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Add architecture documentation and usage examples
Co-authored-by: hotlong <50353452+hotlong@users.noreply.github.com>
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‎packages/plugins/plugin-auth/ARCHITECTURE.md‎

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# Better-Auth Integration: Direct Forwarding Approach
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## Decision Summary
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**Chosen Approach:** Direct Request Forwarding
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**Implementation Date:** 2026-02-10
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**Status:** ✅ Implemented and Tested
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## Problem Statement
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When integrating the better-auth library (v1.4.18) into `@objectstack/plugin-auth`, we needed to decide between two architectural approaches:
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1. **Direct Forwarding**: Forward all HTTP requests directly to better-auth's universal handler
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2. **Manual Implementation**: Implement wrapper methods for each authentication operation
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## Analysis
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### Better-Auth Architecture
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Better-auth v1.4.18 provides a **universal handler** pattern:
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```typescript
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type Auth = {
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handler: (request: Request) => Promise<Response>;
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api: InferAPI<...>;
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// ...
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}
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```
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This handler:
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- Accepts Web standard `Request` objects
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- Returns Web standard `Response` objects
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- Handles ALL authentication routes internally
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- Is framework-agnostic (works with Next.js, Hono, Express, etc.)
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### Hono Framework Compatibility
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Our HTTP server uses Hono, which already uses Web standard Request/Response:
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- Hono Context provides `c.req.raw` → Web `Request`
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- Hono accepts Web `Response` objects directly
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- **No conversion needed!**
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### Approach Comparison
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| Aspect | Direct Forwarding ✅ | Manual Implementation |
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|--------|---------------------|----------------------|
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| Code Size | ~100 lines | ~250 lines |
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| Maintenance | Minimal - better-auth handles it | High - must sync with better-auth updates |
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| Features | All better-auth features automatic | Must implement each feature manually |
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| Type Safety | Full TypeScript from better-auth | Custom types, may drift |
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| Bug Risk | Low - using library as designed | High - custom code, edge cases |
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| Updates | Get better-auth updates automatically | Must update wrapper code |
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| OAuth Support | Built-in, configured via options | Must implement OAuth flows |
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| 2FA Support | Built-in, configured via options | Must implement 2FA logic |
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| Passkeys | Built-in, configured via options | Must implement WebAuthn |
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| Magic Links | Built-in, configured via options | Must implement email flows |
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## Decision: Direct Forwarding
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### Rationale
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1. **Library Design Intent**: Better-auth's universal handler is the **recommended integration pattern**
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2. **Minimal Code**: ~150 lines removed, simpler to maintain
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3. **Full Feature Support**: All better-auth features work automatically
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4. **Future-Proof**: Better-auth updates require no code changes
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5. **Type Safety**: Full TypeScript support from better-auth
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6. **Standard Pattern**: Aligns with better-auth documentation examples
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### Implementation
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#### Before (Manual Approach)
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```typescript
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// Custom wrapper methods (200+ lines)
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httpServer.post('/auth/login', async (req, res) => {
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const result = await authManager.login(req.body);
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res.json(result);
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});
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httpServer.post('/auth/register', async (req, res) => {
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const result = await authManager.register(req.body);
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res.json(result);
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});
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// ... many more routes
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```
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#### After (Direct Forwarding)
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```typescript
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// Single wildcard route (~30 lines)
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rawApp.all('/api/v1/auth/*', async (c) => {
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const request = c.req.raw; // Web Request
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const authPath = url.pathname.replace(basePath, '');
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const rewrittenRequest = new Request(authPath, { ... });
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const response = await authManager.handleRequest(rewrittenRequest);
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return response; // Web Response
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});
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```
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### Trade-offs
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**Given Up:**
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- Fine-grained control over individual routes
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- Ability to easily intercept/modify requests
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**Solutions:**
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- Use Hono middleware for request interception if needed
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- Use better-auth plugins for custom behavior
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- Access `authManager.api` for programmatic operations
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## Results
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### Metrics
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- **Lines of Code Removed**: 156 (261 → 105 in auth-manager.ts)
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- **Test Coverage**: 11/11 tests passing
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- **Build Status**: ✅ Success
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- **Type Safety**: ✅ Full TypeScript support
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### Features Enabled
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- ✅ Email/Password Authentication
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- ✅ OAuth Providers (Google, GitHub, etc.)
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- ✅ Session Management
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- ✅ Password Reset
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- ✅ Email Verification
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- ✅ 2FA (when enabled)
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- ✅ Passkeys (when enabled)
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- ✅ Magic Links (when enabled)
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- ✅ Organizations (when enabled)
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## Usage Example
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```typescript
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import { AuthPlugin } from '@objectstack/plugin-auth';
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const plugin = new AuthPlugin({
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secret: process.env.AUTH_SECRET,
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baseUrl: 'http://localhost:3000',
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// OAuth providers - just configuration, no implementation needed
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providers: [
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{
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id: 'google',
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clientId: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID,
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clientSecret: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET,
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}
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],
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// Advanced features - just enable, no implementation needed
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plugins: {
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organization: true, // Multi-tenant support
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twoFactor: true, // 2FA
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passkeys: true, // WebAuthn
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magicLink: true, // Passwordless
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}
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});
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```
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All better-auth endpoints work immediately:
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- `/api/v1/auth/sign-up/email`
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- `/api/v1/auth/sign-in/email`
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- `/api/v1/auth/authorize/google`
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- `/api/v1/auth/two-factor/enable`
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- `/api/v1/auth/passkey/register`
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- And many more...
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## Lessons Learned
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1. **Use Libraries as Designed**: Better-auth provides a universal handler for a reason
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2. **Less Code = Less Bugs**: The simplest solution is often the best
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3. **Trust the Framework**: Better-auth has battle-tested auth logic
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4. **Embrace Standards**: Web standard Request/Response makes integration seamless
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## References
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- [Better-Auth Documentation](https://www.better-auth.com/docs)
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- [PR #580](https://github.com/objectstack-ai/spec/pull/580) - Initial better-auth integration
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- Analysis Document: `/tmp/better-auth-approach-analysis.md`

‎packages/plugins/plugin-auth/examples/basic-usage.ts‎

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/**
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* Auth Plugin Usage Example
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*
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* This example demonstrates how to use the AuthPlugin
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* in an ObjectStack application.
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* This example demonstrates how to use the AuthPlugin with better-auth
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* in an ObjectStack application. All requests are forwarded directly
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* to better-auth's universal handler.
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*/
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import { ObjectKernel } from '@objectstack/core';
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await kernel.start();
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console.log('🚀 Server started with auth plugin');
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console.log('📍 Auth endpoints available at:');
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console.log(' - POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/login');
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console.log(' - POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/register');
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console.log(' - POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/logout');
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console.log(' - GET http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/session');
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console.log('📍 Better-auth endpoints available at:');
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console.log('');
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console.log(' Email/Password:');
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console.log(' - POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/sign-up/email');
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console.log(' - POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/sign-in/email');
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console.log(' - POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/sign-out');
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console.log(' - GET http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/get-session');
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console.log('');
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console.log(' Password Management:');
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console.log(' - POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/forget-password');
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console.log(' - POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/reset-password');
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console.log('');
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console.log(' OAuth (if configured):');
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console.log(' - GET http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/authorize/google');
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console.log(' - GET http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/authorize/github');
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console.log('');
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console.log(' See https://www.better-auth.com/docs for complete API reference');
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console.log('');
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// Access the auth service from the kernel
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const authService = kernel.getService('auth');

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