Unlocking Secure Authentication in Next.js Applications

The Importance of Authentication

In today’s digital landscape, authentication is a critical component of web applications. It ensures that only authorized users can access sensitive information, protecting both the user and the application from potential threats. With Next.js, developers can create robust and scalable applications, but they often struggle with implementing authentication. Should they build their own system or rely on a third-party service?

Introducing Auth0

Auth0 is a flexible, drop-in solution for adding authentication and authorization services to applications. This powerful tool allows developers to add security to their applications using any language or stack. With features like Multi-Factor Authentication, Social Login, Single Sign-on, and Analytics, Auth0 provides a comprehensive authentication solution.

Auth0 Next.js SDK

The Auth0 Next.js SDK is a game-changer for Next.js developers. This SDK enables seamless integration of Auth0’s authentication capabilities into Next.js applications. By leveraging both client-side and server-side methods, developers can create robust and secure authentication systems.

Implementing Auth0 in Next.js

To get started, create an Auth0 account and navigate to the Auth0 Dashboard. Create a new application, choosing Next.js as the framework or stack. Update the Application URIs subsection with the necessary details, including allowed callback URLs and logout URLs.

npx create-next-app my-app
cd my-app
npm install @auth0/nextjs-auth0 dotenv

Configuring Auth0 for Next.js

Create a new file called .env in the root directory, adding the necessary credentials provided by Auth0.

AUTH0_DOMAIN='your-auth0-domain'
AUTH0_CLIENT_ID='your-auth0-client-id'
AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET='your-auth0-client-secret'

Building App Components and Routes

Create a new folder called components inside the src directory. Inside the components folder, create a new folder called Navbar. Inside Navbar, create a file called Navbar.jsx, building a functional component with dynamic links for signing in and out.

import { useAuth0 } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0';

const Navbar = () => {
  const { isAuthenticated, loginWithPopup, logout } = useAuth0();

  return (

  );
};

export default Navbar;

Building a Form Component

Create a form component for users to add notes to their application. Use localStorage as a database for storing notes. Build an input field, submit button, and function to submit notes.

import React, { useState } from 'eact';

const Form = () => {
  const [note, setNote] = useState('');

  const handleSubmit = (event) => {
    event.preventDefault();
    // Add note to localStorage
  };

  return (

  );
};

export default Form;

Building the Notes Component

Write a function that acts as a backbone for adding notes to the application. Initialize functions for editing and deleting notes after they have been added by a user. Create an Edit button for editing notes and a Delete button for deleting posts using a conditional statement.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'eact';

const Notes = () => {
  const [notes, setNotes] = useState([]);
  const [editing, setEditing] = useState(false);

  useEffect(() => {
    // Get notes from localStorage
  }, []);

  const handleEdit = (index) => {
    // Edit note logic
  };

  const handleDelete = (index) => {
    // Delete note logic
  };

  return (

{notes.map((note, index) => (
• {note}
  {editing? (
  handleEdit(index)}>Edit
  ) : (
  handleDelete(index)}>Delete
  )}

))}

  );
};

export default Notes;

Storing and Editing Notes

Create a new folder called utils inside the src directory. Write the logic for storing and editing notes in local storage. Add a method to monitor the length of the array of the user’s notes and store it as JSON strings in local storage.

const storeNotes = (notes) => {
  localStorage.setItem('notes', JSON.stringify(notes));
};

const getNotes = () => {
  const notes = localStorage.getItem('notes');
  return notes? JSON.parse(notes) : [];
};

export { storeNotes, getNotes };

Rendering the Application

Update the index.js file in the api directory to render the entire application. Use the useEffect Hook to get notes from local storage and render them as default notes. Add a title for the application and a button for adding a note.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'eact';
import Head from 'next/head';
import Navbar from '../components/Navbar';
import Form from '../components/Form';
import Notes from '../components/Notes';

const Home = () => {
  const [notes, setNotes] = useState([]);

  useEffect(() => {
    // Get notes from localStorage
  }, []);

  return (

  );
};

export default Home;

The Power of Auth0

In this article, we explored how to set up Auth0 for authentication in Next.js applications. We built a Notes application using Next.js and the Auth0 Next.js SDK, adding features like sign in, sign out, and email verification. Auth0 is a powerful tool for adding authentication to your project, and its flexibility makes it an ideal solution for developers.