---
title: 'How to use Prisma ORM with Clerk Auth and Next.js'
metaTitle: 'How to use Prisma ORM and Prisma Postgres with Clerk Auth and Next.js'
description: 'Learn how to use Prisma ORM in a Next.js app with Clerk Auth'
sidebar_label: 'Clerk (with Next.js)'
image: '/img/guides/prisma-clerk-nextjs-cover.png'
completion_time: '25 min'
community_section: true
---

## Introduction

[Clerk](https://clerk.com/) is a drop-in auth provider that handles sign-up, sign-in, user management, and webhooks so you don't have to.

In this guide you'll wire Clerk into a brand-new [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) app, persist users in a [Prisma Postgres](https://prisma.io/postgres) database, and expose a tiny posts API. You can find a complete example of this guide on [GitHub](https://github.com/prisma/prisma-examples/tree/latest/orm/clerk-nextjs).

## Prerequisites

- [Node.js 18+](https://nodejs.org)
- [Clerk account](https://clerk.com)
- [ngrok account](https://ngrok.com)

## 1. Set up your project

Create the app:

```terminal
npx create-next-app@latest clerk-nextjs-prisma
```

It will prompt you to customize your setup. Choose the defaults:

:::info

- *Would you like to use TypeScript?* `Yes`
- *Would you like to use ESLint?* `Yes`
- *Would you like to use Tailwind CSS?* `Yes`
- *Would you like your code inside a `src/` directory?* `No`
- *Would you like to use App Router?* (recommended) `Yes`
- *Would you like to use Turbopack for `next dev`?* `Yes`
- *Would you like to customize the import alias (`@/*` by default)?* `No`

:::

Navigate to the project directory:

```terminal
cd clerk-nextjs-prisma
```

## 2. Set up Clerk

### 2.1. Create a new Clerk application

[Sign in](https://dashboard.clerk.com/sign-in) to Clerk and navigate to the home page. From there, press the `Create Application` button to create a new application. Enter a title, select your sign-in options, and click `Create Application`.

:::info

For this guide, the Google, Github, and Email sign in options will be used.

:::

Install the Clerk Next.js SDK:

```terminal
npm install @clerk/nextjs
```

Copy your Clerk keys and paste them into **.env** in the root of your project:

```dotenv file=.env showLineNumbers
//add-start
# Clerk
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=<your-publishable-key>
CLERK_SECRET_KEY=<your-secret-key>
//add-end
```

### 2.2. Protect routes with Clerk middleware

The `clerkMiddleware` helper enables authentication and is where you'll configure your protected routes.

Create a `middleware.ts` file in the root directory of your project:

```tsx file=middleware.ts showLineNumbers
//add-start
import { clerkMiddleware } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";

export default clerkMiddleware();

export const config = {
  matcher: [
    '/((?!_next|[^?]*\\.(?:html?|css|js(?!on)|jpe?g|webp|png|gif|svg|ttf|woff2?|ico|csv|docx?|xlsx?|zip|webmanifest)).*)',
    '/(api|trpc)(.*)',
  ],
};
//add-end
```

### 2.3. Add Clerk UI to your layout

Next, you'll need to wrap your app in the `ClerkProvider` component to make authentication globally available.

In your `layout.tsx` file, add the `ClerkProvider` component:

```tsx file=app/layout.tsx showLineNumbers
import type { Metadata } from "next";
import { Geist, Geist_Mono } from "next/font/google";
import "./globals.css";
//add-next-line
import { ClerkProvider } from "@clerk/nextjs";

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

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

export const metadata: Metadata = {
  title: "Create Next App",
  description: "Generated by create next app",
};

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

Create a `Navbar` component which will be used to display the Sign In and Sign Up buttons as well as the User Button once a user is signed in:

```tsx file=app/layout.tsx showLineNumbers
import type { Metadata } from "next";
import { Geist, Geist_Mono } from "next/font/google";
import "./globals.css";
import {
  ClerkProvider,
  //add-start
  UserButton,
  SignInButton,
  SignUpButton,
  SignedOut,
  SignedIn,
//add-end
} from "@clerk/nextjs";

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

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

export const metadata: Metadata = {
  title: "Create Next App",
  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`}>
          //add-next-line
          <Navbar />
          {children}
        </body>
      </html>
    </ClerkProvider>
  );
}

//add-start
const Navbar = () => {
  return (
    <header className="flex justify-end items-center p-4 gap-4 h-16">
      <SignedOut>
        <SignInButton />
        <SignUpButton />
      </SignedOut>
      <SignedIn>
        <UserButton />
      </SignedIn>
    </header>
  );
};
//add-end
```

## 3. Install and configure Prisma

### 3.1. Install dependencies

To get started with Prisma, you'll need to install a few dependencies:

```terminal
npm install prisma tsx @types/pg --save-dev
npm install @prisma/client @prisma/adapter-pg dotenv pg
```

:::info

If you are using a different database provider (MySQL, SQL Server, SQLite), install the corresponding driver adapter package instead of `@prisma/adapter-pg`. For more information, see [Database drivers](/orm/overview/databases/database-drivers).

:::

Once installed, initialize Prisma in your project:

```terminal
npx prisma init --db --output ../app/generated/prisma
```
:::info
You'll need to answer a few questions while setting up your Prisma Postgres database. Select the region closest to your location and a memorable name for the database like "My Clerk NextJS Project"
:::
This will create:

- A `prisma/` directory with a `schema.prisma` file
- A `DATABASE_URL` in `.env`

### 3.2. Define your Prisma Schema

In the `prisma/schema.prisma` file, add the following models:

```prisma file=prisma/schema.prisma showLineNumbers
generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client"
  output   = "../app/generated/prisma"
}

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
}

//add-start
model User {
  id      Int     @id @default(autoincrement())
  clerkId String  @unique
  email   String  @unique
  name    String?
  posts   Post[]
}

model Post {
  id        Int      @id @default(autoincrement())
  title     String
  content   String?
  published Boolean  @default(false)
  authorId  Int
  author    User     @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}
//add-end
```

This will create two models: `User` and `Post`, with a one-to-many relationship between them.

Create a `prisma.config.ts` file to configure Prisma:

```typescript file=prisma.config.ts showLineNumbers
//add-start
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from 'prisma/config';

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
});
//add-end
```

:::note

You'll need to install the `dotenv` package:

```terminal
npm install dotenv
```

:::

Now, run the following command to create the database tables and generate the Prisma Client:

```terminal
npx prisma migrate dev --name init
npx prisma generate
```

:::warning

It is recommended that you add `/app/generated/prisma` to your `.gitignore` file.

:::

### 3.3. Create a reusable Prisma Client

In the root directory, create a `lib` directory and a `prisma.ts` file inside it:

```tsx file=lib/prisma.ts showLineNumbers
//add-start
import { PrismaClient } from "../app/generated/prisma/client";
import { PrismaPg } from "@prisma/adapter-pg";

const adapter = new PrismaPg({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL!,
});

const globalForPrisma = global as unknown as {
  prisma: PrismaClient;
};

const prisma = globalForPrisma.prisma || new PrismaClient({
  adapter,
});

if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") globalForPrisma.prisma = prisma;

export default prisma;
//add-end
```

## 4. Wire Clerk to the database

### 4.1. Create a Clerk webhook endpoint

Create a new API route at `app/api/webhooks/clerk/route.ts`:

Import the necessary dependencies:

```tsx file=app/api/webhooks/clerk/route.ts showLineNumbers
//add-start
import { verifyWebhook } from "@clerk/nextjs/webhooks";
import { NextRequest } from "next/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";
//add-end
```

Create the `POST` method that Clerk will call and verify the webhook:

```tsx file=app/api/webhooks/clerk/route.ts showLineNumbers
import { verifyWebhook } from "@clerk/nextjs/webhooks";
import { NextRequest } from "next/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";

//add-start
export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
  try {
    const evt = await verifyWebhook(req);
    const { id } = evt.data;
    const eventType = evt.type;
    console.log(
      `Received webhook with ID ${id} and event type of ${eventType}`
    );
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Error verifying webhook:", err);
    return new Response("Error verifying webhook", { status: 400 });
  }
}
//add-end
```

When a new user is created, they need to be stored in the database.

You'll do that by checking if the event type is `user.created` and then using Prisma's `upsert` method to create a new user if they don't exist:

```tsx file=app/api/webhooks/clerk/route.ts showLineNumbers
import { verifyWebhook } from "@clerk/nextjs/webhooks";
import { NextRequest } from "next/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";

export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
  try {
    const evt = await verifyWebhook(req);
    const { id } = evt.data;
    const eventType = evt.type;
    console.log(
      `Received webhook with ID ${id} and event type of ${eventType}`
    );

    //add-start
    if (eventType === "user.created") {
      const { id, email_addresses, first_name, last_name } = evt.data;
      await prisma.user.upsert({
        where: { clerkId: id },
        update: {},
        create: {
          clerkId: id,
          email: email_addresses[0].email_address,
          name: `${first_name} ${last_name}`,
        },
      });
    }
    //add-end
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Error verifying webhook:", err);
    return new Response("Error verifying webhook", { status: 400 });
  }
}
```

Finally, return a response to Clerk to confirm the webhook was received:

```tsx file=app/api/webhooks/clerk/route.ts showLineNumbers
import { verifyWebhook } from "@clerk/nextjs/webhooks";
import { NextRequest } from "next/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";

export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
  try {
    const evt = await verifyWebhook(req);
    const { id } = evt.data;
    const eventType = evt.type;
    console.log(
      `Received webhook with ID ${id} and event type of ${eventType}`
    );

    if (eventType === "user.created") {
      const { id, email_addresses, first_name, last_name } = evt.data;
      await prisma.user.upsert({
        where: { clerkId: id },
        update: {},
        create: {
          clerkId: id,
          email: email_addresses[0].email_address,
          name: `${first_name} ${last_name}`,
        },
      });
    }

    //add-next-line
    return new Response("Webhook received", { status: 200 });
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Error verifying webhook:", err);
    return new Response("Error verifying webhook", { status: 400 });
  }
}
```

### 4.2. Expose your local app for webhooks

You'll need to expose your local app for webhooks with [ngrok](https://ngrok.com/). This will allow Clerk to reach your `/api/webhooks/clerk` route to push events like `user.created`.

Install ngrok and expose your local app:

```terminal
npm install --global ngrok
ngrok http 3000
```

Copy the ngrok `Forwarding URL`. This will be used to set the webhook URL in Clerk.

Navigate to the ***Webhooks*** section of your Clerk application located near the bottom of the ***Configure*** tab under ***Developers***.

Click ***Add Endpoint*** and paste the ngrok URL into the ***Endpoint URL*** field and add `/api/webhooks/clerk` to the end of the URL. It should look similar to this:

```text
https://a60b-99-42-62-240.ngrok-free.app/api/webhooks/clerk
```

Copy the ***Signing Secret*** and add it to your `.env` file:

```dotenv file=.env showLineNumbers
# Prisma
DATABASE_URL=<your-database-url>

# Clerk
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=<your-publishable-key>
CLERK_SECRET_KEY=<your-secret-key>
//add-next-line
CLERK_WEBHOOK_SIGNING_SECRET=<your-signing-secret>
```

On the home page, press Sign Up and create an account using any of the sign-up options

Open Prisma Studio and you should see a user record.

```terminal
npx prisma studio
```

:::note

If you don't see a user record, there are a few things to check:
- Delete your user from the Users tab in Clerk and try again.
- Check your ngrok URL and ensure it's correct *(it will change everytime you restart ngrok)*.
- Check your Clerk webhook is pointing to the correct ngrok URL.
- Make sure you've added `/api/webhooks/clerk` to the end of the URL.

:::

## 5. Build a posts API

To create posts under a user, you'll need to create a new API route at `app/api/posts/route.ts`:

Start by importing the necessary dependencies:

```tsx file=app/api/posts/route.ts showLineNumbers
//add-start
import { auth } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";
//add-end
```

Get the `clerkId` of the authenticated user. If there's no user, return a `401` Unauthorized response:

```tsx file=app/api/posts/route.ts showLineNumbers
import { auth } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";

//add-start
export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const { userId: clerkId } = await auth();
  if (!clerkId) return new Response("Unauthorized", { status: 401 });
}
//add-end
```

Match the Clerk user to a user in the database. If none is found, return a `404` Not Found response:

```tsx file=app/api/posts/route.ts showLineNumbers
import { auth } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const { userId: clerkId } = await auth();
  if (!clerkId) return new Response("Unauthorized", { status: 401 });

  //add-start
  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
    where: { clerkId },
  });

  if (!user) return new Response("User not found", { status: 404 });
  //add-end
}
```

Destructure the title and content from the incoming request and create a post. Once done, return a `201` Created response:

```tsx file=app/api/posts/route.ts showLineNumbers
import { auth } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const { userId: clerkId } = await auth();
  if (!clerkId) return new Response("Unauthorized", { status: 401 });

  //add-next-line
  const { title, content } = await req.json();

  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
    where: { clerkId },
  });

  if (!user) return new Response("User not found", { status: 404 });

  //add-start
  const post = await prisma.post.create({
    data: {
      title,
      content,
      authorId: user.id,
    },
  });
  //add-end

  //add-next-line
  return new Response(JSON.stringify(post), { status: 201 });
}
```

## 6. Add a Post creation UI

In `/app`, create a `/components` directory and a `PostInputs.tsx` file inside it:

```tsx file=app/components/PostInputs.tsx showLineNumbers
//add-next-line
"use client";

//add-next-line
import { useState } from "react";

//add-start
export default function PostInputs() {
  const [title, setTitle] = useState("");
  const [content, setContent] = useState("");
}
//add-end
```

This component uses `"use client"` to ensure the component is rendered on the client. The title and content are stored in their own `useState` hooks.

Create a function that will be called when a form is submitted:

```tsx file=app/components/PostInputs.tsx showLineNumbers
"use client";

import { useState } from "react";

export default function PostInputs() {
  const [title, setTitle] = useState("");
  const [content, setContent] = useState("");

  //add-start
  async function createPost(e: React.FormEvent) {
    e.preventDefault();
    if (!title || !content) return;

    await fetch("/api/posts", {
      method: "POST",
      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      body: JSON.stringify({ title, content }),
    });

    setTitle("");
    setContent("");
    location.reload();
  }
  //add-end
}
```

You'll be using a form to create a post and call the `POST` route you created earlier:

```tsx file=app/components/PostInputs.tsx showLineNumbers
"use client";

import { useState } from "react";

export default function PostInputs() {
  const [title, setTitle] = useState("");
  const [content, setContent] = useState("");

  async function createPost(e: React.FormEvent) {
    e.preventDefault();
    if (!title || !content) return;

    await fetch("/api/posts", {
      method: "POST",
      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      body: JSON.stringify({ title, content }),
    });

    setTitle("");
    setContent("");
    location.reload();
  }

  //add-start
  return (
    <form onSubmit={createPost} className="space-y-2">
      <input
        type="text"
        placeholder="Title"
        value={title}
        onChange={(e) => setTitle(e.target.value)}
        className="w-full p-2 border border-zinc-800 rounded"
      />
      <textarea
        placeholder="Content"
        value={content}
        onChange={(e) => setContent(e.target.value)}
        className="w-full p-2 border border-zinc-800 rounded"
      />
      <button className="w-full p-2 border border-zinc-800 rounded">
        Post
      </button>
    </form>
  );
  //add-end
}
```

On submit:
- It sends a `POST` request to the `/api/posts` route
- Clears the input fields
- Reloads the page to show the new post

## 7. Set up `page.tsx`

Now, update the `page.tsx` file to fetch posts, show the form, and render the list.

Delete everything within `page.tsx`, leaving only the following:

```tsx file=app/page.tsx showLineNumbers
export default function Home() {
  return ()
}
```

Import the necessary dependencies:

```tsx file=app/page.tsx showLineNumbers
//add-start
import { currentUser } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";
import PostInputs from "@/app/components/PostInputs";
//add-end

export default function Home() {
  return ()
}
```

To ensure only signed-in users can access the post functionality, update the `Home` component to check for a user:

```tsx file=app/page.tsx showLineNumbers
//add-start
import { currentUser } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";
import PostInputs from "@/app/components/PostInputs";
//add-end

export default async function Home() {
  //add-start
  const user = await currentUser();
  if (!user) return <div className="flex justify-center">Sign in to post</div>;
  //add-end

  return ()
}
```

Once a user is found, fetch that user's posts from the database:

```tsx file=app/page.tsx showLineNumbers
//add-start
import { currentUser } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";
import PostInputs from "@/app/components/PostInputs";
//add-end

export default async function Home() {
  const user = await currentUser();
  if (!user) return <div className="flex justify-center">Sign in to post</div>;

  //add-start
  const posts = await prisma.post.findMany({
    where: { author: { clerkId: user.id } },
    orderBy: { createdAt: "desc" },
  });
  //add-end

  return ()
}
```

Finally, render the form and post list:

```tsx file=app/page.tsx showLineNumbers
import { currentUser } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";
import prisma from "@/lib/prisma";
import PostInputs from "@/app/components/PostInputs";

export default async function Home() {
  const user = await currentUser();
  if (!user) return <div className="flex justify-center">Sign in to post</div>;

  const posts = await prisma.post.findMany({
    where: { author: { clerkId: user.id } },
    orderBy: { createdAt: "desc" },
  });

  return (
    //add-start
    <main className="max-w-2xl mx-auto p-4">
      <PostInputs />
      <div className="mt-8">
        {posts.map((post) => (
          <div
            key={post.id}
            className="p-4 border border-zinc-800 rounded mt-4">
            <h2 className="font-bold">{post.title}</h2>
            <p className="mt-2">{post.content}</p>
          </div>
        ))}
      </div>
    </main>
    //add-end
  );
}
```

You've successfully built a Next.js application with Clerk authentication and Prisma, creating a foundation for a secure and scalable full-stack application that handles user management and data persistence with ease.

Below are some next steps to explore, as well as some more resources to help you get started expanding your project.

## Next Steps

- Add delete functionality to posts and users.
- Add a search bar to filter posts.
- Deploy to Vercel and set your production webhook URL in Clerk.
- Enable query caching with [Prisma Postgres](/postgres/database/caching) for better performance

### More Info

- [Prisma Docs](/orm/overview/introduction)
- [Next.js Docs](https://nextjs.org/docs)
- [Clerk Docs](https://clerk.com/docs)
