clerk and convex auth

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Certainly! Here’s a review and summary of the relationship between Clerk and Convex Auth, based on the provided knowledge sources:

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Clerk vs. Convex Auth: Overview

Clerk is a third-party authentication platform that provides a full-featured authentication solution, including social logins, email/password, one-time codes, multi-factor authentication, and robust user/session management. It integrates smoothly with Convex using the <ConvexProviderWithClerk> provider, which allows you to leverage Clerk’s authentication state within your Convex-powered app. Clerk is production-ready and widely used, with strong support for frameworks like Next.js and React Native/Expo.

Convex Auth is Convex’s own authentication library, currently in beta. It allows you to implement authentication directly within your Convex deployment, supporting social providers, email/SMS codes, and passwords. Convex Auth is quick to set up and keeps everything within the Convex ecosystem, but it is not as feature-rich as Clerk and may change in backward-incompatible ways as it matures. It is best suited for simple use cases or rapid prototyping, especially if you want to avoid third-party dependencies or costs.

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When to Use Each

• Use Clerk if you need advanced authentication features (multi-factor auth, passkeys, spam protection, etc.), want a polished user experience, or require production stability. Clerk is also recommended if you are building with Next.js or React Native/Expo and want seamless integration with Convex.
  Authentication, User Authentication with Clerk and Convex, Authentication Best Practices: Convex, Clerk and NextJs

• Use Convex Auth if you want a simple, integrated solution and are comfortable with beta software. It’s ideal for projects where you want to avoid external services and keep everything in Convex, but be aware of its current limitations and beta status.
  Authentication, Discord support thread: When to use clerk over convex auth

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Integration Patterns

• Clerk + Convex:

  • Set up Clerk and create a JWT template for Convex.
  • Configure Convex to accept Clerk’s JWTs by setting the issuer domain in auth.config.ts.
  • Use <ClerkProvider> to wrap your app, and <ConvexProviderWithClerk> to connect Clerk’s auth state to Convex.
  • Use Convex’s useConvexAuth() hook to check authentication state in your components, and conditionally run queries only when authenticated.
  • Example setup for Next.js or React Native/Expo is well-documented in the sources.
    Convex & Clerk, User Authentication with Clerk and Convex, Authentication Best Practices: Convex, Clerk and NextJs

• Convex Auth:

  • Install the convex-auth npm package and configure your sign-in/sign-up flows.
  • No need for third-party providers, but features are more limited and the API may change.
    Authentication

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Summary Table

Feature	Clerk	Convex Auth (Beta)
Social logins	Yes	Yes
Multi-factor auth	Yes	No
Passkeys	Yes	No
Production ready	Yes	No (beta)
Cost	May incur costs	Free (for now)
Integration	Next.js, React Native, Expo	React, React Native
Customization	High	Moderate
Vendor lock-in	Yes (third-party)	No (all in Convex)

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