codexmachina
registry/react-router-postgres-better-auth-lms

LMS (learning platform) on React Router v8, Postgres (Neon) and Better Auth

verified 2026-07-15postgres3.4.9better-auth1.6.23react-router8.2.0@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
React Router v8routing + 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

React Router v8

React Router v8 (framework mode) — SSR, config/file routes under app/, loaders/actions, and resource routes for API endpoints.

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 react-router react react-dom 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

app/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, React Router v8).
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { drizzleAdapter } from "better-auth/adapters/drizzle";
// Reuse the SAME postgres-js/Drizzle client the db slice exported in
// app/lib/db.ts — Better Auth shares the pooled `DATABASE_URL` connection.
import { db } from "./db";
import * as authSchema from "@/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.$Infer.Session;
// Better Auth mounted as a React Router resource route (a route module with NO
// default component). auth.handler is framework-agnostic — (Request) => Response —
// so the GET loader and the POST/etc. action both delegate straight to it. The
// `$` splat catches every /api/auth/* sub-path Better Auth routes internally.
import type { LoaderFunctionArgs, ActionFunctionArgs } from "react-router";
import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";

export function loader({ request }: LoaderFunctionArgs) {
  return auth.handler(request);
}

export function action({ request }: ActionFunctionArgs) {
  return auth.handler(request);
}
// Session gate — the RR7 replacement for Next's Edge proxy. Protected loaders
// call `await requireAuth(request)`. Unlike the proxy's cookie-existence check,
// this does the REAL server-side validation via auth.api.getSession, then throws
// a redirect Response (React Router short-circuits the loader on a thrown Response)
// to bounce logged-out users before the protected data ever loads.
import { redirect } from "react-router";
import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";

export async function requireAuth(request: Request) {
  const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers: request.headers });
  if (!session) {
    throw redirect("/sign-in");
  }
  return session;
}

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: app/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

Framework mode (not data/library mode): routes live under app/, declared in app/routes.ts. API endpoints are resource routes (a route module exporting loader/action but no default component).

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.