Unlocking the Power of Next-Auth: A Step-by-Step Guide to Integrating with a Custom .NET Backend

cd my-next-app

Step 2: Install Next-Auth

Install Next-Auth using the following command:

yarn add next-auth

Step 3: Configure Next-Auth

Create a new file called next-auth.config.js in the root of your project:

module.exports = {
  // Configure one or more authentication providers
  providers: [
    {
      id: 'custom',
      type: 'custom',
      // Custom authentication function
      async authenticate(request, response) {
        // TO DO: Implement custom authentication logic
      },
    },
  ],
};

In this example, we’re defining a custom authentication provider with an authenticate function. This function will be responsible for handling incoming authentication requests.

Step 4: Implement Custom Authentication Logic

In the authenticate function, you’ll need to implement the custom authentication logic that communicates with your .NET backend. Let’s use a simple example that sends a request to a .NET API endpoint to authenticate a user:

async authenticate(request, response) {
  const { email, password } = request.body;

  // Make a request to your .NET API endpoint
  const res = await fetch('https://your-dotnet-backend.com/api/authenticate', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ email, password }),
  });

  const data = await res.json();

  if (data.error) {
    return null;
  }

  // Return the authenticated user
  return {
    id: data.userId,
    name: data.username,
    email: data.email,
  };
}

In this example, we’re sending a POST request to a .NET API endpoint with the user’s email and password. The API endpoint will validate the credentials and return a JSON response containing the authenticated user’s details.

Step 5: Integrate with Your .NET Backend

Now, let’s create a .NET API endpoint to handle the authentication request:

[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class AuthenticateController : ControllerBase
{
    private readonly UserManager _userManager;

    public AuthenticateController(UserManager userManager)
    {
        _userManager = userManager;
    }

    [HttpPost]
    public async Task Authenticate([FromBody] AuthenticateModel model)
    {
        var user = await _userManager.FindByEmailAsync(model.Email);

        if (user != null && await _userManager.CheckPasswordAsync(user, model.Password))
        {
            return Ok(new AuthenticateResponse
            {
                UserId = user.Id,
                Username = user.UserName,
                Email = user.Email,
            });
        }

        return BadRequest("Invalid username or password.");
    }
}

public class AuthenticateModel
{
    public string Email { get; set; }
    public string Password { get; set; }
}

public class AuthenticateResponse
{
    public string UserId { get; set; }
    public string Username { get; set; }
    public string Email { get; set; }
}

This .NET API endpoint uses the UserManager class to validate the user’s credentials and return a JSON response containing the authenticated user’s details.

Step 6: Use Next-Auth in Your Application

Finally, let’s modify the pages/_app.js file to use Next-Auth:

import { AppProps } from 'next/app';
import { SessionProvider } from 'next-auth/react';

function MyApp({ Component, pageProps: { session, ...pageProps } }) {
  return (
    <SessionProvider session={session}>
      <Component {...pageProps} />
    </SessionProvider>
  );
}

export default MyApp;

This sets up the Next-Auth session provider, which will handle authentication and authorization for your application.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully integrated Next-Auth with a custom .NET backend. This powerful combination enables you to effortlessly manage authentication and authorization in your .NET application, while leveraging the scalability and performance of Next.js.

Remember, this is just the beginning. Next-Auth offers many more features and customization options, allowing you to tailor the authentication workflow to your specific needs. Take advantage of its robust functionality to build a seamless user experience in your application.

Get started with Next-Auth today and discover the power of streamlined authentication and authorization in your .NET application!

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