---
title: "Self-Hosting Overview"
description: "Run Better Auth Studio in infrastructure you control — embedded or Docker-based."
canonical_url: "https://docs-cloud-kinfe123-better-auth-studio.farming-labs.dev/docs/self-hosting/overview"
markdown_url: "https://docs-cloud-kinfe123-better-auth-studio.farming-labs.dev/docs/self-hosting/overview.md"
last_updated: "2018-10-20"
---

# Self-Hosting Overview
URL: /docs/self-hosting/overview
LLM index: /llms.txt
Description: Run Better Auth Studio in infrastructure you control — embedded or Docker-based.

# Self-Hosting Overview

This page walks through both self-hosting approaches: embedding the studio in a framework app, and running it as a standalone Docker container.

## Embedded in a framework app

The quickest way to embed the studio is with the `init` command:

```bash
pnpm better-auth-studio init
```

This creates `studio.config.ts` in your project root and the appropriate route file for your framework. For Next.js, that file lands at `app/api/studio/[[...path]]/route.ts`.

Open `studio.config.ts` and configure it:

```typescript
import { defineStudioConfig } from 'better-auth-studio';
import { auth } from './src/lib/auth';

export default defineStudioConfig({
  auth,
  basePath: '/api/studio',
  access: {
    allowEmails: ['admin@yourcompany.com'],
  },
});
```

Then set the required environment variables:

```bash
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=your-secret
BETTER_AUTH_URL=https://yourapp.com
STUDIO_SECRET=a-separate-studio-secret
```

Start your app and open `https://yourapp.com/api/studio` in the browser.

## Docker standalone

The repository includes a `Dockerfile` and `docker/compose.yml` for running the studio as a standalone container pointed at any Better Auth project on your host.

```bash
HOST_PROJECT_PATH=/path/to/your/project \
  docker compose -f docker/compose.yml up
```

The container exposes port `3002` by default. Set `PORT` in your environment to change it.

See [Deployment](/docs/configuration/deployment) for the full list of Docker environment variables and configuration options.

## Access control

When the studio is embedded at a public URL, use `access.allowEmails` in `studio.config.ts` to restrict access to a specific list of email addresses. Without this, any authenticated user in your Better Auth system can reach the admin UI.

> **Note:** Self-hosting is in beta. The access control model may evolve in future releases.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.
Docs-scoped sitemap: [/docs/sitemap.md](/docs/sitemap.md).
Well-known sitemap: [/.well-known/sitemap.md](/.well-known/sitemap.md).