clerk-sdk-patterns

name	clerk-sdk-patterns
description	Common Clerk SDK patterns and best practices. Use when implementing authentication flows, accessing user data, or integrating Clerk SDK methods in your application. Trigger with phrases like "clerk SDK", "clerk patterns", "clerk best practices", "clerk API usage".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Grep
version	1.0.0
license	MIT
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>

Clerk SDK Patterns

Overview

Learn common patterns and best practices for using the Clerk SDK effectively.

Prerequisites

• Clerk SDK installed and configured
• Basic understanding of React/Next.js
• ClerkProvider wrapping application

Instructions

Pattern 1: Server-Side Authentication

// app/api/protected/route.ts
import { auth, currentUser } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'

export async function GET() {
  // Quick auth check
  const { userId, sessionId, orgId } = await auth()

  if (!userId) {
    return Response.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 })
  }

  // Full user data when needed
  const user = await currentUser()

  return Response.json({
    userId,
    sessionId,
    orgId,
    email: user?.primaryEmailAddress?.emailAddress
  })
}

Pattern 2: Client-Side Hooks

'use client'
import { useUser, useAuth, useClerk, useSession } from '@clerk/nextjs'

export function AuthenticatedComponent() {
  // User data and loading state
  const { user, isLoaded, isSignedIn } = useUser()

  // Auth utilities
  const { userId, getToken, signOut } = useAuth()

  // Full Clerk instance
  const clerk = useClerk()

  // Session info
  const { session } = useSession()

  // Get JWT token for API calls
  const callExternalAPI = async () => {
    const token = await getToken({ template: 'supabase' }) // or custom template
    const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com', {
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` }
    })
  }

  if (!isLoaded) return <div>Loading...</div>
  if (!isSignedIn) return <div>Please sign in

   
}

Pattern 3: Protected Routes with Middleware

// middleware.ts
import { clerkMiddleware, createRouteMatcher } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'

const isPublicRoute = createRouteMatcher([
  '/',
  '/sign-in(.*)',
  '/sign-up(.*)',
  '/api/webhooks(.*)'
])

const isProtectedRoute = createRouteMatcher([
  '/dashboard(.*)',
  '/api/protected(.*)'
])

export default clerkMiddleware(async (auth, request) => {
  if (isProtectedRoute(request)) {
    await auth.protect()
  }
})

export const config = {
  matcher: ['/((?!.*\\..*|_next).*)', '/', '/(api|trpc)(.*)']
}

Pattern 4: Organization-Aware Queries

import { auth } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'

export async function GET() {
  const { userId, orgId, orgRole } = await auth()

  // Check organization membership
  if (!orgId) {
    return Response.json({ error: 'No organization selected' }, { status: 400 })
  }

  // Check role-based access
  if (orgRole !== 'org:admin') {
    return Response.json({ error: 'Admin access required' }, { status: 403 })
  }

  // Query with organization scope
  const data = await db.query.resources.findMany({
    where: eq(resources.organizationId, orgId)
  })

  return Response.json(data)
}

Pattern 5: Custom JWT Templates

// Use custom JWT claims for external services
const { getToken } = useAuth()

// Standard Clerk token
const clerkToken = await getToken()

// Custom template for Supabase
const supabaseToken = await getToken({ template: 'supabase' })

// Custom template for Hasura
const hasuraToken = await getToken({ template: 'hasura' })

Output

• Server and client authentication patterns
• Protected route middleware
• Organization-aware queries
• Custom JWT tokens for integrations

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
auth() returns null	Not in server context	Use in Server Components or API routes
useUser() not updating	Component not re-rendering	Check ClerkProvider placement
getToken() fails	Template not configured	Configure JWT template in dashboard
orgId is null	No organization selected	Prompt user to select organization

Examples

Complete Protected Page Pattern

// app/dashboard/page.tsx
import { auth, currentUser } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
import { redirect } from 'next/navigation'

export default async function DashboardPage() {
  const { userId } = await auth()

  if (!userId) {
    redirect('/sign-in')
  }

  const user = await currentUser()

  return (
    <main>
      <h1>Dashboard</h1>
      <UserProfile user={user} />
      <DashboardContent userId={userId} />
    </main>
  )
}

Typed User Metadata

// types/clerk.d.ts
interface UserPublicMetadata {
  tier: 'free' | 'pro' | 'enterprise'
  onboarded: boolean
}

interface UserPrivateMetadata {
  stripeCustomerId?: string
}

// Usage
const user = await currentUser()
const tier = user?.publicMetadata?.tier ?? 'free'

Resources

• Clerk SDK Reference
• Authentication Patterns
• JWT Templates

Next Steps

Proceed to clerk-core-workflow-a for user sign-up and sign-in flows.