Amazon Cognito
Customer identity and access management service for adding user sign-up, sign-in, and authentication to apps
Better Auth
Comprehensive authentication and authorization library for TypeScript
Framework-agnostic authentication library for TypeScript with built-in 2FA, multi-tenant support, and a plugin ecosystem for advanced features with minimal code.
Overview
The Complete TypeScript Authentication Solution
Better Auth is a framework-agnostic authentication and authorization library designed to solve the persistent authentication challenges in the TypeScript ecosystem. Unlike other solutions that require extensive custom code for anything beyond basic login flows, Better Auth delivers a comprehensive feature set out of the box.
Built for Modern Applications
The library provides essential authentication primitives alongside advanced capabilities through its plugin ecosystem. Two-factor authentication, multi-tenant architectures, OAuth/OIDC flows, and SSO integrations can be added with minimal configuration. This approach lets development teams ship secure authentication quickly without sacrificing flexibility or control.
Developer-First Design
Better Auth works seamlessly across TypeScript frameworks and runtime environments. Its MIT license ensures complete freedom to modify and deploy as needed. The project addresses a fundamental gap in the open-source ecosystem: providing production-ready authentication that doesn't force teams toward third-party services or require reinventing standard patterns. Whether building a SaaS platform, internal tool, or consumer application, Better Auth handles the authentication layer so teams can focus on core product development.
Highlights
Framework-agnostic design works across any TypeScript environment
Plugin ecosystem for 2FA, multi-tenant, OAuth, and SSO with minimal code
Comprehensive authorization features alongside authentication primitives
MIT licensed with full source code access and modification rights
Pros
- Extensive feature set reduces custom authentication code significantly
- Active community with 21,000+ GitHub stars and ongoing development
- Plugin architecture enables advanced features without bloating core library
- Framework flexibility supports diverse TypeScript project architectures
Considerations
- TypeScript-only focus may not suit polyglot development environments
- Plugin ecosystem maturity may vary across different authentication patterns
- Self-hosted approach requires infrastructure and maintenance overhead
- Newer project compared to established authentication services
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Fit guide
Great for
- Teams building TypeScript applications requiring full authentication control
- Projects needing advanced features like multi-tenancy or custom OAuth flows
- Organizations preferring self-hosted authentication over third-party services
- Developers seeking MIT-licensed authentication without vendor lock-in
Not ideal when
- Projects requiring non-TypeScript backend integration as primary interface
- Teams preferring fully managed authentication-as-a-service solutions
- Applications needing battle-tested legacy authentication protocol support
- Organizations without resources to maintain self-hosted auth infrastructure
How teams use it
Multi-Tenant SaaS Platform
Deploy isolated authentication per tenant with role-based access control using built-in plugins, eliminating weeks of custom development.
Enterprise SSO Integration
Add OIDC and OAuth2 provider support to existing applications through plugin configuration without rewriting authentication logic.
Secure Internal Tools
Implement 2FA and session management for internal dashboards while maintaining full control over user data and authentication flows.
Framework Migration
Preserve authentication logic when migrating between TypeScript frameworks thanks to framework-agnostic architecture.
Tech snapshot
TypeScript100%
JavaScript1%
HTML1%
Frequently asked questions
Does Better Auth work with my TypeScript framework?
Yes, Better Auth is framework-agnostic and designed to work across any TypeScript environment, including Next.js, SvelteKit, Remix, Express, and others.
What advanced features are available through plugins?
The plugin ecosystem includes two-factor authentication, multi-tenant support, OAuth/OIDC providers, SSO integrations, and other complex authentication patterns that can be added with minimal configuration.
Is Better Auth suitable for production applications?
Better Auth is MIT licensed and used in production environments. However, as a self-hosted solution, you are responsible for deployment, security hardening, and ongoing maintenance of your authentication infrastructure.
How does Better Auth compare to authentication-as-a-service providers?
Better Auth offers full control and customization without vendor lock-in or per-user pricing, but requires you to host and maintain the authentication infrastructure yourself.
Can I contribute to Better Auth or request features?
Yes, Better Auth is open source under MIT license. You can contribute to the source code, suggest new features, and report issues through the GitHub repository.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 25,422
- Watchers
- 25,422
- Forks
- 2,168
LicenseMIT
Repo age1 year old
Last commit10 hours ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageTypeScript
Last synced 4 hours ago