Security & Quality

NextAuth.js Authentication

Set up NextAuth.js for authentication in Next.js apps with multiple providers and session management.

Claude Code Cursor Copilot Windsurf

Overview

NextAuth.js is the leading open-source authentication solution for Next.js applications. It provides a complete authentication system with support for dozens of OAuth providers, email/passwordless sign-in, and database sessions out of the box. The library handles complex security concerns like CSRF protection, secure cookies, and JWT encryption automatically.

With NextAuth.js, developers can implement authentication in minutes rather than days. It supports popular providers like Google, GitHub, Apple, and Discord, while also allowing custom OAuth and credential-based providers. Session management can be handled via JWTs or database sessions with adapters for Prisma, Drizzle, TypeORM, and more.

The library is designed with security best practices baked in, including automatic CSRF token rotation, encrypted JWTs, and httpOnly cookies. It integrates seamlessly with Next.js middleware for route protection and provides React hooks and server-side utilities for accessing session data throughout your application.

Who Is This For?

Add Google/GitHub OAuth login to a Next.js app
Implement role-based access control with session callbacks
Set up passwordless email authentication
Protect API routes and server components with session checks

Installation

Setup for Claude Code

npm install next-auth

Configuration

// app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts
import NextAuth from "next-auth"
import GoogleProvider from "next-auth/providers/google"

const handler = NextAuth({
  providers: [
    GoogleProvider({
      clientId: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID!,
      clientSecret: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET!,
    }),
  ],
})

export { handler as GET, handler as POST }