Vercel picks up Better Auth for open source authentication
Vercel has announced it is acquiring Better Auth, the open source TypeScript authentication library. Founder Bereket Engida and the core team will move to Vercel to keep working on both Better Auth and agent identity.
Better Auth's library has grown to over 4.7 million weekly npm downloads and more than 850 contributors.
Why it fits
Vercel previously laid out its open source strategy—software that is open by default, loosely coupled, and can run on any platform. Better Auth aligns with that: it is framework-agnostic, runs anywhere, and lets developers own their authentication.
Agent identity work continues
The Better Auth team has been building Agent Auth, an effort to give each agent its own identity with scoped, revocable authority. The problem it addresses: when an agent acts for you under your identity, you cannot easily limit one agent's access or shut one down without affecting everything else. With Agent Auth, you remain the single control point.
What's next: The Better Auth library stays free, MIT-licensed, and keeps its name and open contribution model.
Agent identity work will move to Vercel, specifically targeting Vercel Connect and eve.
