?? Use Clerk to Make Authentication Simple in Your Next.js App
Kshitish Kumar Pothal
Next Js || React js || Frontend Developer || Wix || DSA || 500+ DSA Problem Solved || Java || Python || Kotlin || AWS
Implementing a safe and easy-to-use authentication system is essential but frequently time-consuming in the fast-paced world of web development today. Clerk, a cutting-edge authentication platform made to simplify your life as a developer, can help with this.
Clerk offers pre-built, customisable solutions for user management, registration, and login that make it easy to incorporate authentication into your Next.js application. See why Clerk is a game-changer for developers as we explore how to put it up for your project.
What is Clerk?
The developer-first authentication service Clerk offers the following:
Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Clerk in Next.js
Follow these simple steps to integrate Clerk into your Next.js application:
1. Install Clerk SDK
Add the Clerk SDK to your Next.js project by running:
npm install @clerk/nextjs
2. Set Your Clerk API Keys
Add the following keys to your .env.local file. These keys can always be retrieved from the API keys page in the Clerk Dashboard.
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_YOUR_PUBLISHABLE_KEY_HERE
CLERK_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_YOUR_SECRET_KEY_HERE
3. Add clerkMiddleware() to Your App
The clerkMiddleware() function grants you access to the user’s authentication state throughout your app. It also allows you to protect routes from unauthenticated users.
Create a middleware.ts file in your project:
import { clerkMiddleware } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
export default clerkMiddleware()
export const config = {
matcher: [
'/profile', // Protect the /profile route
'/(api|trpc)(.*)', // Always protect API routes
],
}
4. Use <ClerkProvider> and Clerk Components
The <ClerkProvider> component provides session and user context to Clerk's hooks and components. It's recommended to wrap your entire app at the entry point with <ClerkProvider>.
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import { ClerkProvider, SignInButton, SignedIn, SignedOut, UserButton } from '@clerk/nextjs'
export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<ClerkProvider>
<html lang="en">
<body>
<header>
<SignedOut>
<SignInButton />
</SignedOut>
<SignedIn>
<UserButton />
</SignedIn>
</header>
<main>{children}</main>
</body>
</html>
</ClerkProvider>
)
}
5. Create Your First User
Run your project:
npm run dev
Visit your app’s homepage at https://localhost:3000 and sign up to create your first user
.
Protecting Specific Pages with Clerk
To ensure that only authenticated users can access certain pages, Clerk provides two key methods:
1. Middleware Protection
Use clerkMiddleware() in middleware.ts to protect routes like /profile from unauthenticated access. The middleware will only allow users who are signed in to access those pages.
import { clerkMiddleware } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
export default clerkMiddleware()
export const config = {
matcher: [
'/profile', // Only authenticated users can access the profile route
'/(api|trpc)(.*)', // Always protect API routes
],
}
2. SignedIn and SignedOut Components
Use the <SignedIn> and <SignedOut> components to conditionally render content based on the user’s authentication state. This is helpful for protecting content within specific pages.
import { SignedIn, SignedOut, SignInButton } from '@clerk/nextjs'
const ProfilePage = () => {
return (
<div>
<h1>Profile Page</h1>
<SignedIn>
<p>Welcome to your profile!</p>
</SignedIn>
<SignedOut>
<p>You need to sign in to view your profile.</p>
<SignInButton />
</SignedOut>
</div>
)
}
export default ProfilePage
This code ensures that only signed-in users will see their profile details, while others will be prompted to sign in.
In conclusion
Finally, by offering strong tools and components for safe, scalable authentication processes, Clerk streamlines user authentication in Next.js apps. You can guarantee the security of your application while maintaining a seamless user experience using getServerSideProps' versatile server-side protection, prebuilt components like and , and simple middleware.
By incorporating Clerk into your Next.js application, you can concentrate on adding features and functionality while letting Clerk's dependable, thoroughly documented platform handle the intricate authentication procedures. Clerk offers the resources you need to safeguard your users and expedite authentication, regardless of how big or small your enterprise is.
For more information on integrating Clerk with Next.js and exploring its full capabilities, check out the official Clerk documentation and get started today!