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usebetter.dev

What is UseBetter Console?

UseBetter Console is a completely optional self-hosted backend that connects your app to the Console UI at console.usebetter.dev. No data leaves your infrastructure — the UI runs in your browser and all API calls go directly to your server via /.well-known/better/* endpoints.

Key features

Section titled “Key features”
  • Optional — not required for any UseBetterDev product. Add it when you want a visual admin dashboard.
  • No data leaves your server — the hosted UI at console.usebetter.dev is a static frontend. It makes API calls to YOUR server only.
  • 5-minute setup — one middleware, one CLI command, and you’re connected.
  • Multiple auth methods — auto-approve for development, magic link for production.
  • Permission-based access — three levels (read, write, admin) with a hierarchical model.
  • Product endpoint registration — UseBetterDev products (like UseBetter Tenant) that the Console UI discovers automatically.
  • CORS-restricted by default — only console.usebetter.dev can call your console endpoints. Add custom origins if needed.

How it works

Section titled “How it works”
  1. Add the middleware — mount createConsoleMiddleware() in your Hono app. It intercepts /.well-known/better/* requests.
  2. Set the token hash — run npx @usebetterdev/console-cli init to generate a connection token. Store the hash in your environment.
  3. Open the Console UI — visit console.usebetter.dev and enter your server URL (e.g., https://myapp.com).
  4. Authenticate — the UI calls your server’s session endpoints. In development, auto-approve issues a token instantly. In production, magic link sends a 6-character code to your email.
  5. Manage via registered endpoints — once authenticated, the UI discovers your registered products and presents their data through typed endpoints.

Architecture

Section titled “Architecture”
LayerPackageRole
Core@usebetterdev/consoleConfig, session management, routing, CORS. Zero runtime deps.
Drizzle adapter@usebetterdev/console/drizzleSession and magic link storage via Drizzle ORM.
Hono middleware@usebetterdev/console/honoThin adapter between Hono Request/Response and Console.
CLI@usebetterdev/console-cliToken generation, migration SQL, setup verification.

You install the main package (@usebetterdev/console) and import adapters via subpath exports. The CLI is a separate package used via npx.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”
  • Installation — install the package and its peer dependencies
  • Quick Start — connect your app to UseBetter Console in 5 minutes