth.js. It exports the GET and POST handlers that Auth.js uses for sign-in, sign-out, and callback operations.

Create a new file at app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts:

bash

mkdir -p app/api/auth/[...nextauth]
touch app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts

Add the following code to the file:

tsx

import { handlers } from "@/lib/auth";

export const { GET, POST } = handlers;

That's it! Your app is now secured. To see more configuration options, check out the Auth.js Middleware documentation.

4. Auth components

You will be creating a Sign In and Sign Out button. Create a /components folder in the root and add a new file called auth-components.tsx in it.

Start by importing the signIn and signOut functions from the auth file:

tsx

import { signIn, signOut } from "@/lib/auth";
{
  /* [!code ++] */
}

Next, create the SignIn and SignOut components:

tsx

import { signIn, signOut } from "@/lib/auth";

export function SignIn({ provider }: { provider?: string }) {
  // [!code ++]
  return (
    // [!code ++]
    <form>
      {" "}
      // [!code ++]
      <button className="bg-neutral-700 text-white p-2 rounded-md">
        Sign In with {provider}
      </button>{" "}
      // [!code ++]
    </form> // [!code ++]
  ); // [!code ++]
} // [!code ++]

export function SignOut() {
  // [!code ++]
  return (
    // [!code ++]
    <form>
      {" "}
      // [!code ++]
      <button className="bg-neutral-700 text-white p-2 rounded-md">Sign Out</button> // [!code ++]
    </form> // [!code ++]
  ); // [!code ++]
} // [!code ++]

To add functionality to both of the buttons, add an action to the form that calls the signIn and signOut functions respectively:

tsx

import { signIn, signOut } from "@/lib/auth";

export function SignIn({ provider }: { provider?: string }) {
  return (
    <form
      action={async () => {
        // [!code ++]
        "use server"; // [!code ++]
        await signIn(provider); // [!code ++]
      }} // [!code ++]
    >
      <button className="bg-neutral-700 text-white p-2 rounded-md">Sign In with {provider}</button>
    </form>
  );
}

export function SignOut() {
  return (
    <form
      action={async () => {
        // [!code ++]
        "use server"; // [!code ++]
        await signOut(); // [!code ++]
      }} // [!code ++]
      className="w-full"
    >
      <button className="bg-neutral-700 text-white p-2 rounded-md">Sign Out</button>
    </form>
  );
}

5. Add the components to your app

5.1. Set up the basic page structure

In the /app folder, replace the page.tsx file with the following code:

tsx

const Page = async () => {
  // [!code ++]
  return (
    // [!code ++]
    <div className="min-h-screen bg-black flex items-center justify-center p-4">
      {" "}
      // [!code ++]
      <div className="bg-neutral-800 rounded-lg p-6 max-w-xl w-full">
        {" "}
        // [!code ++]
        <h1 className="text-white text-xl mb-4 text-center">Auth.js + Prisma</h1> // [!code ++]
      </div>{" "}
      // [!code ++]
    </div> // [!code ++]
  ); // [!code ++]
}; // [!code ++]

export default Page; // [!code ++]

5.2. Add imports and authentication check

Import the required components and add session checking:

tsx

import { SignIn, SignOut } from "@/components/auth-components"; // [!code ++]
import { auth } from "@/lib/auth"; // [!code ++]

const Page = async () => {
  const session = await auth();
  {
    /* [!code ++] */
  }

  return (
    <div className="min-h-screen bg-black flex items-center justify-center p-4">
      <div className="bg-neutral-800 rounded-lg p-6 max-w-xl w-full">
        <h1 className="text-white text-xl mb-4 text-center">Auth.js + Prisma</h1>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Page;

5.3. Show content based on auth state

Add the logic to show different content based on whether the user is signed in:

tsx

import { SignIn, SignOut } from "@/components/auth-components";
import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";

const Page = async () => {
  const session = await auth();

  return (
    <div className="min-h-screen bg-black flex items-center justify-center p-4">
      <div className="bg-neutral-800 rounded-lg p-6 max-w-xl w-full">
        <h1 className="text-white text-xl mb-4 text-center">Auth.js + Prisma</h1>

        {!session ? (
          <div className="text-center">
            <SignIn provider="github" />
          </div>
        ) : (
          <div className="space-y-4">
            <div className="text-center">
              <p className="text-gray-300">Signed in as:</p>
              <p className="text-white">{session.user?.email}</p>
            </div>

            <div className="text-center">
              <p className="text-gray-300">Data fetched from DB with Prisma:</p>
            </div>

            <div className="text-center">
              <SignOut />
            </div>
          </div>
        )}
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Page;

5.4. Add the user data to the page

If the user is signed in, you can fetch the user data from the database and display it on the page.

tsx

import { SignIn, SignOut } from "@/components/auth-components";
import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";
{
  /* [!code ++] */
}

const Page = async () => {
  const session = await auth();
  let user = null; // [!code ++]

  if (session) {
    // [!code ++]
    user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
      // [!code ++]
      where: {
        // [!code ++]
        id: session.user?.id, // [!code ++]
      }, // [!code ++]
    }); // [!code ++]
  } // [!code ++]

  return (
    <div className="min-h-screen bg-black flex items-center justify-center p-4">
      <div className="bg-neutral-800 rounded-lg p-6 max-w-xl w-full">
        <h1 className="text-white text-xl mb-4 text-center">Auth.js + Prisma</h1>

        {!session ? (
          <div className="text-center">
            <SignIn provider="github" />
          </div>
        ) : (
          <div className="space-y-4">
            <div className="text-center">
              <p className="text-gray-300">Signed in as:</p>
              <p className="text-white">{session.user?.email}</p>
            </div>
            <div className="text-center">
              <p className="text-gray-300">Data fetched from DB with Prisma:</p>
            </div>
            <div className="bg-neutral-900 rounded p-3">
              {" "}
              // [!code ++]
              <pre className="text-xs text-gray-300">{JSON.stringify(user, null, 2)}</pre> // [!code
              ++]
            </div>{" "}
            // [!code ++]
            <div className="text-center">
              <SignOut />
            </div>
          </div>
        )}
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Page;

6. Test it out

:::warning

Before starting the development server, note that if you are using Next.js v15.2.0 or v15.2.1, do not use Turbopack as there is a known issue. Remove Turbopack from your dev script by updating your package.json

json

"script":{
    "dev": "next dev --turbopack", // [!code --]
    "dev": "next dev", // [!code ++]
}

This change is not needed on any versions before or after.

:::

Your application is now fully configured.

Start the development server to test it:

npm

npm run dev

Navigate to http://localhost:3000 in your browser. You should see the home page with a "Sign In with github" button.
Click on Sign In with github, authorize the app, and you should be redirected to the dashboard. You can then sign out and sign back in.
To view the user data directly in your database, you can use Prisma Studio:

npm

npx prisma studio

This will open a new tab in your browser where you can see the User, Session, and Account tables and their contents.

:::success

Congratulations! You now have a fully functional authentication system built with Auth.js, Prisma, and Next.js.

:::

Introduction

Prerequisites

1. Set up your project

2. Install and configure Prisma

2.1. Install dependencies

2.2. Define your Prisma Schema

2.3 Add dotenv to prisma.config.ts

2.4. Configure the Prisma Client generator

2.5 Create a Prisma Client

3. Set up Auth.js credentials

3.1. Install dependencies

3.2 Credentials

3.3. Configure Auth.js

3.4. Configure the Route

4. Auth components

5. Add the components to your app

5.1. Set up the basic page structure

5.2. Add imports and authentication check

5.3. Show content based on auth state

5.4. Add the user data to the page

6. Test it out

2.3 Add `dotenv` to `prisma.config.ts`