Developer Tools - Better Auth Studio

Overview

The Developer Tools section provides essential utilities for developing and testing your Better Auth integration. Test OAuth flows, validate configuration, generate secrets, decode JWTs, check password strength, and export data.

Accessing Developer Tools

Navigate to Tools from the main sidebar to access all developer utilities.

Available Tools

OAuth Testing

Test OAuth Providers

Test your OAuth provider configurations with real authentication flows. Supports all Better Auth OAuth providers including GitHub, Google, Discord, Microsoft, and more.

How to Test OAuth

Open OAuth Tester

Click Test OAuth Providers in the Tools page

Select Provider

Choose from your configured OAuth providers:

GitHub
Google
Discord
Microsoft
Twitter
Facebook
And many more…

Start Test

Click Test to initiate OAuth flow:

Opens popup window with provider login
Authenticates with OAuth provider
Returns to Studio with results

View Results

Terminal shows test progress:

Opening OAuth popup
Waiting for authentication
Verifying with Better Auth
User information returned
Success or failure status

OAuth Test Output

Successful test shows:

User name and email from provider
OAuth account created or linked
Session established
Test duration

Failed test shows:

Error message
Possible causes
Configuration suggestions

OAuth tests create real user accounts and sessions. Use test/development environments.

Configuration Validator

Validate Better Auth Config

Analyze your Better Auth configuration for errors, warnings, and best practice violations.

Running Validation

Open Validator

Click Validate Configuration tool

Run Checks

Validator automatically checks:

Required configuration fields
Plugin compatibility
Database adapter setup
OAuth provider configuration
Security settings
Email provider setup

Review Results

Results are categorized:

Errors (red) - Must fix
Warnings (yellow) - Should review
Passes (green) - Configured correctly

Fix Issues

Each issue includes:

Description of the problem
Severity level
Suggested fix
Code example (when applicable)

Validation Categories

Security Checks

Secret key strength
Session expiration settings
CORS configuration
HTTPS enforcement
Cookie security flags

Plugin Checks

Plugin compatibility
Required dependencies
Plugin configuration
Conflicting plugins

Database Checks

Adapter configuration
Database connection
Schema compatibility
Migration status

OAuth Checks

Provider credentials
Redirect URI configuration
Scope settings
Provider-specific settings

Database Connection Test

Test Database

Verify your database connection and adapter configuration.

Run Test

Click Test Database Connection

Connection Check

Tests:

Database reachability
Adapter initialization
Query execution
Schema validation

View Results

Success shows:

Connection established
Sample user record (if exists)
Database type and version

Failure shows:

Error message
Connection details
Troubleshooting steps

Secret Generator

Generate Secure Secrets

Create cryptographically secure secrets for BETTER_AUTH_SECRET and other sensitive configuration.

Generate a Secret

Open Generator

Click Generate Secret tool

Configure

Choose secret options:

Length - 16, 32 (default), 64, or 128 bytes
Format - Hex or Base64

Generate

Click Generate SecretOutput includes:

Secret value (copyable)
Format and length
Entropy bits
.env format example

Save to .env (Self-hosted only)

Click Write to .env to:

Check for existing secret
Confirm overwrite if exists
Save to .env or .env.local
Show file path

Recommended settings:

Length: 32 bytes minimum
Format: Hex (more compatible)
Always use environment variables, never hardcode

Password Hasher

Hash Passwords

Generate password hashes for testing or migration purposes.

Open Hasher

Click Hash Password tool

Enter Password

Type or paste password
Optionally add salt
Choose hash algorithm:
- SHA-256 (default)
- SHA-384
- SHA-512
Select encoding:
- Hex (default)
- Base64
- Base64URL

Generate Hash

Click Hash PasswordOutput shows:

Hashed value (copyable)
Algorithm and encoding used
Salt (if provided)

This tool is for testing only. Better Auth handles password hashing automatically.

Password Strength Checker

Check Password Strength

Test passwords against your Better Auth password requirements.

Open Checker

Click Password Strength Checker

Enter Password

Type the password to analyze

Check Strength

Click Check PasswordResults show:

Strength Score - Weak, Fair, Good, Strong, Very Strong
Requirements - Passed/Failed checks:
- Minimum length
- Maximum length
- Uppercase letters
- Lowercase letters
- Numbers
- Special characters
Meets Config - Whether it passes your Better Auth requirements

JWT Decoder

Decode & Verify JWTs

Decode JWT tokens and verify signatures.

Open Decoder

Click JWT Decoder tool

Paste JWT

Enter the JWT token to decode

Add Secret (Optional)

Provide signing secret to verify signature

Decode

Click Decode JWTOutput shows:

Header - Algorithm, token type
Payload - Claims, user data, expiration
Signature - Valid or Invalid (if secret provided)
Decoded Data - Pretty-printed JSON

UUID Generator & Validator

Generate UUIDs

Create UUID v4 identifiers or validate existing UUIDs.

Generate UUIDs

Open Generator

Click UUID Generator

Set Count

Choose how many UUIDs to generate (1-100)

Generate

Click Generate UUIDsEach UUID is:

Displayed in a list
Copyable with one click
Valid UUID v4 format

Validate UUIDs

Paste UUID

Enter UUID in validation field

Validate

Results show:

Valid or Invalid
Version - UUID version (v1, v4, etc.)
Variant - RFC 4122 compliance

Token Generator

Generate API Keys & Tokens

Create API keys or custom JWT tokens for testing.

Open Generator

Click Token Generator

Choose Type

API Key - Random secure string
JWT - Signed JSON Web Token

Configure JWT (if JWT selected)

Subject - User ID or identifier
Audience - Target application
Expires In - Minutes until expiration
Secret - Signing secret
Custom Claims - Additional JSON data

Generate

Click Generate TokenOutput shows:

Token value (copyable)
Type and configuration
Expiration time (for JWTs)

Data Export

Export Database Data

Export users, sessions, organizations, and other data to JSON or CSV.

Open Exporter

Click Export Data tool

Select Tables

Choose what to export:

Users
Sessions
Organizations
Teams
Accounts
Invitations

Configure Export

Format - JSON or CSV
Limit - Number of records (default 1000)

Export

Click ExportDownloads file with:

Selected data
Chosen format
Timestamp in filename

OAuth Credentials Helper

Get OAuth Credentials

Fetch test OAuth credentials from Better Auth Studio backend for development.

Open Helper

Click OAuth Credentials tool

Select Provider

Choose OAuth provider:

Google
GitHub
Discord
Microsoft
And more…

Enter Origin

Provide your app origin:

localhost:3000
myapp.com
Auto-detected from config

Fetch Credentials

Click Fetch CredentialsReturns:

Client ID - OAuth client ID
Client Secret - OAuth secret (hidden by default)
Redirect URI - Configured callback URL

Save to .env (Self-hosted only)

Optionally write credentials to .env file:

Checks for existing values
Confirms overwrite
Saves in correct format

This uses Better Auth Studio’s test credentials for development. Use your own credentials in production.

Migration Helpers

Run Migrations

Migrate users from other authentication providers to Better Auth.

Supported Migrations

Clerk

Migrate from Clerk:

Downloads Clerk CSV export
Fetches REST API data
Preserves passwords and TOTP secrets
Respects Better Auth plugins

Supabase

Planned migration from Supabase:

Export auth.users and auth.identities
Preserve password hashes
Support incremental migrations

Auth0

Planned migration from Auth0:

Use Management API bulk exports
Maintain password hash compatibility
Migrate applications and roles

NextAuth.js

Planned migration from NextAuth.js:

Read existing NextAuth database
Move refresh tokens and OAuth profiles
Support multiple database adapters

Running Clerk Migration

Open Migration Tool

Click Run Migration tool

Select Provider

Choose Clerk

Review Migration Script

See the full migration code that will run

Execute

Click Run MigrationTerminal shows:

Migration preparation
CSV download progress
User creation progress
Success/failure count
Completion summary

Migrations modify your database. Always test in a development environment first.

Custom Migration Script

Write your own migration:

Select Custom Script

Choose Custom Script option

Write Migration Code

Use the code editor to write your migration:

import { migrateUser } from '@better-auth/migration';

async function run() {
  const users = await fetchLegacyUsers();
  
  for (const user of users) {
    await migrateUser({
      email: user.email,
      passwordHash: user.passwordHash,
      metadata: user.metadata,
    });
  }
}

run();

Execute

Click Run Migration to execute your script

Tool Categories

Tools are organized by function:

OAuth - OAuth provider testing and credentials
Database - Connection testing and data export
Testing - Password checking, JWT decoding
Utilities - Secret generation, UUID creation, token generation
Migration - Provider migration tools

Best Practices

Test in Development

Always test OAuth, migrations, and configurations in development before production.

Use Strong Secrets

Generate secrets with 32+ bytes
Use hex encoding for compatibility
Never commit secrets to version control

Validate Configuration

Run config validator before deploying
Fix all errors
Address warnings when possible

Export Before Migrations

Export existing data before running migrations
Test migration on backup database
Verify data integrity after migration

Security Considerations

Developer tools are powerful. Follow these security guidelines:

Restrict Access - Only allow trusted developers to access Tools
Use Test Accounts - OAuth tests create real accounts; use test users
Protect Secrets - Never share generated secrets or paste them publicly
Development Only - Some tools (like migration) should only run in dev
Review Migrations - Always review migration scripts before execution

Troubleshooting

OAuth test popup blocked

OAuth test times out

Verify OAuth provider credentials are correct
Check redirect URI matches configuration
Ensure OAuth app is not suspended
Review Better Auth logs for errors

Cannot write to .env file

Only available in self-hosted mode:

Verify file system permissions
Check .env file exists and is writable
Ensure running in self-hosted deployment

Config validation shows false errors

Ensure using latest Better Auth version
Check plugin compatibility
Review Better Auth documentation for changes

API Reference

Developer tools use these endpoints:

GET /api/tools/oauth/providers - List OAuth providers
POST /api/tools/oauth/test - Start OAuth test
GET /api/tools/oauth/status - Check OAuth test status
POST /api/tools/validate-config - Validate configuration
GET /api/database/test - Test database connection
POST /api/tools/generate-secret - Generate secret
POST /api/tools/password-strength - Check password
POST /api/tools/migrations/run - Execute migration

User Management - Test tools create users
Session Management - OAuth tests create sessions
Event Tracking - Tool actions generate events

Get Started

Core Features

Self-Hosting

Configuration

Guides

​Overview

​Accessing Developer Tools

​Available Tools

​OAuth Testing

Test OAuth Providers

​How to Test OAuth

​OAuth Test Output

​Configuration Validator

Validate Better Auth Config

​Running Validation

​Validation Categories

​Database Connection Test

Test Database

​Secret Generator

Generate Secure Secrets

​Generate a Secret

​Password Hasher

Hash Passwords

​Password Strength Checker

Check Password Strength

​JWT Decoder

Decode & Verify JWTs

​UUID Generator & Validator

Generate UUIDs

​Generate UUIDs

​Validate UUIDs

​Token Generator

Generate API Keys & Tokens

​Data Export

Export Database Data

​OAuth Credentials Helper

Get OAuth Credentials

​Migration Helpers

Run Migrations

​Supported Migrations

Clerk

Supabase

Auth0

NextAuth.js

​Running Clerk Migration

​Custom Migration Script

​Tool Categories

​Best Practices

​Security Considerations

​Troubleshooting

​API Reference

​Related Features

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Accessing Developer Tools

Available Tools

OAuth Testing

How to Test OAuth

OAuth Test Output

Configuration Validator

Running Validation

Validation Categories

Database Connection Test

Secret Generator

Generate a Secret

Password Hasher

Password Strength Checker

JWT Decoder

UUID Generator & Validator

Generate UUIDs

Validate UUIDs

Token Generator

Data Export

OAuth Credentials Helper

Migration Helpers

Supported Migrations

Running Clerk Migration

Custom Migration Script

Tool Categories

Best Practices

Security Considerations

Troubleshooting

API Reference

Related Features