Production needs a domain you own with Clerk's DNS records, and your own OAuth credentials for each social provider; plan for up to 48 hours of DNS propagation. [2]
Guides · auth · Everyday developer services
Clerk application (development and production)
Create a Clerk application with the Clerk CLI (dev keys written to .env.local), then create a production instance on your own domain with DNS records and your own social OAuth credentials.
Researched · not yet run liveLast researched 25 October 2026 · Clerk · provider site
Researched, not yet run live. Built from the provider’s official pages (linked below). A person hasn’t walked this flow end to end yet, so check each step against the source.
Who owns what
A Clerk application has a development instance and, once created, a production instance with separate keys.
- Clerk account personal owned by the person
- Application project · under Clerk account
Have ready
- A domain you own for the production instance. · Clerk production needs your own domain plus DNS records for sessions and email. [2]Needed for: Create the production instance
Steps
Steps marked “human step” are ones only you can do: verapli never signs in, submits, pays or accepts terms for you.
Create the application and development keys
In the app folder run npx -y clerk@latest init. Signed out, it provisions a claimable application and writes development keys to .env.local; the person signs in later to claim it. Signed in, run clerk auth login and choose an app with init --app.
Create the production instance
In the Clerk Dashboard switch from Development to Create production instance, clone dev settings or use defaults, and enter your domain. Re-add SSO connections, integrations and paths, which do not copy.
Where: https://dashboard.clerk.com/
Add the DNS records
Add the records listed on the Domains page at your DNS host and wait for them to verify.
- The provider says
- DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate. [2]
Add your own social OAuth credentialsoptional
For each social sign-in provider, create your own OAuth client at that provider and enter its client ID and secret in the production instance; shared dev credentials are not allowed in production.
Copy production keys to the host
Copy the pk_live_ publishable key and sk_live_ secret key into the hosting provider's production environment variables and redeploy.
verapli captures
CLERK_SECRET_KEYhere by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.Where: https://dashboard.clerk.com/
Terms and gotchas
Plain-English summary, not legal advice. Each card links its source.
Free plan allows 50,000 monthly retained users per app (one-month grace to upgrade), 3 social connections, and has no MFA, passkeys or SMS codes. [3]
What you end up with
| Env var | Secret | Format | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY | not secret | pk_live_… | Publishable key (pk_test_ in development, pk_live_ in production); safe for the browser. |
CLERK_SECRET_KEY | secret | sk_live_… | Secret key (sk_test_ or sk_live_); server-only. |
Pricing
- Free tier: 50,000 monthly retained users per app, 3 dashboard seats, 3 social connections.
- Costs: Pro $25/month, or $20/month billed annually.
Source [3]
For agents
The same entry as JSON: /api/v1/entries/clerk/application · requirements /api/v1/requirements/clerk/application · terms /api/v1/terms/clerk/application.
Remote MCP (read-only, no auth)
claude mcp add --transport http verapli https://verapli.com/mcp
> "What do I need for Clerk application (development and production), and how long will it take?"
→ tools/call requirements { "provider_id": "clerk/application" }Sources
- Next.js quickstart npx -y clerk@latest init writes NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY and CLERK_SECRET_KEY to .env.local; signed out it provisions a claimable application with development keys, claimed by signing in later (billing and some settings need claiming); signed in use clerk auth login, apps list, init --app; keep CLERK_SECRET_KEY out of client code. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Deploy your Clerk app to production Create production instance from the Development switcher (clone settings or defaults; SSO connections, Integrations and Paths do not copy); need a domain you own; DNS records from the Domains page, up to 48 hours to propagate; own OAuth credentials for each social provider in production; production keys pk_live_/sk_live_ vs development pk_test_/sk_test_. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Clerk pricing Free (Hobby) 50,000 MRU per app with a one-month grace period, 3 dashboard seats, 3 social connections, fixed 7-day sessions, no MFA/passkeys/SMS, Clerk branding stays; Pro $25/month or $20/month annually. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Stripe Projects provider catalogue Clerk is listed in the Stripe Projects catalogue as clerk/auth (Auth). · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
Provider rules change. This page is generated from verapli registry version 2026.1025.387; spotted something out of date? Tell us. Clerk is not affiliated with verapli.