Clerk

Set up API access for Clerk, a user authentication and management platform with pre-built UI components and a powerful API.

⏱ 5 minutes auth identity dashboard.clerk.com

getapi clerk

Prerequisites

Variable	Description	Sensitive
`CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY`	Publishable key for client-side usage (safe to expose in frontend code)	Public
`CLERK_SECRET_KEY`	Secret key for server-side API calls	Secret

1 Info

We'll get your Clerk API keys. Clerk provides two keys: a publishable key (safe for client-side) and a secret key (server-side only).
2 Open URL

Opening the Clerk dashboard. Sign in if prompted.
https://dashboard.clerk.com
3 Choice
Do you have a Clerk application already?
- Yes, use an existing application
  
  → Jumps to navigate_keys
- No, I need to create one
  
  → Jumps to create_app
4 Info

Click 'Create application'. Give it a name and select the sign-in methods you want to support (e.g. email, Google, GitHub).
5 Confirm

Application created?

Checkpoint — confirm before continuing
6 Info

Navigate to your application, then go to 'API Keys' in the sidebar.
7 Input

Copy the 'Publishable key' and paste it here:

→ CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY

Starts with pk_. At least 20 characters
8 Input

Now copy the 'Secret key' and paste it here:

→ CLERK_SECRET_KEY

Starts with sk_. At least 20 characters
9 Validate

Checking your secret key works...

Secret key verified. You're all set.

Couldn't verify the secret key. Make sure you copied it correctly.

The publishable key is safe for client-side code. The secret key must NEVER be exposed in frontend code.
Keys starting with 'pk_test_' / 'sk_test_' are for development. Switch to 'pk_live_' / 'sk_live_' for production.
Clerk's free plan includes up to 10,000 monthly active users.
If you rotate your secret key, all existing server-side integrations will break immediately.