Deploy and Host Next.js + Better Auth + Prisma Template on Railway

A production-ready Next.js 16 template featuring authentication with Better Auth, PostgreSQL database integration via Prisma ORM, and a modern UI built with Tailwind CSS 4 and Shadcn UI. Pre-configured with email verification, password reset flows, role-based access control, and transactional emails via Resend.

About Hosting Next.js + Better Auth + Prisma Template

This template provides a complete authentication and database solution for modern web applications. It eliminates weeks of boilerplate setup by combining Next.js's App Router with Better Auth's type-safe authentication system and Prisma's powerful ORM. The stack includes protected routes, admin and user dashboards, OAuth integration (Google), and professional email templates. Built with TypeScript and Bun runtime for blazing-fast performance, it's optimized for Railway's infrastructure with automatic database provisioning and zero-config deployment.

Common Use Cases

• SaaS Applications - Launch subscription-based products with built-in user management and billing-ready infrastructure
• Admin Dashboards - Deploy internal tools with role-based permissions and secure authentication out of the box
• Membership Portals - Create gated content platforms with email verification and password recovery flows
• Multi-tenant Applications - Build apps requiring user isolation with pre-configured session management and security
• MVP Development - Ship prototypes rapidly with authentication, database, and UI components ready to customize

Dependencies for Next.js + Better Auth + Prisma Template

• PostgreSQL Database - Automatically provisioned by Railway for storing user data, sessions, and application state
• Resend API - Required for transactional emails (verification, password reset). Get your API key at resend.com
• Google OAuth Credentials (Optional) - For social login functionality. Configure at Google Cloud Console

Deployment Dependencies

• Better Auth Documentation - Complete authentication configuration guide
• Prisma Schema Reference - Database modeling documentation
• Next.js App Router Guide - Framework routing and server components
• Shadcn UI Components - Pre-built accessible UI components

Implementation Details

Environment Setup: After deployment, configure these environment variables in Railway:

# Auto-provided by Railway PostgreSQL service
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...

# Generate with: openssl rand -base64 32
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=your_secret_here

# Your Railway domain (provided after deployment)
BETTER_AUTH_URL=https://your-app.railway.app

# Google OAuth (optional)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret

# Resend API for emails
RESEND_API_KEY=re_your_api_key
[email protected]

Post-Deployment Commands:

# Run database migrations
npx prisma migrate deploy

# (Optional) Seed initial admin user
npx prisma db seed

Customization Quick Start:

// Update branding in src/app/layout.tsx
export const metadata = {
  title: "Your App Name",
  description: "Your app description"
}

// Modify authentication providers in src/lib/auth.ts
export const auth = betterAuth({
  emailAndPassword: { enabled: true },
  socialProviders: {
    google: { /* your config */ },
    // Add more providers here
  }
})

Why Deploy Next.js + Better Auth + Prisma Template on Railway?

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying Next.js + Better Auth + Prisma Template on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway. With automatic PostgreSQL provisioning, zero-config deployments, and built-in environment variable management, you can focus on building features instead of managing infrastructure. Railway's edge network ensures your authentication flows and database queries remain fast globally, while built-in monitoring helps you track performance and user activity from day one.