Today I focused on strengthening DevConnect's(the project I'm building as I learn Next.js)) authentication flow.
I added route protection with proxy.ts, making sure unauthenticated users are redirected before they reach protected pages. I also learned why this is mainly for a better user experience—not the actual security layer.
Then I integrated Better Auth, replacing the placeholder login with real authentication, database-backed sessions, and a Data Access Layer (DAL) to centralize authentication logic instead of repeating it across the app.
I also added a reusable authorization layer, moving permission checks into helper functions and introducing user roles to make future features like admin functionality much easier to build and maintain.
It's been really interesting seeing how these pieces fit together to create a cleaner and more secure architecture.
lock in 😊
@shu_codes
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1August 13, 2026 110
