Authentication Patterns in Next.js

Overview

Next.js supports multiple authentication strategies. This skill covers common patterns including NextAuth.js (Auth.js), middleware-based protection, and session management.

Authentication Libraries

Library	Best For
NextAuth.js (Auth.js)	Full-featured auth with providers
Clerk	Managed auth service
Lucia	Lightweight, flexible auth
Supabase Auth	Supabase ecosystem
Custom JWT	Full control

NextAuth.js v5 Setup

Installation

npm install next-auth@beta

Configuration

// auth.ts
import NextAuth from 'next-auth'
import GitHub from 'next-auth/providers/github'
import Credentials from 'next-auth/providers/credentials'

export const { handlers, auth, signIn, signOut } = NextAuth({
  providers: [
    GitHub({
      clientId: process.env.GITHUB_ID,
      clientSecret: process.env.GITHUB_SECRET,
    }),
    Credentials({
      credentials: {
        email: { label: 'Email', type: 'email' },
        password: { label: 'Password', type: 'password' },
      },
      authorize: async (credentials) => {
        const user = await getUserByEmail(credentials.email)
        if (!user || !verifyPassword(credentials.password, user.password)) {
          return null
        }
        return user
      },
    }),
  ],
  callbacks: {
    authorized: async ({ auth }) => {
      return !!auth
    },
  },
})

API Route Handler

// app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts
import { handlers } from '@/auth'

export const { GET, POST } = handlers

Middleware Protection

// middleware.ts
export { auth as middleware } from '@/auth'

export const config = {
  matcher: ['/dashboard/:path*', '/api/protected/:path*'],
}

Getting Session Data

In Server Components

// app/dashboard/page.tsx
import { auth } from '@/auth'
import { redirect } from 'next/navigation'

export default async function DashboardPage() {
  const session = await auth()

  if (!session) {
    redirect('/login')
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome, {session.user?.name}</h1>
    </div>
  )
}

In Client Components

// components/user-menu.tsx
'use client'

import { useSession } from 'next-auth/react'

export function UserMenu() {
  const { data: session, status } = useSession()

  if (status === 'loading') {
    return <div>Loading...</div>
  }

  if (!session) {
    return <SignInButton />
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <span>{session.user?.name}</span>
      <SignOutButton />
    </div>
  )
}

Session Provider Setup

// app/providers.tsx
'use client'

import { SessionProvider } from 'next-auth/react'

export function Providers({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return <SessionProvider>{children}</SessionProvider>
}

// app/layout.tsx
import { Providers } from './providers'

export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
  return (
    <html>
      <body>
        <Providers>{children}</Providers>
      </body>
    </html>
  )
}

Sign In/Out Components

// components/auth-buttons.tsx
import { signIn, signOut } from '@/auth'

export function SignInButton() {
  return (
    <form
      action={async () => {
        'use server'
        await signIn('github')
      }}
    >
      <button type="submit">Sign in with GitHub</button>
    </form>
  )
}

export function SignOutButton() {
  return (
    <form
      action={async () => {
        'use server'
        await signOut()
      }}
    >
      <button type="submit">Sign out</button>
    </form>
  )
}

Middleware-Based Auth

Basic Pattern

// middleware.ts
import { NextResponse } from 'next/server'
import type { NextRequest } from 'next/server'

const protectedRoutes = ['/dashboard', '/settings', '/api/protected']
const authRoutes = ['/login', '/signup']

export function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
  const token = request.cookies.get('session')?.value
  const { pathname } = request.nextUrl

  // Redirect authenticated users away from auth pages
  if (authRoutes.some(route => pathname.startsWith(route))) {
    if (token) {
      return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/dashboard', request.url))
    }
    return NextResponse.next()
  }

  // Protect routes
  if (protectedRoutes.some(route => pathname.startsWith(route))) {
    if (!token) {
      const loginUrl = new URL('/login', request.url)
      loginUrl.searchParams.set('callbackUrl', pathname)
      return NextResponse.redirect(loginUrl)
    }
  }

  return NextResponse.next()
}

export const config = {
  matcher: ['/((?!_next/static|_next/image|favicon.ico).*)'],
}

With JWT Verification

// middleware.ts
import { NextResponse } from 'next/server'
import { jwtVerify } from 'jose'

const secret = new TextEncoder().encode(process.env.JWT_SECRET)

export async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
  const token = request.cookies.get('token')?.value

  if (!token) {
    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/login', request.url))
  }

  try {
    const { payload } = await jwtVerify(token, secret)
    // Token is valid, continue
    return NextResponse.next()
  } catch {
    // Token is invalid
    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/login', request.url))
  }
}

Role-Based Access Control

Extending Session Types

// types/next-auth.d.ts
import { DefaultSession } from 'next-auth'

declare module 'next-auth' {
  interface Session {
    user: {
      role: 'user' | 'admin'
    } & DefaultSession['user']
  }
}

// auth.ts
export const { handlers, auth } = NextAuth({
  callbacks: {
    session: ({ session, token }) => ({
      ...session,
      user: {
        ...session.user,
        role: token.role,
      },
    }),
    jwt: ({ token, user }) => {
      if (user) {
        token.role = user.role
      }
      return token
    },
  },
})

Role-Based Component

// components/admin-only.tsx
import { auth } from '@/auth'
import { redirect } from 'next/navigation'

export async function AdminOnly({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  const session = await auth()

  if (session?.user?.role !== 'admin') {
    redirect('/unauthorized')
  }

  return <>{children}</>
}

// Usage
export default async function AdminPage() {
  return (
    <AdminOnly>
      <AdminDashboard />
    </AdminOnly>
  )
}

Session Storage Options

JWT (Stateless)

// auth.ts
export const { auth } = NextAuth({
  session: { strategy: 'jwt' },
  // JWT stored in cookies, no database needed
})

Database Sessions

// auth.ts
import { PrismaAdapter } from '@auth/prisma-adapter'
import { prisma } from '@/lib/prisma'

export const { auth } = NextAuth({
  adapter: PrismaAdapter(prisma),
  session: { strategy: 'database' },
  // Sessions stored in database
})

Custom Login Page

// app/login/page.tsx
'use client'

import { signIn } from 'next-auth/react'
import { useSearchParams } from 'next/navigation'

export default function LoginPage() {
  const searchParams = useSearchParams()
  const callbackUrl = searchParams.get('callbackUrl') || '/dashboard'

  return (
    <div className="flex flex-col gap-4">
      <button
        onClick={() => signIn('github', { callbackUrl })}
        className="btn"
      >
        Sign in with GitHub
      </button>
      <button
        onClick={() => signIn('google', { callbackUrl })}
        className="btn"
      >
        Sign in with Google
      </button>
    </div>
  )
}

Security Best Practices

Use HTTPS in production
Set secure cookie flags (HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite)
Implement CSRF protection (built into NextAuth)
Validate redirect URLs to prevent open redirects
Use environment variables for secrets
Implement rate limiting on auth endpoints
Hash passwords with bcrypt or argon2

Resources

For detailed patterns, see:

references/middleware-auth.md - Advanced middleware patterns
references/session-management.md - Session strategies
examples/nextauth-setup.md - Complete NextAuth.js setup

auth-patterns

Authentication Patterns in Next.js

Overview

Authentication Libraries

NextAuth.js v5 Setup

Installation

Configuration

API Route Handler

Middleware Protection

Getting Session Data

In Server Components

In Client Components

Session Provider Setup

Sign In/Out Components

Middleware-Based Auth

Basic Pattern

With JWT Verification

Role-Based Access Control

Extending Session Types

Role-Based Component

Session Storage Options

JWT (Stateless)

Database Sessions

Custom Login Page

Security Best Practices

Resources

Similar Skills