Clerk Reference Architecture

Overview

Reference architectures for implementing Clerk in various application types.

Prerequisites

• Understanding of web application architecture
• Familiarity with authentication patterns
• Knowledge of your tech stack

Instructions

1. Architecture 1: Next.js Full-Stack Application
2. Architecture 2: Microservices with Shared Auth
3. Architecture 3: Multi-Tenant SaaS
4. Architecture 4: Mobile + Web with Shared Backend

For full implementation details and code examples, load: Read(${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/implementation-guide.md)

Output

• Architecture pattern selected
• Component diagram defined
• Implementation patterns ready
• Data flow documented

Resources

• Clerk Architecture Guide
• Multi-tenant Patterns
• Backend Integration

Next Steps

Proceed to clerk-multi-env-setup for multi-environment configuration.

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Resolution
Authentication failure	Invalid or expired credentials	Refresh tokens or re-authenticate with authentication
Configuration conflict	Incompatible settings detected	Review and resolve conflicting parameters
Resource not found	Referenced resource missing	Verify resource exists and permissions are correct

Examples

Basic usage: Apply clerk reference architecture to a standard project setup with default configuration options.

Advanced scenario: Customize clerk reference architecture for production environments with multiple constraints and team-specific requirements.