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Step-by-step guide to building a secure, scalable authentication system with Lovable. Learn best practices, code examples, and deployment tips.
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You can build a production-capable authentication flow in Lovable by using a hosted auth provider (I recommend Supabase Auth), storing the Supabase URL and anonymous key in Lovable Cloud Secrets, and then using Chat Mode edits to add a Supabase client, React AuthContext, Signup/Login pages, and a ProtectedRoute component. Do everything inside Lovable (no terminal). If you need DB migrations or server-side functions that require a CLI, export to GitHub from Lovable and run those steps outside Lovable (I’ll call that out where required).
Client-side authentication with Supabase. We’ll add a Supabase client, a React AuthContext that keeps current user and session, Signup & Login pages, and a ProtectedRoute wrapper so pages/components can require auth. Secrets (SUPABASE_URL, SUPABASE_ANON\_KEY) will be stored in Lovable Cloud Secrets. No CLI needed.
Workflow: Use Chat Mode in Lovable to create/modify files (I provide prompts you paste into Lovable). Use Lovable Cloud Secrets UI to add SUPABASE_URL and SUPABASE_ANON\_KEY. Use Preview to test flow locally in Lovable. Use Publish to deploy Lovable Cloud. If you must run CLI-only tasks (rare for this flow), export to GitHub and run them outside Lovable.
Goal: Add supabase client wrapper and package.json dependency.
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// Update package.json dependencies: ensure "supabase-js": "^2.0.0" is listed
// Create file src/lib/supabaseClient.ts
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
// Read values from env so Lovable Secrets will be used
const supabaseUrl = process.env.SUPABASE_URL || ''
const supabaseAnonKey = process.env.SUPABASE_ANON_KEY || ''
export const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseAnonKey)
Goal: Create a React context that exposes user, signIn, signUp, signOut and keeps session via onAuthStateChange.
// Create src/contexts/AuthContext.tsx
import React, { createContext, useContext, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
import { supabase } from '../lib/supabaseClient'
// Define types as needed
export const AuthContext = createContext(null)
export function AuthProvider({ children }) {
const [user, setUser] = useState(null)
useEffect(() => {
// check initial session
supabase.auth.getSession().then(({ data }) => {
setUser(data.session?.user || null)
})
const { data: listener } = supabase.auth.onAuthStateChange((_event, session) => {
setUser(session?.user || null)
})
return () => listener?.subscription?.unsubscribe?.()
}, [])
const signUp = (email, password) => supabase.auth.signUp({ email, password })
const signIn = (email, password) => supabase.auth.signInWithPassword({ email, password })
const signOut = () => supabase.auth.signOut()
return <AuthContext.Provider value={{ user, signUp, signIn, signOut }}>{children}</AuthContext.Provider>
}
export const useAuth = () => useContext(AuthContext)
// Update src/App.tsx to wrap app with AuthProvider
import { AuthProvider } from './contexts/AuthContext'
function App() {
return (
<AuthProvider>
{/* existing app UI */}
</AuthProvider>
)
}
export default App
Goal: Create UI pages for Signup and Login and a ProtectedRoute wrapper component.
// src/pages/Signup.tsx
import React, { useState } from 'react'
import { useAuth } from '../contexts/AuthContext'
// simple signup form
export default function Signup() {
const { signUp } = useAuth()
const [email, setEmail] = useState('')
const [password, setPassword] = useState('')
const [msg, setMsg] = useState('')
const submit = async (e) => {
e.preventDefault()
const { error } = await signUp(email, password)
setMsg(error ? error.message : 'Check your email for confirmation (if enabled)')
}
return (
// simple form UI
)
}
// src/pages/Login.tsx
import React, { useState } from 'react'
import { useAuth } from '../contexts/AuthContext'
export default function Login() {
const { signIn } = useAuth()
// similar form and handle success to show protected content
}
// src/components/ProtectedRoute.tsx
import React from 'react'
import { useAuth } from '../contexts/AuthContext'
export default function ProtectedRoute({ children }) {
const { user } = useAuth()
if (!user) {
// render a link to /login or a message
return <div>Please log in to access this page.</div>
}
return <>{children}</>
}
Accurate: This uses Lovable-native actions (Chat Mode edits, Preview, Publish, Secrets UI, GitHub export for external CLI). No invented Lovable features are used. If your app uses a framework with different file locations (Next.js, Remix), adapt file paths (e.g., pages/api or app/layout) — ask if you want that adapted and I’ll provide framework-specific prompts.
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This prompt helps an AI assistant understand your setup and guide to build the feature
This prompt helps an AI assistant understand your setup and guide to build the feature
This prompt helps an AI assistant understand your setup and guide to build the feature
Connect with our team to unlock the full potential of no-code solutions with a no-commitment consultation!
Book a call with an Expert
Starting a new venture? Need to upgrade your web app? RapidDev builds application with your growth in mind.
The short answer: use a managed auth provider when possible (Supabase/Clerk/Auth0), keep all secrets in Lovable’s Secrets UI, do session and token verification only on server-side Lovable functions, review and test every AI-generated change in Preview, and treat AI generators as a helper — not an authority. Don’t run or expect CLI steps inside Lovable; perform migrations or advanced tooling via GitHub sync/CI and external services.
Pick a managed auth unless you have a strong reason not to. Managed providers handle password storage, MFA, OAuth flows, refresh logic, and security updates. In Lovable projects I shipped, Supabase and Auth0 reduced surface area dramatically.
Always store API keys and private keys in Lovable’s Secrets UI. Never embed service\_role keys or secret keys into generated code in the repo. Preview will run with those Secrets, Publish will too, but GitHub export will not include Secrets.
Always validate tokens on server-side Lovable functions (these run in Lovable Cloud). Use httpOnly, Secure, SameSite cookies for sessions so client-side JS can't read tokens. Keep refresh tokens out of browser-accessible storage.
// /api/session.js - serverless handler in Lovable project
import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken' // make sure package.json includes jsonwebtoken
// ! Use JWT_SECRET stored in Lovable Secrets UI (process.env.JWT_SECRET)
export default async function handler(req, res) {
// POST { token } from client after provider login
const { token } = req.body
try {
// Verify provider token if needed, or trust and mint your cookie token
// // For a custom JWT issuer:
const payload = jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET) // // verify provider/custom token
// // Mint app cookie
const appToken = jwt.sign({ sub: payload.sub }, process.env.JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' })
res.setHeader('Set-Cookie', `app_token=${appToken}; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=Strict; Path=/; Max-Age=3600`)
res.status(200).json({ ok: true })
} catch (err) {
res.status(401).json({ error: 'Unauthorized' })
}
}
Treat AI output as a draft. Always review for security issues: leaking secrets, missing validation, insecure cookie attributes, missing CSRF, and dangerous redirects. Use Chat Mode edits and file diffs to iterate; don’t accept large bulk changes without manual review.
Use Preview for runtime testing and export to GitHub when you need CI, migrations, or more control. Run DB migrations from CI or provider consoles — Lovable has no built-in terminal to run migrations.
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