Clerk Install & Auth

Overview

Set up Clerk SDK and configure authentication for Next.js, React, or Express. This skill covers SDK installation, environment variables, ClerkProvider, middleware, and initial auth verification.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Package manager (npm, pnpm, or yarn)
• Clerk account at dashboard.clerk.com
• Publishable Key (pk_test_*) and Secret Key (sk_test_*) from Clerk Dashboard > API Keys

Instructions

Step 1: Install SDK for Your Framework

set -euo pipefail
# Next.js (App Router or Pages Router)
npm install @clerk/nextjs