Blog

The official source for news, thoughts, and announcements from Clerk

Engineering

Refactoring our frontend API key: Familiar DX is the best DX

We switched to the familiar Publishable Key, but we changed less than you'd think

Colin Sidoti

Jan 27, 2023

Refactoring our frontend API key: Familiar DX is the best DX

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Company

Changelog January 27, 2023

Refactored API keys, Gatsby V5, Dynamic documentation, and migration support for Redwood self-hosted Auth.

James Perkins

Jan 27, 2023

Guide

Validating, Creating, and Styling React-Bootstrap Forms

Create a complete login and sign-up flow with React Bootstrap forms, then learn how to use tools like Clerk to easily manage authentication and authorization.

Himanish Munjal

Jan 25, 2023

Guide

Adding Google Login to Your Next.js 13 Application

Compare adding Google Login to your Next.js 13 Application by building it yourself, with using a third-party service like Clerk.

Ivan Kahl

Jan 25, 2023

Guide

Guide to Conditional Rendering in React

Learn how conditional rendering is used to show a personalized UI, complete a user flow without changing routes, or show a loading or error state.

Anshuman Bhardwaj

Jan 25, 2023

Guide

Next.js 13 Routes Part 2: Implementing Protected Routes

Learn how to create protected routes using React Context as well as how using Clerk makes this process easier.

Aniket Bhattacharyea

Jan 25, 2023

Guide

Next.js 13 Routes Part 1: Getting Started with Next.js API Routes

API routes in Next.js provide a solution to build server-side API logic.

Aniket Bhattacharyea

Jan 25, 2023

Company

Changelog January 20, 2023

Clerk has gone isomorphic, updated organization details page, and two deprecated packages

James Perkins

Jan 20, 2023

Guide

Clerk and Create T3 Turbo

This guide shows you how to integrate Clerk into T3-Turbo so you can have user management for everyone.

James Perkins

Dec 28, 2022

Company

Changelog December 23, 2022

New backend API reference documentation, useAuth improvements and Italian language support

James Perkins

Dec 23, 2022

Company

Changelog December 16, 2022

No more third-party cookies, pricing updates, and an educational youtube channel.

James Perkins

Dec 16, 2022

Company

Changelog December 9, 2022

6.2 million dollars in funding, Support for Cloudflare workers, Localization improvements, Invite your team to Clerk and new social logins

James Perkins

Dec 09, 2022

Company

Clerk raises $6.2m led by Andreessen Horowitz

Clerk is building the future of authentication for React, where the Component is the new API

Colin Sidoti

Nov 30, 2022

Company

Changelog November 18, 2022

Next.js app updates, improvements in appearance, and localization in Org components. TRPC support

James Perkins

Nov 18, 2022

Company

Changelog November 11, 2022

New components for B2B SaaS: CreateOrganization, OrganizationProfile, OrganizationSwitcher! See the demo at Modern Frontends Live

Colin Sidoti

Nov 12, 2022

Company

Changelog October 21, 2022

Add OAuth connections after Sign Up, revamped Next.js documentation, and a Product Hunt relaunch

Colin Sidoti

Oct 22, 2022

Company

Changelog October 7, 2022

Refreshed branding, improved Next.js authentication SDK, MFA backup codes, and Sign in with Coinbase

Colin Sidoti

Oct 08, 2022

Engineering

How to skip Next.js middleware for static and public files

Stop your Next.js middleware from running on static assets like images and Next.js internals

Colin Sidoti

Oct 06, 2022

Engineering

Let's stop arguing about JWTs and just fix them

JWTs have won. It's time we embrace them and fix the dangerous implementations.

Colin Sidoti

Oct 05, 2022

Engineering

How to pass a value from Next.js middleware to API routes and getServerSideProps

Compute a value in middleware and pass it to your API route or getServerSideProps. Works in both Node and Edge runtimes.

Colin Sidoti

Oct 05, 2022

Engineering

@clerk/nextjs v4.5

New in 4.5: Authentication moves to middleware, switchable runtime support, improved developer experience, preparation for Layouts

Colin Sidoti

Oct 04, 2022

Company

Changelog September 30, 2022

We launched safe and auditable User Impersonation!

Colin Sidoti

Oct 01, 2022

Company

Changelog September 23, 2022

Component localization, integrations with Grafbase, Convex, and Nhost, blocklist and bans

Colin Sidoti

Sep 24, 2022

Insights

Passwordless Authentication: Which Option Is Right for Your App

Passwordless Authentication is on an upward trajectory thanks to advancements in this space and recent password breaches.

Subha Chanda

Sep 06, 2022

Insights

What are Webhooks? The Ultimate Guide

Webhooks allow apps to communicate with one another. Find out best practices and more here.

Braden Sidoti

Aug 19, 2022

Insights

What Is an SDK and How Is It Different From APIs?

While an SDK and an API often work together in the software development process, they each serve a different function. Find out what that is here.

Braden Sidoti

Aug 10, 2022

Company

A ‹Component/› is worth a thousand APIs

Clerk is the only authentication service that offers a User Profile component. It sounds incremental, but it's 10x more work – this post explains why

Colin Sidoti

Aug 07, 2022

Company

Changelog August 5, 2022

MFA w/ Authenticator apps, and introducing a new settings page, with some new options.

Braden Sidoti

Aug 06, 2022

Insights

User Management and How It Relates to Authentication

User management assists in authenticating and storing users. Find out more about it here.

Braden Sidoti

Aug 03, 2022

Guide

Building a Custom User Profile with Clerk

Authentication is one of the most critical functions of securing your applications; however, it's also one of the most challenging functions to implement.

Subha Chanda

Aug 03, 2022

Guide

Build an App with Clerk, Prisma Cloud, and Next.js

Clerk is an easy-to-use, customizable, and secure customer identity platform that provides you with multiple authentication strategies for your application.

Kevin Kimani

Jul 27, 2022

Company

Changelog July 22, 2022

Customizable Session tokens, Clerk playground, and an updated Data Processing Agreement.

Braden Sidoti

Jul 22, 2022

Company

The journey to Modern Web Authentication

A blog post about the story of Clerk; our journey of bringing seamless authentication to the Modern Web, where we stand now, and what lies ahead.

Sokratis Vidros

Jul 21, 2022

Insights

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a framework in the React ecosystem that is primarily used for developing JavaScript applications. Understand the ins and outs below.

Braden Sidoti

Jul 20, 2022

Company

Changelog July 15, 2022

Redesigned components enter beta with improved default styles and vastly more customizability! Plus, we're migrating free plans and we upgraded our WAF.

Colin Sidoti

Jul 15, 2022

Company

Clerk joins the Netlify Jamstack Innovation Fund

Clerk powers authentication for over 5,000 Jamstack teams – now we're working with Netlify to further our commitment to the ecosystem

Colin Sidoti

Jul 12, 2022

Company

Changelog July 8, 2022

Next.js 12.2, Emails with high deliverability, Sign in with Line, Odds and ends.

Braden Sidoti

Jul 11, 2022

Insights

Authentication vs. Authorization: What's the Difference?

Understand the differences between authentication vs. authorization and the purpose they both serve.

Braden Sidoti

Jul 06, 2022

Company

Changelog July 1, 2022

Organizations, "verify after sign up", and big email upgrades.

Braden Sidoti

Jul 02, 2022

Company

Changelog June 17, 2022

Updated pricing, Organizations hooks, AppSync support

Braden Sidoti

Jun 11, 2022

Company

Changelog June 10, 2022

Side-by-side Web2 & Web3 auth, strict sign up requirements, brand new documentation, use-stripe-subscription, inaugural weekly office hours

Colin Sidoti

Jun 11, 2022

Engineering

Refactoring Stripe's API for frontend access

We built `use-stripe-subscription` to make it easier for React developers to implement Stripe Billing

Colin Sidoti

Jun 10, 2022

Company

Changelog June 3, 2022

Embeddable Magic Links, E2E Testing, The New Wave Remix Stack. Updated pricing coming soon.

Braden Sidoti

Jun 04, 2022

Guide

Quickly Build a User Switcher, Just Like Gmail

Build an app with complete authentication and a user switcher just like gmail has.

Anshuman Bhardwaj

Jun 03, 2022

Insights

The New Wave Stack

A custom Remix stack with Clerk, Fauna, and Netlify.

Charles Wefso

Jun 02, 2022

Company

Changelog May 27, 2022

Announcing our roadmap as a Customer Identity Platform, managing over 250,000 users. Plus, a new homepage and improved documentation.

Colin Sidoti

May 28, 2022

Company

Changelog May 20, 2022

Announcing our roadmap as a Customer Identity Platform, managing over 250,000 users. Plus, a new homepage and improved documentation.

Colin Sidoti

May 21, 2022

Engineering

Three best practices for building React REST SDKs

For optimal developer experience, React SDKs require completely different patterns than Node

Colin Sidoti

May 20, 2022

Company

Changelog May 13, 2022

Continued organization management improvements, update domain in production, and a community spotlight on the Chop Suey Remix stack

Colin Sidoti

May 14, 2022

Company

Changelog May 6, 2022

SOC2 and HIPAA certifications, Organizations updates, Email deliverability, and test mode.

Braden Sidoti

May 07, 2022

Engineering

Next.js SSR authentication with Clerk

Next.js SSR authentication is easy with Clerk - just a few lines of code to get started.

Colin Sidoti

May 07, 2022

Company

Changelog Apr 29, 2022

React 18 support, Remix & Fauna tutorial, email deliverability updates, organization deletion, and a community spotlight on Cypress testing!

Colin Sidoti

Apr 29, 2022

Engineering

How to skip CORS preflights and speed up your API with polyfills

CORS preflights add unnecessary latency to requests. Learn to use "simple" requests to skip the preflight entirely.

Colin Sidoti

Apr 29, 2022

Insights

The future of authentication is both stateful and stateless

Stateful authentication is more secure. Stateless authentication is faster. A hybrid approach delivers the best of both worlds.

Colin Sidoti

Apr 28, 2022

Company

Changelog Apr 22, 2022

Expo / React Native support, "slug" field for organizations, usernames in JWT templates, and a bucket o' Remix updates

Colin Sidoti

Apr 23, 2022

Engineering

It's the little things: Three developer experience delights of our Remix authentication package

We integrate with a lot of React frameworks - here's what we love most about our Remix authentication package

Colin Sidoti

Apr 23, 2022

Engineering

Three ways Clerk is more secure than Stytch for session management

Though each service performs the same function, there are important differences between how Clerk and Stytch manage sessions.

Clerk

Apr 20, 2022

Company

Changelog Apr 15, 2022

This week we launched alpha support for authenticating Gatsby SSR, webhooks and metadata for Clerk-managed organizations, and improved observability.

Colin Sidoti

Apr 16, 2022

Engineering

Unicorn or Chameleon? Two strategies for exporting customizable React components

React Components are the future of APIs – but how can developer tools companies enable robust customization? We explore two strategies.

Colin Sidoti

Apr 15, 2022

Company

Changelog Apr 8, 2022

OAuth after Sign Up, mergeable custom metadata, improved observability, and optional usernames - plus, try our Clerk x RedwoodJS authentication integration!

Colin Sidoti

Apr 08, 2022

Insights

Just-in-time API requests are replacing webhooks

Only 30% of Clerk customers use webhooks to sync user data into their own database. Instead, most skip syncing and use our APIs to retrieve data in real-time.

Colin Sidoti

Apr 08, 2022

Company

Changelog Apr 1, 2022

Instant Component previews, in-house docs, email deliverability improvements, plus Supabase Launch Week!

Colin Sidoti

Apr 02, 2022

Company

Changelog Mar 25, 2022

Bring-your-own IdP with Sign in Tokens, new allowlist for sign ups, Sign in with Apple, and a `user.organizations` shortcode for custom JWT templates.

Colin Sidoti

Mar 26, 2022

Company

Changelog Mar 18, 2022

Server-side JWTs for Supabase and custom integrations, Firebase Authentication password migrations, toggleable hosted components, and a community spotlight!

Colin Sidoti

Mar 19, 2022

Company

Changelog Mar 11, 2022

Try our new and improved Remix integration! Plus, we refactored our authentication settings, and moved JWT templates into general availability.

Colin Sidoti

Mar 11, 2022

Company

Changelog Mar 4, 2022

Organization management API, custom OAuth scopes, application/json support, Microsoft and Notion Social Login, FaunaDB JWT template, and more!

Colin Sidoti

Mar 05, 2022

Company

Changelog Feb 25, 2022

A new Redwood guide and Remix SDK. Plus, our Organization management features are coming *very* soon!

Colin Sidoti

Feb 26, 2022

Company

Changelog Feb 18, 2022

We launched our Remix SDK, a new Fauna integration, instant development instances, and quick links for customization!

Colin Sidoti

Feb 19, 2022

Company

Changelog Feb 11, 2022

Usernames from social logins, a suite of frontend-accessible database integrations, Dropbox and Bitbucket social logins, BCrypt and Django password migrations

Colin Sidoti

Feb 12, 2022

Company

Changelog Feb 4, 2022

Open source javascript, an improved Supabase integration, LinkedIn social login, metadata for invitations, and credit where credit is due!

Colin Sidoti

Feb 05, 2022

Company

Changelog Jan 28, 2022

SSR for Next.js, improved Hasura integration, custom JWT signing keys + a community-built Web3 guide

Colin Sidoti

Jan 29, 2022

Company

Changelog Jan 21, 2022

Open-source Javascript, Web3 authentication, easier onboarding, cross-origin auth docs, and the ultimate guide to Next.js auth - what a week!

Colin Sidoti

Jan 22, 2022

Engineering

Introducing Web3 Authentication

Clerk is saving Web3 developers from the greatest evils of the Web2 platform: cookies, multifactor authentication, and profile enrichment

Colin Sidoti

Jan 21, 2022

Company

Changelog Jan 14, 2022

Chore week! Email deliverability, NPM sourcemaps, and a new product page on one-time passcodes.

Colin Sidoti

Jan 15, 2022

Insights

How to compete and WIN in a software economy [Part 2]

In this next part, we'll discuss how to identify 'core' vs. 'non-core' development & how thoughtful outsourcing can be used to develop process power.

Rishi Raman

Jan 13, 2022

Insights

How to compete and WIN in a software economy [Part 1]

Software has eaten the world and almost every business is a software business. How do you develop a competitive advantage and win in today's software economy?

Rishi Raman

Jan 11, 2022

Company

Changelog Jan 7, 2022

Beta for our Supabase integration (our most requested integration of Q4!), more about our security practices, and a new community contribution

Colin Sidoti

Jan 08, 2022

Insights

The Ultimate Guide To JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) and Token-Based Authentication

JSON Web Tokens, more commonly known as JWTs, are encoded and cryptographically signed data that allows for the secure transfer of information.

Rishi Raman

Jan 07, 2022

Insights

2021: The Year Authentication Saw a Resurgence (and Why)

Authentication saw a resurgence as developers demanded better tools for Modern Web frameworks like Next.js, and users demanded easier sign-in options

Colin Sidoti

Dec 31, 2021

Guide

NextJS + Supabase + Clerk: Build a simple todo app with multifactor authentication

Learn how to build a todo app with Next.js, Clerk, and Supabase. This app will add todos, sign in, sign up, user profile and multifactor authentication.

Braden Sidoti

Dec 27, 2021

Company

Very Merry Changelog, Dec 24, 2021

We've launched custom JWTs for authentication, improved security for magic links, easier onboarding and productionizing, and a new homepage! Happy holidays!

Colin Sidoti

Dec 24, 2021

Company

Changelog Dec 17, 2021

Happy holidays, we're launching customizable email and SMS templates!

Colin Sidoti

Dec 17, 2021

Company

Changelog Dec 10, 2021

Our new dashboard has launched! Plus new <SignInButton> and <SignUpButton> utilities

Colin Sidoti

Dec 11, 2021

Company

Changelog Dec 3, 2021

Clerk supports Expo, React Native, Invitations, new Allowlist options, and much more. Authentication for the modern Web, now natively supporting mobile.

Braden Sidoti

Dec 03, 2021

Insights

Consider dropping your users table

The same way we would rather let Stripe handle your credit card, we'll let Clerk handle your phone numbers, emails and sessions.

Scott Block

Dec 01, 2021

Company

Changelog Nov 26, 2021

Rolling sessions, beta for our new dashboard, and a simple CNAME change for new production applications

Colin Sidoti

Nov 27, 2021

Insights

Trading Experts | Case Study

A case study of how Trading Experts used Clerk to quickly implement the authentication and user management features they needed.

Braden Sidoti

Nov 20, 2021

Company

Changelog Nov 19, 2021

New magic link API and docs, DIY session token validation docs, Twitch SSO support, and a new information page on OAuth SSO

Colin Sidoti

Nov 19, 2021

Company

Clerk is hiring a senior frontend team to expand our full-stack component library

Seeking experts in CSS, browser APIs, JS bundling, React, react-native, Swift, Kotlin and Developer Experience

Colin Sidoti

Nov 19, 2021

Company

Changelog Nov 12, 2021

Magic links have launched! Plus Twitter social sign-in, a new guide on passwordless authentication, and a new starter with Fastify, React, and Prisma

Colin Sidoti

Nov 13, 2021

Company

Changelog Nov 5, 2021

Session management as-a-service, a more extensible <UserProfile/>, Discord and GitLab sign in, and a new guide on data-syncing

Colin Sidoti

Nov 05, 2021

Insights

The Ultimate Guide to BCrypt and Authentication Protocols

Learn why bcrypt is the industry standard hashing algorithm for authentication - including its history and how it compares to other protocols.

Rishi Raman

Nov 02, 2021

Company

Changelog Oct 29, 2021

Next.js authentication at the edge and bug fixes for our upcoming magic link launch

Colin Sidoti

Oct 29, 2021

Company

Changelog Oct 22, 2021

Faster, faster, faster! Sub-millisecond auth in your backend, faster sign-in, and faster loading. Plus, community Ember.js and Next.js support.

Colin Sidoti

Oct 23, 2021

Company

Changelog Oct 15, 2021

Announcing Authentication v2 - from our first company retreat in Greece

Colin Sidoti

Oct 15, 2021

Company

Changelog Oct 8, 2021

Style with the `theme` prop, set a custom session duration, startup pricing, and beta for "magic links"

Colin Sidoti

Oct 08, 2021

Company

Changelog Oct 1, 2021

Price drop to 2¢ per MAU, a new guide to customization, a new Google Analytics integration, and a complete API reference.

Colin Sidoti

Oct 01, 2021

Insights

History and Rise of "Passwordless"

Learn the history of passwordless, and how it became popularized. From OTPs to MFA to mobile.

Rishi Raman

Sep 29, 2021

Insights

Session management: What it is and why your security depends on it

Learn about session management, its components, and security concerns.

Rishi Raman

Sep 21, 2021

Insights

Don’t underestimate the value of a secure, seamless ‘forgot password’ flow

Learn about “forgot password” flows, how they work, and the best practices to keep in mind.

Rishi Raman

Sep 16, 2021

Guide

Add authentication to your Gatsby app

Learn how to add authentication and user management to your Gatsby app with Clerk.

Marcel Cruz

Sep 15, 2021

Guide

Authenticated data access using Clerk, Prisma, and MongoDB - A post-making fullstack app

Add a complete authentication workflow with authenticated access to your Prisma API layer to your web application.

Peter Perlepes

Aug 17, 2021

Engineering

Generating sortable Stripe-like IDs with Segment's KSUIDs

Learn how Clerk generates resource IDs with inspiration from Stripe and Segment.

Colin Sidoti

Aug 06, 2021

Guide

Serverless authentication with Clerk and Firebase

Protect your Firebase Cloud Functions with user authentication using Clerk.

Peter Perlepes

Jul 30, 2021

Guide

Row-level access for your Airtable-powered application with Clerk

Learn how to add complete user authenticated access to your Airtable data API using Clerk.

Peter Perlepes

Jul 17, 2021

Guide

Build a premium recipes app with Clerk and Firebase

Learn how to connect Clerk as an authentication and user management solution together with your Firebase as your backend.

Peter Perlepes

Jul 10, 2021

Company

Clerk raises $4 million to build the next-gen authentication and user management platform for developers

Clerk raised a $4 million seed round led by S28 capital with Andrew Miklas (cofounder, PagerDuty) joining our board.

Colin Sidoti

Jul 01, 2021

Insights

Designing fast sign in forms— diving into the data

Key insights on building fast sign in forms with Social Sign In, password-based, and passwordless authentication.

Colin Sidoti

Jun 17, 2021

Insights

Build or Buy? A Look at User Management with Next.js: Part 1

In this article, you'll learn the pros and cons of developing or buying a user management system so you’re ready to make the right choice for your project.

Aniket Bhattacharyea

Jun 15, 2021

Engineering

How we use End To End tests to bulletproof our authentication flows across browsers

Due to the evolution of tooling and the shift towards high-velocity product development, End To End testing is a regular topic of discussion for small teams.

Peter Perlepes

Jun 11, 2021

Guide

Build a to-do app with Clerk and Hasura— and no backend code

Learn to build a to-do app using Clerk for authentication, Hasura for data storage and access, and Next.js for the frontend.

Nacho Iacovino

May 27, 2021

Engineering

How HttpOnly cookies help mitigate XSS attacks

HttpOnly cookies do not prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, but they do lessen the impact and prevent the need to sign out users after the XSS is patched. HttpOnly cookies are not a substitute for XSS prevention measures.

Colin Sidoti

May 06, 2021

Guide

How to deploy Clerk using Vercel with one click

If you are looking to implement Auth in the easiest way possible, this is the tutorial for you. Deploy in 5 minutes.

Nacho Iacovino

Apr 11, 2021

Company

Introducing Clerk: All of user management, not just authentication

The task came with a sense of helplessness. We knew what "great" looked like, but it was impractical to build all of that functionality.

Colin Sidoti

Jan 07, 2021

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