Next.js Quickstart (App Router)

Use this pre-built prompt to get started faster.

Before you start

Set up a Clerk application

Example repository

Next.js App Router Quickstart Repo

Create a new Next.js app

If you don't already have a Next.js app, run the following commands to create a new one.

npm

pnpm

yarn

bun

terminal

npm create next-app@latest clerk-nextjs -- --yes
cd clerk-nextjs
npm install

terminal

pnpm create next-app clerk-nextjs --yes
cd clerk-nextjs
pnpm install

terminal

yarn create next-app clerk-nextjs --yes
cd clerk-nextjs
yarn install

terminal

bunx create-next-app clerk-nextjs --yes
cd clerk-nextjs
bun install

Install `@clerk/nextjs`

The Clerk Next.js SDK gives you access to prebuilt components, hooks, and helpers to make user authentication easier.

Run the following command to install the SDK:

npm

pnpm

yarn

bun

terminal

npm install @clerk/nextjs

terminal

pnpm add @clerk/nextjs

terminal

yarn add @clerk/nextjs

terminal

bun add @clerk/nextjs

Add `clerkMiddleware()` to your app

clerkMiddleware() grants you access to user authentication state throughout your app. It also allows you to protect specific routes from unauthenticated users. To add clerkMiddleware() to your app, follow these steps:

Important

If you're using Next.js ≤15, name your file middleware.ts instead of proxy.ts. The code itself remains the same; only the filename changes.

Create a proxy.ts file.
- If you're using the /src directory, create proxy.ts in the /src directory.
- If you're not using the /src directory, create proxy.ts in the root directory.

In your proxy.ts file, export the clerkMiddleware() helper:

proxy.ts

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

export default clerkMiddleware()

export const config = {
  matcher: [
    // Skip Next.js internals and all static files, unless found in search params
    '/((?!_next|[^?]*\\.(?:html?|css|js(?!on)|jpe?g|webp|png|gif|svg|ttf|woff2?|ico|csv|docx?|xlsx?|zip|webmanifest)).*)',
    // Always run for API routes
    '/(api|trpc)(.*)',
  ],
}

By default, clerkMiddleware() will not protect any routes. All routes are public and you must opt-in to protection for routes. See the clerkMiddleware() reference to learn how to require authentication for specific routes.

Add `<ClerkProvider>` to your app

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> to make authentication globally accessible. See the reference docs for other configuration options.

Add the <ClerkProvider> component to your app's layout, as shown in the following example:

app/layout.tsx

import type { Metadata } from 'next'
import { ClerkProvider } from '@clerk/nextjs'
import { Geist, Geist_Mono } from 'next/font/google'
import './globals.css'

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const geistSans = Geist({
  variable: '--font-geist-sans',
  subsets: ['latin'],
})

const geistMono = Geist_Mono({
  variable: '--font-geist-mono',
  subsets: ['latin'],
})

export const metadata: Metadata = {
  title: 'Clerk Next.js Quickstart',
  description: 'Generated by create next app',
}

export default function RootLayout({
  children,
}: Readonly<{
  children: React.ReactNode
}>) {
  return (
    <ClerkProvider>
      <html lang="en">
        <body className={`${geistSans.variable} ${geistMono.variable} antialiased`}>
          {children}
        </body>
      </html>
    </ClerkProvider>
  )
}

Create a header with Clerk components

You can control which content signed-in and signed-out users can see with the prebuilt control components. The following example creates a header using the following components:

<SignedIn>: Children of this component can only be seen while signed in.
<SignedOut>: Children of this component can only be seen while signed out.
<UserButton />: Shows the signed-in user's avatar. Selecting it opens a dropdown menu with account management options.
<SignInButton />: An unstyled component that links to the sign-in page. In this example, since no props or environment variables are set for the sign-in URL, this component links to the Account Portal sign-in page.
<SignUpButton />: An unstyled component that links to the sign-up page. In this example, since no props or environment variables are set for the sign-up URL, this component links to the Account Portal sign-up page.

app/layout.tsx

import type { Metadata } from 'next'
import {
  ClerkProvider,
  SignInButton,
  SignUpButton,
  SignedIn,
  SignedOut,
  UserButton,
} from '@clerk/nextjs'
import { Geist, Geist_Mono } from 'next/font/google'
import './globals.css'

20 lines collapsed
const geistSans = Geist({
  variable: '--font-geist-sans',
  subsets: ['latin'],
})

const geistMono = Geist_Mono({
  variable: '--font-geist-mono',
  subsets: ['latin'],
})

export const metadata: Metadata = {
  title: 'Clerk Next.js Quickstart',
  description: 'Generated by create next app',
}

export default function RootLayout({
  children,
}: Readonly<{
  children: React.ReactNode
}>) {
  return (
    <ClerkProvider>
      <html lang="en">
        <body className={`${geistSans.variable} ${geistMono.variable} antialiased`}>
          <header className="flex justify-end items-center p-4 gap-4 h-16">
            {/* Show the sign-in and sign-up buttons when the user is signed out */}
            <SignedOut>
              <SignInButton />
              <SignUpButton>
                <button className="bg-[#6c47ff] text-white rounded-full font-medium text-sm sm:text-base h-10 sm:h-12 px-4 sm:px-5 cursor-pointer">
                  Sign Up
                </button>
              </SignUpButton>
            </SignedOut>
            {/* Show the user button when the user is signed in */}
            <SignedIn>
              <UserButton />
            </SignedIn>
          </header>
          {children}
        </body>
      </html>
    </ClerkProvider>
  )
}

Run your project

Run your project with the following command:

npm

pnpm

yarn

bun

terminal

npm run dev

terminal

pnpm run dev

terminal

yarn dev

terminal

bun run dev

Create your first user

Visit your app's homepage at http://localhost:3000.
Select "Sign up" on the page and authenticate to create your first user.
To make configuration changes to your Clerk development instance, claim the Clerk keys that were generated for you by selecting Claim your application in the bottom right of your app. This will associate the application with your Clerk account.

Edit on GitHub

Next.js Quickstart (App Router)

Before you start

Example repository

Create a new Next.js app

Install `@clerk/nextjs`

Add `clerkMiddleware()` to your app

Add `<ClerkProvider>` to your app

Create a header with Clerk components

Run your project

Create your first user

Next steps

Create a custom sign-in or sign-up page

Add custom onboarding to your authentication flow

Protect specific routes

Protect content and read user data

Next.js SDK Reference

Deploy to Production

Next.js Quickstart (App Router)

Before you start

Example repository

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