Read sessions, protect routes, and run sign in/up/out with Better Auth.
Prerequisites
Complete these setup recipes first:
- Better Auth Setup
Client-Side Sessions
Use the auth client hooks from @/lib/auth/client in client components.
"use client";
import { useSession, signOut } from "@/lib/auth/client";
export function UserMenu() { const { data: session, isPending } = useSession();
if (isPending) return Loading...; if (!session) return Sign In;
return ( {session.user.name} <button onClick={() => signOut()}>Sign Out ); }
### Server-Side Sessions
In Server Components and API routes, call `auth.api.getSession` with the request `headers`.
```typescript
import { auth } from "@/lib/auth/server";
import { headers } from "next/headers";
const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers: await headers() });
if (!session) {
return new Response("Unauthorized", { status: 401 });
}
// session.user.id for queries...
Guarding Routes
Redirect unauthenticated users away from protected pages, and authenticated users away from auth pages.
import { redirect } from "next/navigation";
import { headers } from "next/headers";
import { auth } from "@/lib/auth/server";
export default async function ProtectedPage() {
const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers: await headers() });
if (!session) redirect("/sign-in");
return <Dashboard user={session.user} />;
}
export default async function SignInPage() {
const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers: await headers() });
if (session) redirect("/chats");
return <SignIn />;
}
After validating the session, fetch user-specific data in parallel.
const [chats, profile] = await Promise.all([
getUserChats(session.user.id),
getUserProfile(session.user.id),
]);
Sign In / Up / Out
import { signIn, signUp, signOut } from "@/lib/auth/client";
await signIn.email({ email, password, callbackURL: "/chats" });
await signIn.social({ provider: "google", callbackURL: "/chats" });
await signUp.email({ email, password, name, callbackURL: "/verify-email" });
await signOut({
fetchOptions: { onSuccess: () => router.push("/") },
});