Auth Bootstrapper

Auth Bootstrapper

I add production-ready BetterAuth authentication to Apso backends, giving you a fully functional authenticated REST API in under 5 minutes with zero manual steps.

Core Capabilities

1. setup-backend-with-auth

Complete backend setup from scratch with authentication

What I automate:

• Create Apso backend project structure
• Generate .apsorc with BetterAuth entities
• Run apso server code generation
• Fix known integration issues automatically
• Set up environment variables
• Initialize database
• Verify all endpoints work
• Test authentication flows

Usage: "Setup backend with auth" or "Create new backend with authentication"

2. add-auth-to-existing

Add BetterAuth to existing Apso backend

What I automate:

• Analyze current .apsorc schema
• Detect and resolve entity naming conflicts
• Add BetterAuth entities (User, account, session, verification)
• Regenerate code with apso server
• Fix DTO and entity issues
• Update database schema
• Configure auth endpoints
• Test integration

Usage: "Add auth to my backend" or "Integrate BetterAuth"

3. fix-auth-issues

Auto-fix common BetterAuth integration problems

Issues I fix automatically:

• Missing id field in DTOs
• Nullable field constraints
• Entity naming conflicts
• AppModule wiring issues
• Database NOT NULL constraint errors
• CORS configuration
• Session cookie settings

Usage: "Fix auth issues" or "My auth isn't working"

4. verify-auth-setup

Run comprehensive verification checks

What I verify:

• Database tables exist and are correct
• All CRUD endpoints respond
• User signup flow works
• User signin flow works
• Session creation works
• Token validation works
• Multi-tenancy isolation works
• Organization auto-creation works

Usage: "Verify auth setup" or "Test the backend"

The 5-Minute Setup Process

When you say "setup backend with auth", I execute this fully automated workflow:

Phase 1: Project Initialization (30 seconds)

# 1. Create backend directory
mkdir backend && cd backend

# 2. Initialize Apso project
npx apso init

# 3. Install dependencies
npm install

Phase 2: Schema Configuration (1 minute)

I create .apsorc with:

BetterAuth Required Entities:

• User (PascalCase) - Authentication user entity
• account (lowercase) - OAuth/credential providers
• session (lowercase) - Active user sessions
• verification (lowercase) - Email verification tokens

Business Entities (renamed to avoid conflicts):

• Organization (NOT "Account") - Multi-tenant root
• DiscoverySession (NOT "Session") - Your business sessions
• Junction tables for relationships

Critical Configuration Points:

{
  "service": "your-backend",
  "database": {
    "provider": "postgresql",
    "multiTenant": true,
    "tenantKey": "account_id"
  },
  "entities": {
    "User": {
      "fields": {
        "avatar_url": { "nullable": true },      // ← MUST be nullable
        "password_hash": { "nullable": true },   // ← MUST be nullable
        "oauth_provider": { "nullable": true },  // ← MUST be nullable
        "oauth_id": { "nullable": true }         // ← MUST be nullable
      }
    }
  }
}

See references/apsorc-templates/ for complete examples.

Phase 3: Code Generation (30 seconds)

# Generate NestJS backend
apso server

# This creates:
# - REST API controllers
# - TypeORM entities
# - DTOs with validation
# - Service layer
# - OpenAPI docs

Phase 4: Automatic Fixes (1 minute)

I apply these fixes automatically (no manual intervention):

Fix 1: Add id to Create DTOs

// backend/src/autogen/User/dtos/User.dto.ts
export class UserCreate {
  @ApiProperty()
  @IsUUID()
  id: string;  // ← I add this automatically

  // ... rest of fields
}

Fix 2: Verify Nullable Fields

// backend/src/autogen/User/User.entity.ts
@Column({ nullable: true })  // ← I verify this is set
avatar_url: string;

@Column({ nullable: true })  // ← I verify this is set
password_hash: string;

Fix 3: AppModule Wiring

// backend/src/app.module.ts
// I ensure all auth modules are imported
imports: [
  UserModule,
  AccountModule,
  SessionModule,
  VerificationModule,
  OrganizationModule,
  // ...
]

Phase 5: Environment Setup (30 seconds)

I create .env files:

# .env.development
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3001

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5433/backend_dev

# BetterAuth (I generate secure secrets)
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=generated-32-char-secret
BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:3001

# CORS
ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:3003

Phase 6: Database Initialization (1 minute)

# Start PostgreSQL via Docker
docker-compose up -d

# Run migrations (TypeORM sync)
npm run start:dev

# Verify tables created
psql -U postgres -d backend_dev -c "\dt"

Expected tables:

• user
• account
• session
• verification
• organization
• account_user

Phase 7: Verification & Testing (1 minute)

I run these tests automatically:

Test 1: Server Health

curl http://localhost:3001/health
# Expected: {"status": "ok"}

Test 2: User Signup

curl -X POST http://localhost:3001/Users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "id": "generated-uuid",
    "email": "test@example.com",
    "name": "Test User",
    "email_verified": false
  }'
# Expected: User object with ID

Test 3: Database Verification

SELECT id, email, name, email_verified FROM "user";
SELECT id, "userId", "providerId" FROM account;
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM organization;

Test 4: CRUD Operations

# GET all users
curl http://localhost:3001/Users

# GET user by ID
curl http://localhost:3001/Users/{id}

# UPDATE user
curl -X PATCH http://localhost:3001/Users/{id} \
  -d '{"name": "Updated Name"}'

# DELETE user
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:3001/Users/{id}

Complete .apsorc Templates

I provide ready-to-use templates in references/apsorc-templates/:

1. minimal-auth.json

Use for: Simple apps with just authentication Includes: User, account, session, verification, Organization

2. saas-platform.json

Use for: Full SaaS with multi-tenancy Includes: Auth + Organization + Projects + Billing + Audit logs

3. marketplace.json

Use for: Multi-vendor platforms Includes: Auth + Vendors + Products + Orders + Reviews

4. collaboration-tool.json

Use for: Team collaboration apps Includes: Auth + Workspaces + Channels + Messages + Files

Common Issues I Auto-Fix

Issue 1: "null value in column 'avatar_url' violates not-null constraint"

What I do:

1. Check User.entity.ts for nullable settings
2. Update to @Column({ nullable: true })
3. Drop and recreate database schema
4. Verify with test insert

Script: references/fix-scripts/fix-nullable-fields.sh

Issue 2: "null value in column 'id' of relation 'account'"

What I do:

1. Add id field to accountCreate DTO
2. Add id field to UserCreate DTO
3. Add @IsUUID() validator
4. Regenerate OpenAPI docs

Script: references/fix-scripts/fix-dto-id-fields.sh

Issue 3: "Entity 'Account' conflicts with Better Auth"

What I do:

1. Detect conflict in .apsorc parsing
2. Rename Account → Organization
3. Update all foreign key references
4. Update entity descriptions
5. Regenerate code

Script: references/fix-scripts/fix-entity-conflicts.sh

Issue 4: "AppModule doesn't import auth entities"

What I do:

1. Parse AppModule imports
2. Add missing module imports
3. Verify module wiring
4. Test module loading

Script: references/fix-scripts/fix-app-module.sh

Environment Variables Management

I manage these environment files:

.env.development

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3001
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5433/backend_dev
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=dev-secret-min-32-chars
BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:3001
ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:3003
LOG_LEVEL=debug

.env.test

NODE_ENV=test
PORT=3002
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5433/backend_test
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=test-secret-min-32-chars
LOG_LEVEL=error

.env.production (template)

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3001
DATABASE_URL=${DATABASE_URL}  # From AWS RDS
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=${BETTER_AUTH_SECRET}  # From AWS Secrets Manager
BETTER_AUTH_URL=https://api.yourdomain.com
ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://yourdomain.com
LOG_LEVEL=info

Verification Checklist

Before marking setup as complete, I verify:

Backend Services:

• Server starts without errors (port 3001)
• Database connection successful
• All tables created in database
• OpenAPI docs accessible at /api/docs
• Health endpoint returns 200

Entity Endpoints:

• GET /Users returns 200
• POST /Users creates user
• GET /accounts returns 200
• GET /sessions returns 200
• GET /verifications returns 200
• GET /Organizations returns 200

Authentication Flow:

• User signup creates user + account
• User signin validates credentials
• Session creation works
• Token validation works
• Password hashing works

Multi-Tenancy (via scopeBy):

• Organization auto-created on signup
• User-Organization link created
• Queries scoped to organizationId via ScopeGuard
• Cross-tenant access blocked by scope verification

Data Integrity:

• Foreign keys enforced
• Unique constraints work
• Nullable fields accept null
• Required fields reject null
• Enums validate values

Generated API Documentation

After setup, you get interactive docs at http://localhost:3001/api/docs

Endpoints per entity:

• GET /{entity} - List all (paginated, filtered)
• GET /{entity}/{id} - Get by ID
• POST /{entity} - Create new
• PUT /{entity}/{id} - Full update
• PATCH /{entity}/{id} - Partial update
• DELETE /{entity}/{id} - Delete

Built-in features:

• Pagination: ?page=1&limit=10
• Sorting: ?sort=created_at&order=desc
• Filtering: ?status=active
• Search: ?search=keyword
• Relations: ?include=organization,user

File Structure Created

backend/
├── src/
│   ├── autogen/              # ⚠️ NEVER MODIFY - Auto-generated by Apso
│   │   ├── User/
│   │   │   ├── User.entity.ts
│   │   │   ├── User.controller.ts
│   │   │   ├── User.service.ts
│   │   │   └── dtos/User.dto.ts
│   │   ├── account/
│   │   ├── session/
│   │   ├── verification/
│   │   ├── Organization/
│   │   └── guards/           # ⚠️ AUTO-GENERATED - Auth & scope guards
│   │       ├── auth.guard.ts     # AuthGuard for session validation
│   │       ├── scope.guard.ts    # ScopeGuard for multi-tenant data isolation
│   │       ├── guards.module.ts  # NestJS module for guards
│   │       └── index.ts          # Barrel exports
│   │
│   ├── extensions/           # ✅ Your custom code (safe to modify)
│   │   ├── auth/
│   │   │   ├── auth.decorator.ts
│   │   │   └── auth.service.ts
│   │   └── organization/
│   │       └── organization.hooks.ts
│   │
│   ├── common/
│   │   ├── filters/
│   │   ├── interceptors/
│   │   └── pipes/
│   │
│   ├── app.module.ts
│   └── main.ts
│
├── test/
│   ├── e2e/
│   │   ├── auth.e2e-spec.ts
│   │   └── users.e2e-spec.ts
│   └── unit/
│
├── .apsorc                   # Schema definition
├── .env.development
├── .env.test
├── docker-compose.yml
├── package.json
└── README.md

Important: Guards are now generated inside src/autogen/guards/ to clearly indicate they are auto-generated and should not be manually edited. All files in autogen/ are overwritten on every apso server scaffold run.

Troubleshooting Commands

I provide these commands for debugging:

# Check database connection
npm run db:ping

# View all tables
npm run db:tables

# Run migrations
npm run db:migrate

# Seed test data
npm run db:seed

# Reset database
npm run db:reset

# View logs
npm run logs

# Test all endpoints
npm run test:e2e

# Generate new migration
npm run migration:generate -- -n AddAuthTables

CRITICAL: Better Auth Architecture

Understanding how Better Auth stores credentials is essential for debugging!

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Better Auth Data Model                                 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                           │
│  User table:              account table:                                  │
│  ┌────────────────┐       ┌─────────────────────────────┐                │
│  │ id             │       │ id                          │                │
│  │ email          │───────│ userId                      │                │
│  │ name           │   1:N │ providerId = "credential"   │ ← CRITICAL!    │
│  │ email_verified │       │ password (bcrypt hash)      │ ← Password!    │
│  │ avatar_url     │       │ accountId                   │                │
│  └────────────────┘       └─────────────────────────────┘                │
│                                                                           │
│  KEY INSIGHT: Passwords are in the ACCOUNT table, NOT the User table!    │
│                                                                           │
│  Sign-in flow:                                                            │
│  1. Better Auth calls: findUserByEmail(email, { includeAccounts: true }) │
│  2. Adapter returns user WITH accounts array populated                    │
│  3. Better Auth finds: user.accounts.find(a => a.providerId === "credential")
│  4. Password verified against account.password (bcrypt)                   │
│                                                                           │
│  If providerId is undefined/null → Login ALWAYS fails!                   │
│                                                                           │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Why Signup Works But Login Fails

The most common issue is: signup succeeds but login fails with "Invalid email or password".

Root Cause: The account.providerId field is not being set to "credential" during account creation, OR the adapter isn't returning it correctly during user lookup.

Solution:

1. Use @apso/better-auth-adapter@2.0.2 or higher
2. Ensure .apsorc has providerId field in account entity
3. Verify database: SELECT "providerId" FROM account; should show "credential"

Integration with Frontend

After backend setup, I guide you to:

1. Install BetterAuth adapter in frontend (CRITICAL: use v2.0.2+):

   cd frontend
   npm install better-auth @apso/better-auth-adapter@latest
   

2. Configure auth client:

   // frontend/lib/auth.ts
   import { betterAuth } from 'better-auth';
   import { createApsoAdapter } from '@apso/better-auth-adapter';
   
   export const auth = betterAuth({
     database: createApsoAdapter({
       baseUrl: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL || 'http://localhost:3001',
     }),
     emailAndPassword: { enabled: true },
   });
   

3. Test end-to-end flow (BOTH signup AND login!):

   • Frontend signup → Backend creates user + account with providerId="credential"
   • Frontend signin → Backend validates via account.password (NOT user.password_hash!)
   • Frontend protected route → Backend validates token

Reference Documentation

All in references/:

• apsorc-templates/ - Complete .apsorc examples
• fix-scripts/ - Automated fix scripts
• verification-commands/ - Test commands
• troubleshooting/ - Common issues & solutions
• better-auth-integration.md - Complete auth guide

Success Metrics

Setup time: < 5 minutes from start to working API Manual steps: 0 (fully automated) Error rate: < 5% (auto-fixes handle most issues) Test coverage: 100% of CRUD endpoints verified

Ready to Start?

Just say:

• "Setup backend with auth" - Complete new backend
• "Add auth to backend" - Add to existing backend
• "Fix auth issues" - Debug current setup
• "Verify backend" - Run all checks

I'll handle everything automatically and show you exactly what's happening at each step.