This guide covers authentication patterns for One apps, from simple session management to full OAuth flows. One’s unique combination of middleware, loaders, and cross-platform support gives you flexibility in how you protect routes.

Approaches

There are three main approaches to authentication:

Approach	Best For	Complexity
Self-hosted libraries	Most apps, full control, own database	Low-Medium
Hosted providers	Fastest setup, managed infrastructure	Low
Custom auth	Specific requirements, full control	High

Self-hosted libraries like Better Auth or Auth.js run on your own server with your own database. You get full control over user data while the library handles the complexity of OAuth flows, session management, and security best practices. This is our recommended approach.

Hosted providers like Clerk or Supabase Auth manage everything for you including infrastructure. Fastest to set up but user data lives on their servers.

Custom auth means implementing everything yourself - password hashing, session management, token validation, OAuth flows. Only recommended if you have very specific requirements.

Session Context

The foundation of any auth system is a session context that tracks auth state across your app.

features/auth/ctx.tsx

import { createContext, useContext, useState, useEffect, type PropsWithChildren } from 'react'
import { storage } from './storage'

type AuthContextType = {
  signIn: (token: string) => void
  signOut: () => void
  session: string | null
  isLoading: boolean
}

const AuthContext = createContext<AuthContextType | null>(null)

export function useSession() {
  const ctx = useContext(AuthContext)
  if (!ctx) {
    throw new Error('useSession must be used within SessionProvider')
  }
  return ctx
}

export function SessionProvider({ children }: PropsWithChildren) {
  const [session, setSession] = useState<string | null>(null)
  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(true)

  useEffect(() => {
    storage.get('session').then((token) => {
      setSession(token)
      setIsLoading(false)
    })
  }, [])

  const signIn = (token: string) => {
    storage.set('session', token)
    setSession(token)
  }

  const signOut = () => {
    storage.remove('session')
    setSession(null)
  }

  return (
    <AuthContext.Provider value={{ signIn, signOut, session, isLoading }}>
      {children}
    </AuthContext.Provider>
  )
}

Cross-Platform Storage

For token storage, use a cross-platform storage library. Popular options:

react-native-mmkv - Fast key-value storage (~30x faster than AsyncStorage), works on web and native
Zustand with persist middleware - State management with built-in storage abstraction
expo-secure-store - Encrypted storage for sensitive tokens (native only)

Create a platform-specific abstraction using One’s file extensions:

Terminal

features/auth/
├── storage.ts        # Shared interface
├── storage.web.ts    # localStorage or MMKV for web
└── storage.native.ts # MMKV or expo-secure-store for native

This keeps your auth context clean while each platform uses appropriate secure storage.

Protected Routes

There are two approaches to protecting routes in One:

Approach	Best For
`<Protected />`	Routes that shouldn’t exist when unauthorized (hidden tabs, admin-only pages)
Redirect guard	Routes that redirect to login but support returning after auth

Declarative with `<Protected />`

The <Protected /> component completely filters out routes when its guard prop is false. This is ideal when routes should be invisible to unauthorized users:

app/(app)/_layout.tsx

import { Stack, Protected } from 'one'
import { useSession } from '~/features/auth/ctx'

export default function AppLayout() {
  const { session, isLoading } = useSession()

  if (isLoading) return null

  return (
    <Stack>
      <Stack.Screen name="index" options={{ title: 'Home' }} />
      <Protected guard={!!session}>
        <Stack.Screen name="dashboard" options={{ title: 'Dashboard' }} />
        <Stack.Screen name="settings" options={{ title: 'Settings' }} />
      </Protected>
      <Protected guard={session?.role === 'admin'}>
        <Stack.Screen name="admin" options={{ title: 'Admin' }} />
      </Protected>
    </Stack>
  )
}

When session is null, attempts to navigate to /dashboard or /settings are blocked entirely - the routes don’t exist in the navigation state.

Redirect Guard

Protect routes using a layout guard that checks auth state and redirects unauthorized users. This approach allows deep linking to protected pages - users are redirected to login, then can return to their original destination.

_layout.tsx

Root layout with SessionProvider

Public - login page

(app)

_layout.tsx

Auth guard - redirects if not logged in

index.tsx

Protected home

profile.tsx

Protected profile

app/_layout.tsx

import { Slot } from 'one'
import { SessionProvider } from '~/features/auth/ctx'

export default function RootLayout() {
  return (
    <SessionProvider>
      <Slot />
    </SessionProvider>
  )
}

app/(app)/_layout.tsx

import { Redirect, Slot, useFocusEffect, useRouter } from 'one'
import { useSession } from '~/features/auth/ctx'

export default function AppLayout() {
  const { session, isLoading } = useSession()
  const router = useRouter()

  // Re-check auth when screen focuses (important for native)
  useFocusEffect(() => {
    if (!isLoading && !session) {
      router.replace('/login')
    }
  }, [isLoading, session])

  if (isLoading) {
    return null
  }

  if (!session) {
    return <Redirect href="/login" />
  }

  return <Slot />
}

The useFocusEffect ensures auth is re-checked when returning to a screen on native, where screens may stay mounted in memory.

Redirect Logged-In Users

Keep authenticated users away from auth pages:

app/login.tsx

import { Redirect, useRouter } from 'one'
import { useSession } from '~/features/auth/ctx'

export default function LoginPage() {
  const { session } = useSession()
  const router = useRouter()

  if (session) {
    return <Redirect href="/" />
  }

  const handleLogin = async () => {
    // ... your login logic
    router.replace('/')
  }

  return (
    <Button onPress={handleLogin}>
      Sign In
    </Button>
  )
}

Middleware Authentication

One’s middleware runs on the server before your route, making it ideal for auth checks.

Protect API Routes

app/api/_middleware.ts

import { createMiddleware } from 'one'
import { validateToken } from '~/features/auth/server'

export default createMiddleware(async ({ request, next, context }) => {
  const token = request.headers.get('authorization')?.replace('Bearer ', '')

  if (!token) {
    return Response.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 })
  }

  try {
    const user = await validateToken(token)
    context.user = user
  } catch {
    return Response.json({ error: 'Invalid token' }, { status: 401 })
  }

  return await next()
})

Loader Authentication

Check auth in loaders for SSR pages:

app/profile.tsx

import { redirect, useLoader } from 'one'
import { validateSession } from '~/features/auth/server'

export async function loader({ request }) {
  const session = await validateSession(request)

  if (!session) {
    throw redirect('/login')
  }

  const user = await getUser(session.userId)
  return { user }
}

export default function ProfilePage() {
  const { user } = useLoader()

  return (
    <View>
      <Text>Welcome, {user.name}</Text>
    </View>
  )
}

OAuth Integration

GitHub OAuth Example

features/auth/server.ts

import { betterAuth } from 'better-auth'
import { jwt, bearer } from 'better-auth/plugins'

export const auth = betterAuth({
  database: process.env.DATABASE_URL,

  plugins: [
    jwt({ expirationTime: '7d' }),
    bearer(),
  ],

  socialProviders: {
    github: {
      clientId: process.env.GITHUB_CLIENT_ID!,
      clientSecret: process.env.GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET!,
    },
  },
})

app/api/auth/[...rest]+api.ts

import { auth } from '~/features/auth/server'

export const GET = (req: Request) => auth.handler(req)
export const POST = (req: Request) => auth.handler(req)

app/login.tsx

import { authClient } from '~/features/auth/client'

export default function LoginPage() {
  const handleGitHubLogin = () => {
    authClient.signIn.social({ provider: 'github' })
  }

  return (
    <Button onPress={handleGitHubLogin}>
      Sign in with GitHub
    </Button>
  )
}

Logout

features/auth/useLogout.ts

import { useRouter } from 'one'
import { useSession } from './ctx'
import { authClient } from './client'

export function useLogout() {
  const router = useRouter()
  const { signOut } = useSession()

  const logout = async () => {
    try {
      await authClient.signOut()
      signOut()
      router.replace('/login')
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Logout failed:', error)
    }
  }

  return { logout }
}

Example

See the one-fullstack example for a complete Supabase authentication implementation with OAuth, protected routes, and user management.

Protected - Declarative route protection
Middlewares - Server-side request interception
Loaders - Data loading with auth
API Routes - Creating API endpoints

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