codexmachina
registry/nuxt-postgres-better-auth-lms

LMS (learning platform) on Nuxt 4, Postgres (Neon) and Better Auth

verified 2026-07-15nuxt4.4.8postgres3.4.9better-auth1.6.23@neondatabase/serverless1.1.0

Type-checked against the real SDKs, migration applied to a live Postgres (Neon), connection clients load-tested, then tracked for upstream drift and re-verified when it moves. How we verify

request path
Browserrequest
fetch
Nuxt 4routing + proxy
verify
Better Authsession
query
Postgres (Neon)pooled

session validation runs in server components and route handlers, not at the edge

What you're getting

Nuxt 4

Nuxt 4 (framework mode) — full-stack Vue SSR: client under app/ (Vite), server under server/ (Nitro), API as server/api/*.post.ts Nitro route handlers.

Postgres (Neon)

Postgres on Neon via Drizzle ORM and the postgres-js driver.

Better Auth

Better Auth — self-hosted auth running inside your app against your Postgres (Drizzle adapter).

LMS (learning platform)

Learning platform — course catalog (courses → modules → lessons), enrollment join, and per-lesson learner progress tracking.

Setup

bun add nuxt vue drizzle-orm postgres better-auth
DATABASE_URLNeon pooled (-pooler) connection string
BETTER_AUTH_SECRETgenerate with `openssl rand -base64 32`
BETTER_AUTH_URLyour app's base URL

Apply the schema with bunx drizzle-kit push

Initialization

Database client

server/lib/db.ts
import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/postgres-js";
import postgres from "postgres";

// Neon pooled endpoint = PgBouncer transaction mode → prepared statements off.
// ponytail: single module-level client; the serverless runtime + PgBouncer do
// the pooling, so no custom pool/globalThis singleton dance needed.
const client = postgres(process.env.DATABASE_URL!, { prepare: false });

export const db = drizzle({ client });
import { boolean, pgTable, text, timestamp } from "drizzle-orm/pg-core";

export const user = pgTable("user", {
  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
  name: text("name").notNull(),
  email: text("email").notNull().unique(),
  emailVerified: boolean("email_verified").notNull().default(false),
  image: text("image"),
  createdAt: timestamp("created_at").notNull().defaultNow(),
  updatedAt: timestamp("updated_at").notNull().defaultNow(),
});

export const session = pgTable("session", {
  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
  expiresAt: timestamp("expires_at").notNull(),
  token: text("token").notNull().unique(),
  createdAt: timestamp("created_at").notNull().defaultNow(),
  updatedAt: timestamp("updated_at").notNull(),
  ipAddress: text("ip_address"),
  userAgent: text("user_agent"),
  userId: text("user_id")
    .notNull()
    .references(() => user.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
});

export const account = pgTable("account", {
  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
  accountId: text("account_id").notNull(),
  providerId: text("provider_id").notNull(),
  userId: text("user_id")
    .notNull()
    .references(() => user.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
  accessToken: text("access_token"),
  refreshToken: text("refresh_token"),
  idToken: text("id_token"),
  accessTokenExpiresAt: timestamp("access_token_expires_at"),
  refreshTokenExpiresAt: timestamp("refresh_token_expires_at"),
  scope: text("scope"),
  password: text("password"),
  createdAt: timestamp("created_at").notNull().defaultNow(),
  updatedAt: timestamp("updated_at").notNull(),
});

export const verification = pgTable("verification", {
  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
  identifier: text("identifier").notNull(),
  value: text("value").notNull(),
  expiresAt: timestamp("expires_at").notNull(),
  createdAt: timestamp("created_at").notNull().defaultNow(),
  updatedAt: timestamp("updated_at").notNull().defaultNow(),
});
// Better Auth instance (self-hosted, Nuxt 4).
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { drizzleAdapter } from "better-auth/adapters/drizzle";
// Reuse the SAME postgres-js/Drizzle client the db slice exported in
// server/lib/db.ts — Better Auth shares the pooled `DATABASE_URL` connection.
// Server code lives under server/ (Nitro); reach it via Nuxt's `~~` rootDir alias.
import { db } from "~~/server/lib/db";
import * as authSchema from "~~/server/db/auth-schema";

export const auth = betterAuth({
  // Drizzle adapter over the shared client. The schema is passed HERE (not into
  // drizzle()) — it is the only consumer that needs it, so the db client stays
  // schema-less. ponytail: do NOT enable experimental.joins; it is the one option
  // that would make the adapter reach into db._.fullSchema.
  // ponytail: usePlural stays false (the default) — with it true Better Auth would
  // look for `sessions`/`accounts` and could bind to the analytics/ledger app-type tables.
  database: drizzleAdapter(db, { provider: "pg", schema: authSchema }),
  // ponytail: email+password is the shortest real auth that works out of
  // the box — add socialProviders / plugins here when the app needs them.
  emailAndPassword: { enabled: true },
  secret: process.env.BETTER_AUTH_SECRET,
  baseURL: process.env.BETTER_AUTH_URL,
});

export type Session = typeof auth.$Infer.Session;
// Better Auth mounted as a Nitro catch-all route. auth.handler is framework-
// agnostic — (Request) => Promise<Response> — and toWebRequest adapts the H3
// event into a web Request. The `[...all]` param catches every /api/auth/*
// sub-path Better Auth routes internally.
// ponytail: Nuxt AUTO-IMPORTS defineEventHandler/toWebRequest from Nitro/H3 at
// runtime; we import them EXPLICITLY from h3 (Nitro's engine, a nuxt dep) so this
// handler type-checks under standalone tsc — the one idiom trade for verifiability.
import { defineEventHandler, toWebRequest } from "h3";
import { auth } from "~~/lib/auth";

export default defineEventHandler((event) => auth.handler(toWebRequest(event)));
// Vue/Nuxt client binding. better-auth/vue exposes the framework-appropriate client
// (signIn / signUp / useSession as Vue refs) — the Vue analog of the React client.
import { createAuthClient } from "better-auth/vue";

export const authClient = createAuthClient();
// Session gate — the Nuxt analog of Next's Edge proxy / RR8's requireAuth. A Nitro
// server middleware runs on every SSR/API request; guard the app surface and do the
// REAL server-side session check (like RR8 — stronger than Next's cookie-existence peek).
// ponytail: this guards SSR loads + direct hits + API — the true security boundary. For
// client-side SPA navigation add an app/middleware/*.ts route middleware (authored with
// Nuxt auto-imports; NOT tsc-gated, since plain tsc can't resolve them — spec §6).
// Explicit h3 imports so this type-checks standalone (see the handler note above).
import { defineEventHandler, getRequestURL, sendRedirect, toWebRequest } from "h3";
import { auth } from "~~/lib/auth";

export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
  const { pathname } = getRequestURL(event);
  // ponytail: guard the SaaS app surface; widen the prefixes per app-type.
  if (!pathname.startsWith("/dashboard") && !pathname.startsWith("/settings")) return;
  const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers: toWebRequest(event).headers });
  if (!session) return sendRedirect(event, "/sign-in", 302);
});

LMS schema: courses, modules, lessons, enrollments & progress

Courses & instructors

catalog root with slug unique index, status CHECK, and FK to the Better Auth instructor user

Modules & lessons

ordered curriculum units — modules by position within a course, lessons by position within a module with contentType CHECK

Enrollments

course↔student join with composite unique enforcing one enrollment per pair

Lesson progress tracking

per-learner, per-lesson state rows with status CHECK and composite unique on (studentId, lessonId)

src/db/schema.ts
// === file: server/db/schema.ts ===
import { relations, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
import {
  check,
  index,
  integer,
  pgTable,
  text,
  timestamp,
  unique,
  uuid,
} from "drizzle-orm/pg-core";
// Better Auth owns identity; we only reference its `user` table by id.
import { user } from "./auth-schema";

export type CourseStatus = "draft" | "published" | "archived";
export type LessonContentType = "video" | "text" | "quiz";
export type ProgressStatus = "not_started" | "in_progress" | "completed";

/** Catalog root. Each course has one instructor (a Better Auth user). */
export const courses = pgTable(
  "courses",
  {
    id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
    slug: text("slug").notNull().unique(),
    title: text("title").notNull(),
    // Better Auth's user.id is text — match it, don't recast.
    instructorId: text("instructor_id")
      .notNull()
      .references(() => user.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
    status: text("status")
      .$type<CourseStatus>()
      .notNull()
      .default("draft"),
    createdAt: timestamp("created_at", { withTimezone: true })
      .notNull()
      .defaultNow(),
  },
  (t) => [
    index("idx_course_slug").on(t.slug),
    index("idx_course_instructor").on(t.instructorId),
    check(
      "courses_status_check",
      sql`${t.status} in ('draft','published','archived')`,
    ),
  ],
);

/** Ordered sections within a course. position drives curriculum order. */
export const modules = pgTable(
  "modules",
  {
    id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
    courseId: uuid("course_id")
      .notNull()
      .references(() => courses.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
    title: text("title").notNull(),
    position: integer("position").notNull().default(0),
    createdAt: timestamp("created_at", { withTimezone: true })
      .notNull()
      .defaultNow(),
  },
  (t) => [index("idx_module_course").on(t.courseId, t.position)],
);

/** Leaf content unit. contentType selects how the lesson renders/plays. */
export const lessons = pgTable(
  "lessons",
  {
    id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
    moduleId: uuid("module_id")
      .notNull()
      .references(() => modules.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
    title: text("title").notNull(),
    position: integer("position").notNull().default(0),
    contentType: text("content_type")
      .$type<LessonContentType>()
      .notNull()
      .default("text"),
    createdAt: timestamp("created_at", { withTimezone: true })
      .notNull()
      .defaultNow(),
  },
  (t) => [
    index("idx_lesson_module").on(t.moduleId, t.position),
    check(
      "lessons_content_type_check",
      sql`${t.contentType} in ('video','text','quiz')`,
    ),
  ],
);

/** course <-> student join. The composite unique is the enrollment identity. */
export const enrollments = pgTable(
  "enrollments",
  {
    id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
    courseId: uuid("course_id")
      .notNull()
      .references(() => courses.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
    studentId: text("student_id")
      .notNull()
      .references(() => user.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
    enrolledAt: timestamp("enrolled_at", { withTimezone: true })
      .notNull()
      .defaultNow(),
  },
  (t) => [
    unique("enrollments_course_student_unique").on(t.courseId, t.studentId),
    // Drives the learner's "my courses" list.
    index("idx_enrollment_student").on(t.studentId),
  ],
);

/** Per-lesson learner state. The composite unique is one row per student+lesson. */
export const lessonProgress = pgTable(
  "lesson_progress",
  {
    id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
    lessonId: uuid("lesson_id")
      .notNull()
      .references(() => lessons.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
    studentId: text("student_id")
      .notNull()
      .references(() => user.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
    status: text("status")
      .$type<ProgressStatus>()
      .notNull()
      .default("not_started"),
    completedAt: timestamp("completed_at", { withTimezone: true }),
  },
  (t) => [
    unique("lesson_progress_student_lesson_unique").on(
      t.studentId,
      t.lessonId,
    ),
    // Drives the per-learner progress lookup (student + lesson).
    index("idx_progress_student_lesson").on(t.studentId, t.lessonId),
    check(
      "lesson_progress_status_check",
      sql`${t.status} in ('not_started','in_progress','completed')`,
    ),
  ],
);

export const coursesRelations = relations(courses, ({ one, many }) => ({
  instructor: one(user, {
    fields: [courses.instructorId],
    references: [user.id],
  }),
  modules: many(modules),
  enrollments: many(enrollments),
}));

export const modulesRelations = relations(modules, ({ one, many }) => ({
  course: one(courses, {
    fields: [modules.courseId],
    references: [courses.id],
  }),
  lessons: many(lessons),
}));

export const lessonsRelations = relations(lessons, ({ one, many }) => ({
  module: one(modules, {
    fields: [lessons.moduleId],
    references: [modules.id],
  }),
  progress: many(lessonProgress),
}));

export const enrollmentsRelations = relations(enrollments, ({ one }) => ({
  course: one(courses, {
    fields: [enrollments.courseId],
    references: [courses.id],
  }),
  student: one(user, {
    fields: [enrollments.studentId],
    references: [user.id],
  }),
}));

export const lessonProgressRelations = relations(lessonProgress, ({ one }) => ({
  lesson: one(lessons, {
    fields: [lessonProgress.lessonId],
    references: [lessons.id],
  }),
  student: one(user, {
    fields: [lessonProgress.studentId],
    references: [user.id],
  }),
}));

Deploy targets

✓ The right DB client for where you deploy: load-tested with concurrent queries against a live database. Edge needs the HTTP driver (no TCP); serverless needs a tiny pool.
src/lib/db.ts
import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/postgres-js";
import postgres from "postgres";

// Serverless: one connection per (short-lived) instance; Neon's pooler multiplexes.
export const sql = postgres(process.env.DATABASE_URL!, { prepare: false, max: 1 });
export const db = drizzle(sql);
import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/postgres-js";
import postgres from "postgres";

// Long-running process: a real, reused pool. Still prepare:false on the pooled endpoint.
export const sql = postgres(process.env.DATABASE_URL!, { prepare: false, max: 10, idle_timeout: 20 });
export const db = drizzle(sql);
import { neon } from "@neondatabase/serverless";
import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/neon-http";

// Edge/Workers have NO TCP sockets, so postgres-js cannot run here. Neon's HTTP
// driver speaks Postgres over fetch — the only client that works on Workers.
export const sql = neon(process.env.DATABASE_URL!);
export const db = drizzle(sql);

Decisions and compatibility

note

Client/server split: the DB client, Drizzle schema, records, and webhooks are server-side (server/). The `@/` alias is the client root (app/); server code reaches shared modules via Nuxt's `~~` rootDir alias (e.g. `~~/server/db/schema`).

note

prepare: false is mandatory — Neon's pooled endpoint is PgBouncer in transaction mode, where server-side prepared statements break across the pool.

note

Drizzle is paired here (not Prisma): Prisma's prepared-statement reliance is incompatible with transaction-mode pooling.

note

Self-hosted: Better Auth owns the user/session/account/verification tables. This stack emits them (db/auth-schema.ts) and hands them to the Drizzle adapter, so app-type schemas can foreign-key `user` directly.

note

Enrollments carry a composite unique on (courseId, studentId) — re-enrolling the same student in the same course is a constraint violation, not a duplicate row.

note

lessonProgress uses text + CHECK over pgEnum for status, keeping 'not_started'/'in_progress'/'completed' extensible without an ALTER TYPE migration.