Set up stable staging environment for OAuth testing using Cloudflare branch aliases

[aj47]

Problem

Cloudflare Pages generates unique preview URLs (e.g., abc123.creatortoolhub.pages.dev) for each deployment, which breaks Google OAuth authentication because redirect URIs must be pre-registered.

Solution: Use Branch-Based Aliases

Cloudflare Pages creates stable branch aliases that don't change:

• main.creatortoolhub.pages.dev → Always points to main branch
• staging.creatortoolhub.pages.dev → Always points to staging branch
• develop.creatortoolhub.pages.dev → Always points to develop branch

Implementation Steps

1. Create a staging branch

git checkout main
git checkout -b staging
git push -u origin staging

2. Register OAuth redirect URIs in Google Cloud Console

Add these to your OAuth 2.0 Client credentials:

Authorized JavaScript origins:

• https://staging.creatortoolhub.pages.dev
• https://main.creatortoolhub.pages.dev

Authorized redirect URIs:

• https://staging.creatortoolhub.pages.dev/api/auth/callback
• https://main.creatortoolhub.pages.dev/api/auth/callback

3. Configure Cloudflare Pages Environment Variables

In Cloudflare Dashboard → Pages → CreatorToolHub → Settings → Environment Variables:

For Preview environment:

Variable	Value
NEXTAUTH_URL	https://staging.creatortoolhub.pages.dev
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL	https://staging.creatortoolhub.pages.dev
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID	(same as production)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET	(same as production)
AUTUMN_SECRET_KEY	(same as production or test key)

4. Update Autumn webhook URLs (if applicable)

If using Autumn webhooks, add the staging domain to allowed webhook endpoints.

Testing Workflow

1. Push changes to staging branch
2. Wait for Cloudflare Pages deployment
3. Visit https://staging.creatortoolhub.pages.dev
4. Test full OAuth flow (sign in → callback → session)
5. Test Autumn billing flow (checkout → webhook → credits)

Benefits

• ✅ Stable, predictable URLs for OAuth configuration
• ✅ No changes to application code required
• ✅ Works with any OAuth provider (Google, GitHub, etc.)
• ✅ Autumn billing can be tested in isolation
• ✅ Easy to add more branch aliases as needed

Labels

• infrastructure
• authentication
• testing