Full Stack Development with Next.js, Clerk, and Neon

Full stack development encompasses both front-end and back-end development, allowing you to build complete web applications from scratch. In this guide, we will explore how to create a full stack application using Next.js for the front-end, Clerk for authentication, and Neon for the database. By the end of this article, you will have a solid understanding of these tools and how to integrate them effectively to build a modern web application.

Setting Up the Project
Creating the Next.js Front-End
Integrating Clerk for Authentication
Setting Up Neon for the Database
Building API Routes in Next.js
Connecting the Front-End to the Back-End
Deploying the Application
Additional Features and Enhancements
Conclusion

1. Setting Up the Project

Before we dive into coding, let’s set up our development environment.

Prerequisites

Node.js installed on your machine
A Clerk account
A Neon account

Initializing the Project

First, create a new directory for your project and initialize a new Next.js application.

mkdir fullstack-next-clerk-neon
cd fullstack-next-clerk-neon
npx create-next-app@latest

Follow the prompts to set up your Next.js application. Once that’s done, install the necessary dependencies.

cd your-project-name
npm install @clerk/clerk-react pg

2. Creating the Next.js Front-End

Next.js is a powerful React framework that enables server-side rendering, static site generation, and API routes.

Setting Up the Pages

Create a basic structure for your application by adding the necessary pages.

‘pages/index.js’


import Head from 'next/head';

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Head>
        <title>Full Stack App</title>
        <meta name="description" content="Full Stack App with Next.js, Clerk, and Neon" />
      </Head>
      <main>
        <h1>Welcome to the Full Stack App</h1>
      </main>
    </div>
  );
}

‘pages/_app.js’

Integrate Clerk into your application by wrapping your app component with the Clerk provider.

import { ClerkProvider } from '@clerk/clerk-react';

function MyApp({ Component, pageProps }) {
  return (
    <ClerkProvider frontendApi="your-clerk-frontend-api">
      <Component {...pageProps} />
    </ClerkProvider>
  );
}

export default MyApp;

3. Integrating Clerk for Authentication

Clerk simplifies user management and authentication.

Setting Up Clerk

‘pages/sign-in.js’

Create a sign-in page using Clerk’s pre-built components.

import { SignIn } from '@clerk/clerk-react';

export default function SignInPage() {
  return <SignIn />;
}

‘pages/sign-up.js’

Similarly, create a sign-up page.

import { SignUp } from '@clerk/clerk-react';

export default function SignUpPage() {
  return <SignUp />;
}

Protecting Routes

To protect a route, use Clerk’s ‘withAuth’ higher-order component.

To protect a route, use Clerk's ‘withAuth’ higher-order component.
import { withAuth } from '@clerk/clerk-react';

function Dashboard() {
  return <h1>Protected Dashboard</h1>;
}

export default withAuth(Dashboard);

4. Setting Up Neon for the Database

Neon is a serverless PostgreSQL database that scales automatically.

Creating a Neon Database

Sign in to your Neon account and create a new project.
Create a new database within your project.
Note down the connection details.

Connecting to Neon

Install the ‘pg’ package to interact with your PostgreSQL database.

npm install pg

‘lib/db.js’

Create a utility file to connect to your Neon database.

import { Client } from 'pg';

const client = new Client({
  user: 'your-user',
  host: 'your-host',
  database: 'your-database',
  password: 'your-password',
  port: 5432,
});

client.connect();

export default client;