Using Authentication

The nile auth commands help you set up and manage authentication in your applications. These commands streamline the process of adding multi-tenant authentication to your projects and managing authentication-related configurations.

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Overview

nile auth quickstart --nextjs    # Add Multi-tenant Authentication in 2 minutes
nile auth env                    # Generate environment variables
nile auth env --output .env.local # Save environment variables to a file

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Quick Start Guide

The quickstart command helps you create a new application with Nile authentication pre-configured. Currently supports Next.js applications.

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Creating a Next.js Application with Authentication

nile auth quickstart --nextjs

This command will:

1. Create a new Next.js application
2. Set up database credentials
3. Install required Nile packages
4. Configure API routes
5. Add authentication components
6. Start the development server

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What Gets Created

The quickstart command sets up the following structure:

nile-app/
├── .env.local              # Environment variables
├── app/
│   ├── page.tsx           # Main page with auth components
│   └── api/
│       └── [...nile]/     # Nile API routes
│           ├── nile.ts    # Nile configuration
│           └── route.ts   # API route handlers
└── package.json           # Project dependencies

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Authentication Components

The command sets up a basic authentication page with:

import {
  SignOutButton,
  SignUpForm,
  SignedIn,
  SignedOut,
  UserInfo,
} from "@niledatabase/react";
import "@niledatabase/react/styles.css";

export default function SignUpPage() {
  return (
    <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center min-h-screen">
      <SignedIn>
        <UserInfo />
        <SignOutButton />
      </SignedIn>
      <SignedOut>
        <SignUpForm />
      </SignedOut>
    </div>
  );
}

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Environment Variables

The env command helps you generate and manage authentication-related environment variables.

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Generating Environment Variables

# Display variables in terminal
nile auth env

# Save variables to a file
nile auth env --output .env.local

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Generated Variables

The command creates the following environment variables:

NILEDB_USER=your_database_user
NILEDB_PASSWORD=your_database_password
NILEDB_API_URL=https://us-west-2.api.thenile.dev/v2/databases/your_database_id
NILEDB_POSTGRES_URL=postgres://us-west-2.db.thenile.dev:5432/your_database

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Best Practices

1. Environment Variables

   • Always use --output flag to save variables to .env.local
   • Add .env.local to your .gitignore
   • Never commit sensitive credentials to version control

2. Authentication Components

   • Customize the authentication UI to match your application’s design
   • Add additional fields to the sign-up form as needed
   • Implement proper error handling

3. Security

   • Keep your database credentials secure
   • Regularly rotate credentials using nile auth env
   • Use environment variables for all sensitive information

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

1. Quickstart Command Fails

   # Ensure you're connected to Nile
   nile connect login
   
   # Verify workspace and database are set
   nile config
   

2. Environment Variables Not Working

   # Regenerate environment variables
   nile auth env --output .env.local
   
   # Restart your development server
   npm run dev
   

3. Authentication Components Not Showing

   # Ensure Nile packages are installed
   npm install @niledatabase/server @niledatabase/react
   
   # Check API routes are properly configured
   ls app/api/[...nile]/
   

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Related Commands

• nile connect login - Connect to Nile using browser-based authentication
• nile local start - Start local development environment
• nile config - Configure workspace and database settings

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Examples

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Basic Authentication Setup

# Create new Next.js app with authentication
nile auth quickstart --nextjs

# Generate environment variables
nile auth env --output .env.local

# Start the development server
cd nile-app
npm run dev

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Custom Authentication Flow

1. Create a new Next.js app manually

   npx create-next-app@latest my-app
   cd my-app
   

2. Install Nile packages

   npm install @niledatabase/server @niledatabase/react
   

3. Generate environment variables

   nile auth env --output .env.local
   

4. Set up API routes and components manually

   mkdir -p app/api/[...nile]
   # Add nile.ts and route.ts files
   # Customize authentication components
   

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API Reference

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nile auth quickstart

Options:

• --nextjs - Create a Next.js application (required)

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nile auth env

Options:

• --output <file> - Save variables to a file (optional)

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Further Reading

• Nile Authentication Documentation
• Next.js Integration Guide
• Custom Authentication Flows