Authentication

Better Auth supports multiple authentication methods out of the box. You can enable one or many, and they all work together seamlessly.

Available Methods

Email & Password

The most common authentication method. Enable it in your auth config:

export const auth = betterAuth({
  emailAndPassword: {
    enabled: true,
    requireEmailVerification: true, // Optional
    minPasswordLength: 8, // Default: 8
    maxPasswordLength: 128, // Default: 128
  },
});

Password Hashing

Better Auth uses Argon2id by default for password hashing — the most secure algorithm recommended by OWASP. You can also use bcrypt or scrypt:

export const auth = betterAuth({
  emailAndPassword: {
    enabled: true,
    password: {
      hash: "bcrypt", // "argon2" | "bcrypt" | "scrypt"
      saltRounds: 12, // For bcrypt
    },
  },
});

Social Sign-on

See Social Sign-on for detailed provider setup.

Choosing a Method

• Email & Password — Best for most apps. Users expect it. Always offer alongside social.
• Social Sign-on — Reduces friction. Great for B2C apps. Use Google + GitHub at minimum.
• Magic Link — Passwordless simplicity. Good for internal tools and dashboards.
• Passkeys — Most secure. Growing browser support. Great as a 2FA fallback.

Deep Dives

• Social Sign-on — Google, GitHub, Discord, and 20+ providers
• Email Verification — Verify user emails with tokens