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.

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

Quick Start Guide

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

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

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

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 min-h-screen flex-col items-center justify-center">
      <SignedIn>
        <UserInfo />
        <SignOutButton />
      </SignedIn>
      <SignedOut>
        <SignUpForm />
      </SignedOut>
    </div>
  );
}

Environment Variables

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

Generating Environment Variables

# Display variables in terminal
nile auth env

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

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

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

Troubleshooting

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 @niledatabase/client
   
   # Check API routes are properly configured
   ls app/api/[...nile]/
   

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

Examples

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

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 @niledatabase/client
   

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
   

API Reference

nile auth quickstart

Options:

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

nile auth env

Options:

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

Further Reading

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