clerk-auth-standard

Next.js middleware route protection via Clerk intercepts requests and redirects unauthenticated users. You configure the middleware to check Clerk session status and define protected route patterns that require authentication before rendering or API access.

Clerk publicMetadata RBAC stores user roles in the publicMetadata field for authorization checks. You assign roles like admin or customer in publicMetadata and evaluate them in middleware or GraphQL resolvers to gate access to protected resources.

Clerk JWT verification for GraphQL resolvers validates the session token on the backend before executing queries. You extract the JWT from request headers, verify its signature using Clerk's keys, and check role claims to authorize resolver execution.

Apollo Client integrates with the Clerk provider by passing the authenticated session token into Apollo request headers. You wrap Apollo Client setup in the Clerk provider context and configure the auth link to inject the Clerk JWT for authenticated GraphQL requests.

Custom Clerk sign-in pages for admin and customer roles are built as dedicated Next.js routes pointing at Clerk's authentication flow. You design separate UI components for each audience and route users to the appropriate Clerk sign-in path based on their intended role.