Magic Link Authentication in 5 minutes with Next.js + Next-Auth + Full-Stack-Kit
Tags: nextjs, webdev, authjs, javascript
Published: 2024-04-09 05:48:15

In today's digital landscape, user authentication plays a pivotal role in ensuring security while maintaining a seamless user experience. Traditional password-based authentication methods often come with their own set of challenges, including password management issues and security vulnerabilities. However, with the advent of innovative solutions like Magic Link authentication, developers can streamline the login process while bolstering security measures.

**What is Magic Link?**

Magic Link authentication is a modern approach to user authentication that eliminates the need for passwords altogether. Instead, it relies on sending users a unique link via email, which they can click to access their accounts. This method simplifies the login process, enhances user experience, and mitigates password-related hassles.

**What is Full-Stack-Kit?**
[Full-Stack-Kit](https://full-stack-kit.dev) is a Full-Stack Next.js template designed to empower developers in building robust web applications with Next.js, TypeScript & Prisma ORM (PostgreSQL by default) and also MongoDB with Mongoose. Whether you are a solo developer, a startup, or a developer who wants to learn by reading and understanding a well-structured codebase, Full-Stack-Kit provides a solid foundation for crafting feature-rich applications with ease by implementing all the time consuming and repetitive features for you, so that you can focus on what matters most and ship your product faster.

**Benefits of Magic Link Authentication:**

**Simplicity**: With Magic Link, users can log in with a single click, reducing friction and making the authentication process intuitive and straightforward.

**Security**: Magic Links are time-sensitive and unique to each login attempt, adding an extra layer of security to the authentication process compared to traditional passwords.

**No Password Hassles**: By eliminating the need for users to remember and manage passwords, Magic Link authentication minimizes the likelihood of forgotten passwords and associated issues.

**Leveraging Magic Link Authentication in Next.js Full-Stack-Kit:**

[Full-Stack-Kit](https://full-stack-kit.dev) simplifies the integration of Magic Link authentication into your application. 

**Here's how you can leverage it:**

- Open the configuration file `app.config.ts` in [Full-Stack-Kit](https://full-stack-kit.dev).

- Enable the email provider for authentication by setting it to true.


![Full Stack Kit Configuration File](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/t040kqx47ytgfyzzd2sy.png)


- Save the changes, and just like that your app is now configured to support Magic Link authentication.

**Setting up Email Server for Magic Link Authentication:**

[Full-Stack-Kit](https://full-stack-kit.dev) integrates seamlessly with **Resend.com** for sending Magic Link emails. Alternatively, you can configure your own email server if preferred. Here's how to set up Resend.com:

- Create a free account at **Resend.com** and obtain your **API Key**.

- Paste your Resend API Key into the designated environment variable in the .env.local file in [Full-Stack-Kit](https://full-stack-kit.dev).

- Save the changes, and your email server setup is complete.

**Testing Magic Link Authentication:**

To ensure that Magic Link authentication is functioning correctly, follow these steps:

- Navigate to the login page of your application.

![Full Stack Kit Login page](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0syiqf8haliu0ecmy0in.png)



- Enter your email address and click on the "Sign In With Email" button.

- Check your email inbox for the Magic Link email.

- Click on the Magic Link provided in the email.

You should now be logged in to your application seamlessly.

**Conclusion:**

By harnessing the power of Magic Link authentication through [Full-Stack-Kit](https://full-stack-kit.dev), developers can enhance the security and usability of their applications. With simplified login processes and robust security measures in place, Magic Link authentication offers a modern solution to the age-old challenges of user authentication. 

Full-Stack-Kit makes it super easy to build authentication with Magic Link additionally with Google, Facebook and Github in not-time. If you encounter any issues or have questions, don't hesitate to refer to the documentation or reach out to the [Full-Stack-Kit](https://full-stack-kit.dev) discord community for assistance.