# Creator of Auth.js, former lead maintainer of NextAuth.js

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/experts/balazs-orban/
Last updated: 2026-09-20
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

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## Bio

Balázs Orbán became lead maintainer of NextAuth.js after its original creator stepped back, grew it into the default authentication library for Next.js applications, and created Auth.js, the framework-agnostic successor that brought the same model to SvelteKit, Express, and other runtimes. He was previously on the Next.js core team at Vercel.

Profile built from public project and employer records.

## Where their work shows up

For a large share of web developers, Auth.js is the entire identity layer: the place they first meet an OAuth provider, a session cookie, and a JWT. Library defaults, where the session lives, how it is signed, how long it lasts, end up deciding the security posture of thousands of applications whose authors will never read a specification. See the [Auth.js profile](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/open-source/authjs/), [authentication vs authorization](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/authentication-vs-authorization/), and the [developer recipes](https://startwithidentity.com/recipes/).