
## Introduction

Building secure and user-friendly authentication systems is crucial for modern web applications. As a developer, your goal is to provide a seamless experience for users while keeping their data safe. That's where [Clerk](https://clerk.com) comes in. Clerk is a powerful authentication and user management platform designed to simplify authentication in Next.js and Reactjs applications, offering an exceptional developer experience and robust user security.

In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through using Clerk and Next.js to implement authentication in your web applications. Clerk provides a seamless developer experience and robust user security. Combined with the versatility and efficiency of Next.js, you can easily create secure and user-friendly authentication systems.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you'll integrate Clerk into your Next.js application and leverage its features to enhance user onboarding, simplify authentication flows, and ensure data security.

Let's get started!

## Prerequisites
 
To follow along with this tutorial, you'll need:

1.  Basic knowledge of React and Next.js.
2.  Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) installed on your machine.
3.  A Clerk account (you can sign up for free at [https://www.clerk.com](https://www.clerk.dev/).


## Setting Up Your Next.js Application

First, let's create a new Next.js project by running the following commands in your terminal:

```
npx create-next-app my-clerk-app
cd my-clerk-app

```
## Configuring a new Clerk application for Authentication 

![Clerk Dashboard](https://res.cloudinary.com/hackit-africa/image/upload/v1688676392/new-setup.png "Clerk Dashboard")


To begin using Clerk, the first step is to create a Clerk account. You can do this by visiting clerk.dev and signing up for a free account. After signing in, you will be prompted to create a new application within your account. This application will serve as your starting point to explore and make use of the various features and capabilities offered by Clerk as highlighted above.

![Application](https://res.cloudinary.com/hackit-africa/image/upload/v1688676948/Application_name.png "Clerk Dashboard")


Once you have clicked on `Add application` after signing in, Give your application a name and select all the 'Social authentication' methods you would like your users to leverage. 

## Installing Clerk in the Next.js Application 

Clerk provides an easy-to-use Nextjs library for integrating with its authentication system. Navigate to your Next.js project's directory and run the following command to install Clerk :

```
npm install @clerk/nextjs
```
## Configuring Clerk in Your Next.js Application


![Api_Keys](https://res.cloudinary.com/hackit-africa/image/upload/v1688677690/API-Keys.png "Clerk Dashboard")

Create a `.env.local` file in the root of your Next.js project and include your `CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` key and `CLERK_SECRET_KEY` as environment variables. You can obtain these values from your clerk dashboard under the `API keys` section as highlighted above.  


```
// clerk environment variables

NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY="<Your Publishable Key>"
CLERK_SECRET_KEY="<Your Clerk Secret Key>"
```

## Mounting The ClerkProvider
In this step, we will mount  the  `ClerkProvider` component to wrap your Next.js application's root layout with the ClerkProvider context. This will allow your application to access Clerk's authentication methods and user data.


```
// app/layout.jsx
import  {  ClerkProvider  }  from  '@clerk/nextjs';

const Layout = ({ children }) => {
  return (
    <ClerkProvider>
      {/* Your layout code goes here */}
      {children}
    </ClerkProvider>
  );
};

export default Layout;

```

## Safeguarding your Application Routes

Now that Clerk has been installed and mounted in your application, it's time to decide which pages are public and which require authentication. We accomplish this by placing a `middleware.js` file at the root of the project structure and declaring the public and private routes. In our case, we only want the home page to be public and the rest of the page to be inaccessible until the user logs into the application. This is possible with the following code:

```
// Protects access from all the other pages except the home page

import { authMiddleware } from '@clerk/nextjs';

export default authMiddleware({
  publicRoutes: ["/"]
});

export const config = {
  matcher: ['/((?!.*\\..*|_next).*)', '/', '/(api|trpc)(.*)'],
};
```


## SignIn and SignUp Components

Clerk provides a selection of ready-made components that allow you to integrate sign-in, sign-up, and other user management features into your Next.js application. To utilize these features, you can use the `<SignIn />` and `<SignUp />` components alongside Next.js' optional catch-all route.

To implement this, within the "app" folder of your project, create two new directories named "sign-up" and "sign-in". Inside each directory, insert the corresponding code for the sign-up and sign-in functionalities.

### Signin

```
// app/sign-in/pages.js

import { SignIn } from "@clerk/nextjs";

const signIn = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <SignIn />
    </div>
  );
};

export default signIn;

```

### Signup

```
// app/sign-up/pages.js

import { SignUp } from "@clerk/nextjs";

const signUp = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <SignUp />
    </div>
  );
};

export default signUp;
```

With this in place, When you visit the route `http://localhost:3000/sign-in` you should be able to load Clerks login page as illustrated below :

![Application](https://res.cloudinary.com/hackit-africa/image/upload/v1688682376/clerk.png)


## Setting Up SignedIn, SignedOut and User Profile

Clerk offers us a set of components that serve specific purposes in managing user authentication within our application. These components include "SignedIn," "SignedOut," and "RedirectToSignIn." By utilizing these components, we can conveniently wrap other components with the necessary authentication functionality. This means that we can easily control the behavior of our application based on whether a user is signed in or signed out. Additionally, we have the ability to trigger a redirection to the sign-in page whenever required. These components greatly enhance our ability to handle user authentication seamlessly within our application.

To finalize the application we need to show the `SignInButton`, `UserButton` and `SignedOut`  on the applications  `Navbar` component. Navigate to your applications component and Imports various components and hooks from the '@clerk/nextjs' library as highlited below : 

```
import  {SignedIn, SignedOut,SignInButton,UserButton,}  from  '@clerk/nextjs';
```

To understand how each component highlighted above works visit [Clerks documentation](https://clerk.com/docs/nextjs/get-started-with-nextjs)  for further reading.

After importing the above components on the navbar component, wrap `UserButton` component with the `SignedIn` component. This indicates that the `UserButton` should only be rendered when a user is signed in.

The SignedOut component, Wraps the the `SignInButton` component with the `SignedOut` component. This indicates that the `SignInButton` should only be rendered when a user is signed out as illustrated in the codeblock below : 

```
const Navbar = () => {
  return (
    <nav>
      <SignedIn>
        <UserButton />
      </SignedIn>
      <SignedOut>
        <SignInButton mode='modal'>
          <button className='rounded border border-gray-400 px-3 py-0.5'>
            Sign in
          </button>
        </SignInButton>
      </SignedOut>
    </nav>
  );
};

export default Navbar;

```

With this in place you should be able to have a fully authenticated application as highlighted below : 

![Final Application](https://res.cloudinary.com/hackit-africa/image/upload/v1688687004/final.gif)



## Conclusion

In conclusion, Clerk is the ideal choice for authentication and identity management in Next.js and React applications, thanks to its effortless integration. Clerk's dedicated libraries for Next.js and React, along with its well-documented APIs, make the integration process straightforward and time-saving. Developers can swiftly set up authentication features like login, registration, and user management, leveraging Clerk's user-friendly components and powerful API. Moreover, Clerk seamlessly integrates with various application stacks, ensuring compatibility without significant modifications.

By opting for Clerk, developers can focus on building core application features instead of investing resources in complex authentication systems. Clerk's robust security measures, including multi-factor authentication and passwordless login, enhance application security without additional implementation complexities. With its easy integration, Clerk enables developers to create seamless and secure authentication experiences in Next.js and React applications, ensuring efficient functionality.

## Final Codebase 

- Github Repository : [https://github.com/musebe/Nextjs-Clerk](https://github.com/musebe/Nextjs-Clerk)

- Live Demo : [https://nextjs-clerk-nine.vercel.app/](https://nextjs-clerk-nine.vercel.app/)


Integrating authentication into Nextjs applications using Clerk.

Simplifying Authentication in Next.js     Applications with Clerk


## Introduction

Developer Relations (DevRel) is the practice of building relationships with software developers to increase adoption, satisfaction, and loyalty towards a company's products or services. It is an essential part of a company's marketing strategy, and it plays a crucial role in building a strong developer community around a company's technology.

One of the critical aspects of DevRel is creating content that resonates with developers. However, there are two primary types of content that companies can produce: community content and company content. In this blog post, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of each type of content, how to generate high-quality community content, and strategies to encourage community content.

## Community Content vs. Company Content

Community content is created by developers for developers. It includes blog posts, tutorials, code samples, and other technical resources that are shared within a community. Community content is typically distributed through social media, forums, and other community platforms.

On the other hand, company content is created by a company's marketing team or subject matter experts to promote the company's products or services. It includes white papers, case studies, product documentation, and other marketing materials. Company content is typically distributed through the company's website, email campaigns, and other marketing channels.

## Advantages and Disadvantages of Community Content

### Advantages of Community Content:

- Authenticity - Community content is often perceived as more authentic and credible than company content. Developers trust content created by their peers more than marketing materials produced by companies.

- Diverse perspectives - Community content provides diverse perspectives on a particular technology or product. Developers from different backgrounds and with different experiences can share their insights and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of a technology.

- Better engagement - Community content is more engaging than company content. Developers are more likely to engage with content that is written by their peers and is relevant to their interests.

### Disadvantages of Community Content:

- Quality control - Community content is not always of the highest quality. It can be challenging to ensure that all community content meets a certain level of quality.

- Lack of consistency - Community content can lack consistency in terms of style, tone, and messaging. This can make it difficult to create a cohesive brand message.

- Limited resources - Community content is typically created by volunteers who have limited time and resources. This can lead to inconsistency in the frequency and quality of community content.

## Advantages and Disadvantages of Company Content

### Advantages of Company Content:

- Control - Company content is under the control of the company. This means that the company can ensure that the content is of high quality and aligns with the company's messaging.

- Consistency - Company content is typically more consistent in terms of style, tone, and messaging. This can help to create a cohesive brand message.

- Resources - Companies have more resources to create high-quality content. This can lead to higher production values, such as professional graphics and videos.


### Disadvantages of Company Content:

- Perceived bias - Company content is often perceived as biased and promotional. Developers may not trust the content as much as community content.


- Lack of authenticity - Company content can lack authenticity and credibility. Developers may be skeptical of marketing materials produced by companies.

- Limited perspectives - Company content is produced by a limited group of people within the company. This can limit the perspectives and insights presented in the content.

## Generating Quality Community Content

Generating quality community content is critical to building a strong developer community. Here are some strategies for creating high-quality community content:

- Identify your target audience - Understand the needs and interests of your target audience. This can help you create content that is relevant and valuable to them.

- Encourage participation - This can be done through community events, challenges, and contests. Offer incentives for the best content submissions to encourage participation.

- Provide guidance - Provide guidance on the type of content that is most valuable to the community. This can include topics that are currently trending or areas where the community is experiencing challenges.

- Curate content - Curate the best community content and feature it prominently on your community platform. This can help to highlight the value of community contributions and motivate others to participate.

- Foster collaboration - Encourage collaboration within the community. This can include pairing developers with different skill sets to work on projects together or creating online discussion forums to facilitate collaboration.


## Strategies to Encourage Community Content

Encouraging community content can be challenging. Here are some strategies that can help:

- Recognize contributions - Recognize and reward the best community content. This can include highlighting the content on your website, social media platforms, and at community events.

- Provide incentives - Offer incentives for the best content submissions. This can include swag, gift cards, or other rewards.

- Highlight success stories - Highlight success stories of developers who have contributed valuable content to the community. This can serve as inspiration for others to get involved.

- Facilitate collaboration - Create online discussion forums or Slack channels where developers can collaborate on projects together. This can help to build a sense of community and encourage content creation.

- Respond to feedback - Listen to feedback from the community and incorporate it into your content strategy. This can help to ensure that the content you are creating is valuable and relevant to the community.

## Conclusion

In conclusion, both community content and company content have their advantages and disadvantages. Community content can be more authentic and engaging, but quality control can be a challenge. Company content can be more consistent and of higher quality, but may lack authenticity and credibility.

Generating high-quality community content is critical to building a strong developer community. Encouraging participation, providing guidance, curating content, fostering collaboration, and recognizing contributions are all strategies that can help to encourage community content creation.
l
Ultimately, the most effective content strategy will likely involve a combination of community content and company content. Finding the right balance between the two and leveraging the strengths of each can help to build a strong and engaged developer community around your company's technology.




This blog post explores the impact of community and company content in developer relations.

Developer Relations: Comparing the Impact of Community and Company Content


## Introduction

In recent years, there has been a shift in the way software architectures are designed and implemented. One of the most significant changes has been the emergence of two new architectures: headless and composable. Both of these architectures offer significant advantages over traditional monolithic approaches, but they differ in several critical ways. In this article, we will explore the differences between headless and composable architectures and examine their respective advantages and disadvantages. We will also discuss how to decide which architecture is best suited for a particular project and how these two architectures fit into the broader context of the MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless) architecture.

## Headless Architecture

Headless architecture is a design pattern that separates the front-end (the "head") of an application from its back-end. In a headless architecture, the front-end is responsible for rendering the user interface, while the back-end provides the application's core functionality. The front-end and back-end communicate through APIs, enabling developers to use different technologies and frameworks for each component. Headless architecture is commonly used in e-commerce, content management, and other web-based applications.

### Advantages of Headless Architecture

Headless architecture offers several advantages over traditional monolithic architectures:

- Flexibility: Headless architecture enables developers to use the best technology for each component of the application. For example, developers can use a front-end framework like React or Angular for the user interface and a back-end framework like Node.js or Django for the application logic. This flexibility allows developers to choose the best tool for the job, resulting in a more efficient and effective development process.

- Scalability: Headless architecture makes it easier to scale an application horizontally, which means adding more servers to handle increased traffic. Because the front-end and back-end components are separate, developers can add more servers to the back-end without affecting the front-end. This scalability is especially important for applications that experience rapid growth.

- Speed: Because the front-end and back-end components are separate, headless architecture can improve application performance. The front-end can render the user interface quickly, and the back-end can handle application logic without slowing down the user interface.

### Disadvantages of Headless Architecture

Headless architecture also has some disadvantages:

- Complexity: Headless architecture is more complex than traditional monolithic architectures because it requires developers to manage multiple components and APIs. This complexity can make it more difficult to develop and maintain an application.

- Integration: Because the front-end and back-end components are separate, integrating third-party services or systems can be challenging. Developers must ensure that the APIs are compatible and that the components can communicate effectively.

## Composable Architecture

Composable architecture is another design pattern that separates an application's components into discrete, reusable modules. These modules can be combined to create different applications with different functionality. Composable architecture enables developers to build applications quickly and efficiently by reusing existing modules rather than creating new ones from scratch.

### Advantages of Composable Architecture

Composable architecture offers several advantages:

- Reusability: Composable architecture enables developers to reuse existing modules, which saves time and resources. Developers can create new applications quickly by combining existing modules, rather than creating new ones from scratch.

- Agility: Composable architecture enables developers to respond quickly to changes in business requirements. Because the components are separate, developers can add, remove, or modify modules without affecting other components of the application.

- Scalability: Composable architecture makes it easier to scale an application horizontally. Developers can add more modules to handle increased traffic or remove modules that are no longer needed.

### Disadvantages of Composable Architecture

Composable architecture also has some disadvantages:

- Complexity: Composable architecture is more complex than traditional monolithic architectures because it requires developers to manage multiple components and ensure that they can communicate effectively.

- Integration: Integrating different modules can be challenging because developers must ensure that the modules are compatible and that they can communicate effectively. This can require a significant amount of effort and resources.

## Headless vs. Composable Architecture

While headless and composable architectures share some similarities, there are several critical differences between them.

- Separation of Concerns: Headless architecture separates the front-end from the back-end, while composable architecture separates an application's components into separate modules. In headless architecture, the front-end and back-end are tightly coupled, while in composable architecture, the components are loosely coupled.

- API vs. Module: Headless architecture uses APIs to communicate between the front-end and back-end, while composable architecture uses modules. APIs provide a standardized way to communicate between components, while modules provide a way to reuse existing functionality.

- Flexibility: Headless architecture offers more flexibility because developers can choose different technologies for the front-end and back-end. Composable architecture offers more flexibility because developers can reuse existing modules to create new applications quickly.

- Complexity: Headless architecture is more complex than traditional monolithic architectures, but it is less complex than composable architecture. Composable architecture requires developers to manage multiple modules and ensure that they can communicate effectively.

## How to Decide Between Headless and Composable Architecture

When deciding between headless and composable architecture, there are several factors to consider:

- Project Requirements: The first factor to consider is the project's requirements. If the project requires a separate front-end and back-end, then headless architecture is the better choice. If the project requires reusability and agility, then composable architecture is the better choice.

- Development Team: The development team's skill set is another factor to consider. If the team is more familiar with back-end development, then headless architecture may be the better choice. If the team is more familiar with modular development, then composable architecture may be the better choice.

- Third-Party Integration: If the project requires integrating with third-party services or systems, then headless architecture may be more challenging because it requires managing APIs. Composable architecture may be a better choice because it provides a way to reuse existing modules.


## MACH Architecture

Headless and composable architectures are both critical components of the MACH architecture. The MACH architecture is a modern, flexible approach to building e-commerce platforms that consists of four key components: Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless.

Microservices enable developers to break down an application into small, modular components that can be developed and deployed independently. API-first means that the application's components communicate with each other through APIs, which provides a standardized way to communicate between components.

Cloud-native means that the application is designed to run in the cloud, which provides scalability and flexibility. Headless means that the front-end is separate from the back-end, which provides flexibility and agility.

Both headless and composable architectures are essential components of the MACH architecture. Headless architecture enables developers to separate the front-end and back-end, while composable architecture enables developers to reuse existing modules to create new applications quickly.

## Conclusion

Headless and composable architectures offer significant advantages over traditional monolithic architectures. Headless architecture enables developers to separate the front-end and back-end, while composable architecture enables developers to reuse existing modules to create new applications quickly. When deciding between headless and composable architecture, it is essential to consider the project's requirements, the development team's skill set, and the need for third-party integration. Both headless and composable architectures are critical components of the MACH architecture, which is a modern, flexible approach to building e-commerce platforms.














Understanding the Differences, Advantages, Disadvantages, and their Role in the MACH Architecture.

Headless vs Composable Architecture


## Introduction:

Developer advocacy has become a crucial component of any successful technology company. It is the process of building relationships between developers and a company by creating valuable content, providing support, and fostering a sense of community. One of the key elements of developer advocacy is creating technical content that resonates with your audience and positions your company as a thought leader in the industry.

In this article, I will dive into the world of developer advocacy and explore the art of curating a technical content calendar. From defining your objectives and identifying your target audience to conducting keyword research and evaluating your efforts, I will provide you with a comprehensive guide to creating a successful content marketing campaign. Whether you are a content creator, marketer, or business owner, this article will equip you with the tools and strategies you need to create engaging and informative technical content that drives engagement and conversions.

### Step 1: Define Your Objectives

Before you begin curating your technical content calendar, you need to define your objectives. What do you want to achieve with your content marketing campaign? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry? Your objectives will guide your content creation efforts and help you measure your success.


### Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience

Once you have defined your objectives, you need to identify your target audience. Who are you creating content for? What are their pain points, challenges, and interests? Understanding your audience's needs will help you create content that resonates with them and keeps them engaged.

### Step 3: Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research is an essential step in creating a technical content calendar. It involves identifying the keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for online. By incorporating these keywords into your content, you can improve your search engine rankings and attract more organic traffic to your website.

### Step 4: Brainstorm Content Ideas

Now that you have a clear understanding of your objectives, target audience, and keywords, it's time to start brainstorming content ideas. Start by making a list of topics that align with your business goals and target audience's needs. Consider creating different types of content, such as blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, infographics, and videos.

### Step 5: Prioritize and Organize Your Ideas

Once you have a list of content ideas, you need to prioritize and organize them. Consider the following factors when organizing your content ideas:

- Relevance: How relevant is the topic to your target audience's needs and interests?

- Timeliness: Is the topic timely and relevant to current industry trends and events?

- Difficulty: How difficult is it to create content on the topic? Do you have the expertise and resources to create high-quality content on this topic?

Prioritizing and organizing your content ideas will help ensure that you are creating content that is both valuable and achievable.

### Step 6: Create a Content Calendar

Once you have prioritized and organized your content ideas, it's time to create a content calendar. A content calendar is a schedule of when and where your content will be published. It helps you plan and organize your content creation efforts and ensures that you are publishing content consistently.

When creating your content calendar, consider the following:

- Content type: What type of content will you be creating? Blog posts, videos, social media posts, etc.

- Topic: What topic will the content cover?

- Publishing date: When will the content be published?

- Platform: Where will the content be published? On your website, social media, etc.

- Author: Who will be responsible for creating the content?

- Status: What is the status of the content? Is it in progress, completed, or ready to be published?

- Keywords: What keywords will be incorporated into the content?

### Step 7: Monitor and Evaluate Your Content Calendar

Creating a content calendar is not a set-it-and-forget-it task. It requires ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure that it is achieving your objectives. Monitor your content calendar regularly to ensure that you are publishing content on schedule and that the quality of the content meets your standards.

Evaluate the success of your content calendar by measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, social media engagement, lead generation, and sales. Use this data to make adjustments to your content calendar as needed and to inform your future content creation efforts.

## Conclusion

Curating a technical content calendar can be challenging, but with the right approach, it can be a highly effective way to drive engagement and conversions for your business. By defining your objectives, identifying your target audience, conducting keyword research, brainstorming content ideas, prioritizing and organizing your ideas, creating a content calendar, and monitoring and evaluating your efforts, you can create a successful content marketing campaign that resonates with your audience and achieves your business goals.



A Comprehensive Guide to Curating a Technical Content Calendar.

The Art of Developer Advocacy


As a Developer Advocate at Cloudinary, I created technical content for Mediajams, managed the MediaDevs discord community, hosted meetups, and led discussions on media challenges in developer communities. I also monitored the community's needs, suggested improvements, and communicated them during weekly meetings to ensure growth and evolution.

Developer-Advocate-Cloudinary (Contract)


At Saadatech, I was able to showcase my technical team management and leadership skills, as well as my expertise in frontend and DevOps engineering. During my time 2.5 years of working for the company:


Technical Lead / Javascript & Devops Software Engineer

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